Work related: Custom MS Office templates pulling in data

[benlav]

Hey team,

I now work for a small boutique investment advisory firm and have been streamlining a bunch of processes. Something I have done is creating a tonne of macros for excel, now I am turning my attention towards word.

Does anyone know of a decent website where I can learn about creating a skeleton template which can pull data from other word docs. For example, every month we write up a market commentary, which would then feed through to the master template on call, right now it is all copy and paste.

Having a quick look, it looks like an XML structure would be the way to go? I have basic knowledge in coding, enough to get me through and I can learn (and find) what I need. Plus I don't get too complex.

If anyone knows of a good system, please let me know!

Ben

[Xsannz]

Hey team,

I now work for a small boutique investment advisory firm and have been streamlining a bunch of processes.

so you've been templating new grammatically correct email templates for your nigerian scam company?

[Xsannz]

Hey team,

I now work for a small boutique investment advisory firm and have been streamlining a bunch of processes. Something I have done is creating a tonne of macros for excel, now I am turning my attention towards word.

Does anyone know of a decent website where I can learn about creating a skeleton template which can pull data from other word docs. For example, every month we write up a market commentary, which would then feed through to the master template on call, right now it is all copy and paste.

Having a quick look, it looks like an XML structure would be the way to go? I have basic knowledge in coding, enough to get me through and I can learn (and find) what I need. Plus I don't get too complex.

If anyone knows of a good system, please let me know!

Ben

VBA will be your friend.

a much easier option is to create the template as bad as it sounds in excel format it ike a word document etc etc and have that link out to the relevent data sources and pull them in its how we used to template automated reports.

Google  http://bit.ly/1Cydq6l and http://bit.ly/1CydSSm

they seem complex best way is probably the way we did it and excel and use the documents you want to pull from as data sources

[Xsannz]

or write a macro that goes opens a named template and then copies it to your template.....

if you have sample files i might be able to knock something up for you or at least do all the havy code and then just leave comments and variablesstuff for you to fill in.

[benlav]

or write a macro that goes opens a named template and then copies it to your template.....

if you have sample files i might be able to knock something up for you or at least do all the havy code and then just leave comments and variablesstuff for you to fill in.

cheers, looking into those now. I know how to do a VBA in excel about copy and pasting, might have to learn how to do it regarding word docs.

[Xsannz]

or write a macro that goes opens a named template and then copies it to your template.....

if you have sample files i might be able to knock something up for you or at least do all the havy code and then just leave comments and variablesstuff for you to fill in.

cheers, looking into those now. I know how to do a VBA in excel about copy and pasting, might have to learn how to do it regarding word docs.

I have some sample stuff you can have now if i can find it it was a report that grabbed sharepoint, SQL DB, and Word files opened them copied information and stats accross then graphed and compiled all sorts of things including emails and pdf files and sent them out, its a nice condensed way of every VBA hack i know of..

the pdf printer one is the worst as you have to inject into the registry at run time where the pdf printer grabs its file names from

also i advocate anything you produce the final output being PDF its alot harder to manipulate what you said or didn't say or put in a file with PDF than word..

[benlav]

I might take you up on that offer, however my new nigerian based, err, my new company has the IT policy to get around. I will actually need it to generate in word format, as I am not producing reports, but financial plans that they will need to be able to change.

[Xsannz]

I might take you up on that offer, however my new nigerian based, err, my new company has the IT policy to get around. I will actually need it to generate in word format, as I am not producing reports, but financial plans that they will need to be able to change.

fair enough the nice thing about VBA is you can get around it policy... 

i found a nice trick that enabled macros even if you had it disabled at domain level

[benlav]

I might take you up on that offer, however my new nigerian based, err, my new company has the IT policy to get around. I will actually need it to generate in word format, as I am not producing reports, but financial plans that they will need to be able to change.

fair enough the nice thing about VBA is you can get around it policy... 

i found a nice trick that enabled macros even if you had it disabled at domain level

The IT policy here blanket refuses the ability to load in trusted locations in office...

[Xsannz]

sucks i hate narrow mindedness of the IT guys sometimes

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

sucks i hate narrow mindedness of the IT guys sometimes

No, Xsannz. You are the IT guys.

[Xsannz]

sucks i hate narrow mindedness of the IT guys sometimes

No, Xsannz. You are the IT guys.

I used to be   i hated the fact that the bosses who wanted rules didn't think about the end users and edge cases with no flexibility.

[Lias]

Be glad you have what you have.

Things some of us would like to implement at work but can't due to lack of resources and resistance from the business.
All network ports kept physically disconnected without a valid work order and change control to liven them.
All network ports having port security with static (not sticky) MAC filtering.
All PC's to be secured in tamperproof housings preventing access to back of PC, and front USB disabled.
Whitelist for only approved USB devices as an additional safeguard.
Applocker/Application whitelisting
Internet access only to a whitelist of approved sites.
Bitlocker on all drives including the aforementioned whitelisted USB devices.

You get the idea :-P

[Xsannz]

Be glad you have what you have.

Things some of us would like to implement at work but can't due to lack of resources and resistance from the business.
All network ports kept physically disconnected without a valid work order and change control to liven them.
All network ports having port security with static (not sticky) MAC filtering.
All PC's to be secured in tamperproof housings preventing access to back of PC, and front USB disabled.
Whitelist for only approved USB devices as an additional safeguard.
Applocker/Application whitelisting
Internet access only to a whitelist of approved sites.
Bitlocker on all drives including the aforementioned whitelisted USB devices.

You get the idea :-P

These are the sort of narrow minded rules that makes stuff dirty diapers in car air vents and piss on door handles.