I have updated the .Net front loader I wrote a while ago. It now allows you to double click a data file, which will open into your Excel App.
For example, if I build a dictor application, and save my data out to text file with a “.MIE” extension, I can now double click that file and it will open in dictor app.
Well that’s not quite true, the front loader will pass the full file path to the excel app, which must have a sub called “Automation_Open”, which can then do what it like with the file (path).
The work is done, by making a file association with the front loader when the application is installed (it is possible to do this at run time too). I have used “Inno Setup” to build my installation file, because VB express does not have a Setup Project (if you want the script let me know).
Anyway it’s pretty simple stuff, so take a look a the vb project and customise it for you own projects!
Setup file for example: M.I.E Front Loader v2.exe
vb project files: Front Loader.zip
Hi Ross, love your website. Like you I have no friends and like playing on spreadsheets and stuff!!!
I also like Koi carp, do you? I think we should meet up sometime, no fees, no limits.
Thank you Alastair, you are a very funny man! (Alastair is the guy i sit next to at work, for everybody else!)
Ross,
I decided to download the project to play around with it however I get a message that require me to use a password since the project has been signed.
So what is the password?
Kind regards,
Dennis
Is it true that if you wanted to distribute an Excel-based Application with the FrontLoader, the user would have to have .Net Framework installed on their PC in order for it to work?
For this front loader yes you would need .Net 2 (or better), it might work with .Net one frame work also but i have not tested.
This was really a test type project, if you used VB6 - a better choice for this job, then you could be quite happy that 99.9% of the time the fron loader would work with out having to install anything else on to the target PC.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have anymore questions
Ross