Vantage Basic

Yahoo Archive
1
It has been a while since I used Vantage Basic and have a question. I am
trying to write a simple program to launch excel and open a file which has
the same name as the partnum in the part table. I am trying to do this from
both part maintenance and tracker. The command looks like this: SHELLEXEC
excel {part.partnum.scrvalue}.xls. It works great in part maintenance but it
fails in tracker because the part number is not available to be passed to
the external call. (I right clicked to check the Control List). Am I doing
something wrong or have I run up against yet another "FEATURE" of Vantage
<g>.

Thanks

Keith
2
<<Question: Is there a way to make the VantageBasic Form window bigger ?
I would like to have more space for informations but run out of ...>>


I discovered (when we ran out of room) that you can resize the VBForm
window...however not by much. If you double click on the edge of the window you
will get a "resize" square. You can then drag the VBForm window just a little
larger. You won't gain a lot of extra real estate but every bit helps when you
are cramming in the data!

By the way, we're still on 3.0 so am not sure whether this still works on 4.0.

Mike Lowe
Corporate I.S. Manager
Connor Manufacturing Services
MLowe@...
3
Fellow Epicorians,
I have a need for exploring the functionality of Vantage Basic
to calculate rough material needs outside of what is available with
the Standard Vantage package (v4.902). I found a document on Epicor's
"Ask Dr. Vantage" archive that explains an example that is included
with the standard test database. Unfortunately, this routine is
missing an ".(i)nclude file", (text.i), and errors out at run-time.
It looks like this procedure starts off with a Vantage Basic form,
calls a progress procedure,
and then uses an excel worksheet to write and compute temporary variables,
and then return them to Vantage. This is pretty much what I am trying
to do.
Does anyone have any information on how a procedure like this
is supposed to work? I have searched the Epicor archive for additional
information, but came up empty. I spoke to Epicor about the missing file
but also was out of luck. I will be taking Epicor's VB class in a couple
of months, but would like to explore this functionality to see if it will
meet the needs of what I am trying to do.
Thanks in advance for any help.
4
Dick,

I ran across the same problem and instead of trying to figure out
what was wrong with their progress code, I decided to attempt to use
Visual Basic which I knew something about.

I have a Visual Basic program that opens when when the VB form button
on the quote material is pushed. The esitmator enters the length and
width of the part, the length and width of the sheet, and the weight
per square foot of the material is pulled from an Access DB that
purchasing maintains from within the Part Master VB form button.

Once quoting has the info in the hit a calculate button which
calculates the correct qty per parent and closes the Visual Basic
Program, bringing them back to Vantage's VB form. When they hit OK
their, the calculated value is placed in the Qty Per field on the
quote. It works great. If you know Visual Basic and Access at all
give it a try, I'll be happy to give you a few hints if your
interested.

Brian Stenglein
Clow Stamping Company
bstenglein@...

--- In vantage@y..., PLAMAN DICK <dick.plaman@T...> wrote:
> Fellow Epicorians,
> I have a need for exploring the functionality of Vantage Basic
> to calculate rough material needs outside of what is available with
> the Standard Vantage package (v4.902). I found a document on
Epicor's
> "Ask Dr. Vantage" archive that explains an example that is included
> with the standard test database. Unfortunately, this routine is
> missing an ".(i)nclude file", (text.i), and errors out at run-time.
> It looks like this procedure starts off with a Vantage Basic form,
> calls a progress procedure,
> and then uses an excel worksheet to write and compute temporary
variables,
> and then return them to Vantage. This is pretty much what I am
trying
> to do.
> Does anyone have any information on how a procedure like this
> is supposed to work? I have searched the Epicor archive for
additional
> information, but came up empty. I spoke to Epicor about the
missing file
> but also was out of luck. I will be taking Epicor's VB class in a
couple
> of months, but would like to explore this functionality to see if
it will
> meet the needs of what I am trying to do.
> Thanks in advance for any help.
5
Brian,
could you instruct me on how I can take the current partnumber
I working with in Vantage, and use it for criteria in visual basic
to find that part number in my access data-base?
I would then want to do my calculations, (I think I can figure
this out myself), and then return the result of that calculation to
the quantity per field in vantage.
I have been working with visual basic for the past two days
and am surprised how easy it is to do some things. It is really
a nifty application.
Thanks again for your help.
6
I'm not Brian, but you could use a VantageBasic dialog in the part master
file to Send the part number as an argument to the Visual Basic program,
have the program copy the quantity per value to the clipboard, and use the
_cliptext variable to write the data to the appropriate field. Printing all
of the VantageBasic help would show you how to do this.

I guess the alternative would be to put some ODBC connectivity in your VB
Program, which would be a little scary.


-----Original Message-----
From: PLAMAN DICK [mailto:dick.plaman@...]
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2001 3:36 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Re: Vantage Basic


Brian,
could you instruct me on how I can take the current partnumber
I working with in Vantage, and use it for criteria in visual basic
to find that part number in my access data-base?
I would then want to do my calculations, (I think I can figure
this out myself), and then return the result of that calculation to
the quantity per field in vantage.
I have been working with visual basic for the past two days
and am surprised how easy it is to do some things. It is really
a nifty application.
Thanks again for your help.

To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please go to:
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7
Anyone have an example of how do set up a button in VB that will open a TIF
file.

I want to be able to tie a scanned image to each job.

Thanks,

Dave Cole
Reeder & Kline




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
8
The Vantage Basic form probably isn't the best way to go as the button is
only made available in the job entry->update screen, and is greyed out as
soon as the job is released.

If the job is associated with just one top assembly, you could use the
button in the part maintainance screen, however the button is only made
accessible to those who have write access to the part.

An example would be

SHELLEXEC Tif_Reader.exe {jobhead.jobnum.scrvalue}.tif

in the job entry module or

SHELLEXEC Tif_Reader.exe {part.partnum.scrvalue}.tif

in the part maintainance module.

You can associate the part and / or job with a document in the job or part
tracker, clicking on the DOCS button, but you'd have to manually do that for
every one.

We still don't have our documents manually tied in to the database. we just
name them the same name as the part number or job number and manually browse
or type the number when we need to open it. It isn't optimal, but it works.


Thaddeus Jacobs

>you wrote:

Anyone have an example of how do set up a button in VB that will open a TIF
file.

I want to be able to tie a scanned image to each job.

Thanks,

Dave Cole
Reeder & Kline




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/. Note: You must have already
linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
9
Thad,

What I was trying to do was to scan a card with the serial numbers of the
parts running on the job and then be able to pull it up at any time.

The serial number function in Vantage is useless for us. We have to deal
with a serial number on a forging coming in, run it on an internal serial
number, and then assign it a customer serial number when it ships. Most of
our customers will not give us the serial numbers until parts are ready to
ship.

Thanks,

Dave

Dave Cole
Reeder & Kline

-----Original Message-----
From: Thad Jacobs [mailto:tjacobs@...]
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 11:01 AM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


The Vantage Basic form probably isn't the best way to go as the button is
only made available in the job entry->update screen, and is greyed out as
soon as the job is released.

If the job is associated with just one top assembly, you could use the
button in the part maintainance screen, however the button is only made
accessible to those who have write access to the part.

An example would be

SHELLEXEC Tif_Reader.exe {jobhead.jobnum.scrvalue}.tif

in the job entry module or

SHELLEXEC Tif_Reader.exe {part.partnum.scrvalue}.tif

in the part maintainance module.

You can associate the part and / or job with a document in the job or part
tracker, clicking on the DOCS button, but you'd have to manually do that for
every one.

We still don't have our documents manually tied in to the database. we just
name them the same name as the part number or job number and manually browse
or type the number when we need to open it. It isn't optimal, but it works.


Thaddeus Jacobs

>you wrote:

Anyone have an example of how do set up a button in VB that will open a TIF
file.

I want to be able to tie a scanned image to each job.

Thanks,

Dave Cole
Reeder & Kline




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.> Note: You must have
already
linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access.

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<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
10
We use:

shellexec
v:\Vantage\VBforms\CustomerPOs\{OrderHed.CHAR-FIELD_1.scrvalue}.g3n

as the VB program and a button that runs this program to "attach" a faxed
image of the customer PO to our sales orders. It is viewable from the
trackers and has worked really well for us.

Jerry Boyle, IS Manager
Sipco Molding Technologies
Meadville, Pa. 16335-6725
814.724.2243
Visit our web site at www.sipco.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Cole, Dave [mailto:dave@...]
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 11:37 AM
To: eManfacturing Yahoo Groups (E-mail)
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic

Anyone have an example of how do set up a button in VB that will open a TIF
file.
I want to be able to tie a scanned image to each job.
11
I am trying to put a VB form in Project tracker and open a excel form for a form unique to that project ID using SHELLEXEC excel.exe {Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls This doesn't seem to be working. The Shellexec command works when I dont try to specify this worksheet. Any suggestions

Russ
Wisdom Industries
12
We have a VB form that does this exact function using "shellexec
h:\common\projectnotes\{Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls".

Jerry Boyle
Sipco Molding Technologies
Meadville, Pa. 16335-6725
814.724.2243
Visit our web site at www.sipco.com

-----Original Message-----
From: silvey3279@... [mailto:silvey3279@...]
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 5:56 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


I am trying to put a VB form in Project tracker and open a excel form for a
form unique to that project ID using SHELLEXEC excel.exe
{Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls This doesn't seem to be working. The
Shellexec command works when I dont try to specify this worksheet. Any
suggestions

Russ
Wisdom Industries
13
Ed Giallombardo
Computer Technician
Major Industries, Inc.
7120 Stewart Ave.
Wausau, WI 54402
phone: 715-842-4616 ext. 322
email: egiallombardo@...

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Boyle [mailto:jboyle@...]
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 6:15 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


We have a VB form that does this exact function using "shellexec
h:\common\projectnotes\{Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls".

Jerry Boyle
Sipco Molding Technologies
Meadville, Pa. 16335-6725
814.724.2243
Visit our web site at www.sipco.com

-----Original Message-----
From: silvey3279@... [mailto:silvey3279@...]
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 5:56 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


I am trying to put a VB form in Project tracker and open a excel form for a
form unique to that project ID using SHELLEXEC excel.exe
{Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls This doesn't seem to be working. The
Shellexec command works when I dont try to specify this worksheet. Any
suggestions

Russ
Wisdom Industries




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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
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<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
14
What version are you on? I'm on v4 and can't seem to get it working.

Ed Giallombardo
Computer Technician
Major Industries, Inc.
7120 Stewart Ave.
Wausau, WI 54402
phone: 715-842-4616 ext. 322
email: egiallombardo@...

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Boyle [mailto:jboyle@...]
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 6:15 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


We have a VB form that does this exact function using "shellexec
h:\common\projectnotes\{Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls".

Jerry Boyle
Sipco Molding Technologies
Meadville, Pa. 16335-6725
814.724.2243
Visit our web site at www.sipco.com

-----Original Message-----
From: silvey3279@... [mailto:silvey3279@...]
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2001 5:56 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


I am trying to put a VB form in Project tracker and open a excel form for a
form unique to that project ID using SHELLEXEC excel.exe
{Project.ProjectID.scrvalue}.xls This doesn't seem to be working. The
Shellexec command works when I dont try to specify this worksheet. Any
suggestions

Russ
Wisdom Industries




Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

<http://rd.yahoo.com/M=212508.1587435.3138490.1261774/D=egroupweb/S=17050071
83:HM/A=763352/R=0/*http://www.classmates.com/index.tf?s=5085>

<http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=212508.1587435.3138490.1261774/D=egroupmai
l/S=1705007183:HM/A=763352/rand=425704745>

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages>
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links>

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
15
Does anyone have more documentation for Vantage Basic
than what is provided with Vantage on-line help??

Is this really all the functionality that is available
to users that is spelled out in the help - or is there
more to it ????

Ed
16
Vantage Basic is a means of creating more custom database forms, launching
dos and progress applications.

The only means that a program can pass data back to vantagebasic is through
the clipboard, or possibly through the return value of a 4GL program.

You can cram a list of DB values, comma separated, for example, into a
clipboard field via vantagebasic.

You can then have visual basic split the clipboard value into different
variables, modify those variables, and pass them back to the clipboard.

Vantage basic, however, cannot parse that list of values.


-----Original Message-----
From: efkcon01@... [mailto:efkcon01@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 11:51 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


Does anyone have more documentation for Vantage Basic
than what is provided with Vantage on-line help??

Is this really all the functionality that is available
to users that is spelled out in the help - or is there
more to it ????

Ed



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
17
I'm wondering the same thing - my third week using Vantage and I keep
looking for the 2 inch thick manual with all the answers.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: efkcon01@... [mailto:efkcon01@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 12:51 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


Does anyone have more documentation for Vantage Basic
than what is provided with Vantage on-line help??

Is this really all the functionality that is available
to users that is spelled out in the help - or is there
more to it ????

Ed



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
18
VantageBasic IS NOT A DATA ENTRY SHORTCUT, though it is a means of launching
4GL programs, and other windows programs. Though you can transfer a single
value at a time through the clipboard, it is not a significant data entry
shortcut.

VantageBasic IS a means of creating custom data forms to enter data within
ONE particular record of ONE particular database table.

VantageBasic can be used to pass a named argument or multiple arguments that
contain database characters. An application of this could be to launch a
data sheet pdf that has is named
[part number].pdf

VantageBasic forms cannot be transfered between databases via any convenient
means. The best I've found is printscreens, and maybe cutting and pasting
between text files. Most vantagebasic forms will have relatively few lines
of code, so this isn't a huge issue, but anything I do in vantagebasic on
the test database in Vantagebasic has to be MANUALLY redone in the live
database, until someone writes a 4GL program to save and load vantagebasic
form information into the database.

Has anyone on this list found any other significant uses for vantagebasic
forms?

VantageBasic is a useful tool for creating custom forms, and at times can be
a viable alternative to document management modules, with its ability to
launch a file that has a name contained in a database field, but for
anything beyond that, such as transferring data through the the clipboard,
is, IMHO, possibly not the most optimal use of ones time.

Anyone looking to increase the efficiency of the use of their database, and
is willing to type code into a vantagebasic form, may seriously want to
consider learning 4GL.

4GL offers you the flexibility of a real programming language rather that
VantageBasic, which is not the least bit as powerful as the version of BASIC
i first played around with on an Apple IIE in grade school....

$.019
Thadeus

-----Original Message-----
From: John Wapner [mailto:jwapner@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 2:07 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


I'm wondering the same thing - my third week using Vantage and I keep
looking for the 2 inch thick manual with all the answers.

John

-----Original Message-----
From: efkcon01@... [mailto:efkcon01@...]
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 12:51 PM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Vantage Basic


Does anyone have more documentation for Vantage Basic
than what is provided with Vantage on-line help??

Is this really all the functionality that is available
to users that is spelled out in the help - or is there
more to it ????

Ed



Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/





Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/