Open and Save to iManage

[sjwopg]

I'm going to need to build an application using Word 2003 that will be able
to open documents stored in iManage, then save them back in iManage after
they have been edited. I want to do this using VBA code. I've done a lot with
Access and Excel VBA coding, but this is my first attempt with Word.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi

I don't know iManage, but I can say that the only way you'll be able to get
VBA to "talk" to iManage is if iManage exposes an object model to talk to.

Some document management systems do this (Trim is one); others don't. I
suggest you talk in the first instance to your iManage supplier, or look
around their web site for a software development kit or other way of talking
to iManage. A good way to start is to get some sample code that does the
basics of what you want, and then modify and expand it to suit your needs.
Generally, it involves creating a reference in VBA (using Tools > Reference)
to the DLL from the document management software, and then using the
properties and methods that the DLL exposes to talk to its database.

My experience is that document management applications rarely allow you to
do exactly what you had in mind; but perhaps I'm just being cynical.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word

 

[Jonathan West]

Hi

I don't know iManage, but I can say that the only way you'll be able to
get VBA to "talk" to iManage is if iManage exposes an object model to talk
to.

Some document management systems do this (Trim is one); others don't. I
suggest you talk in the first instance to your iManage supplier, or look
around their web site for a software development kit or other way of
talking to iManage. A good way to start is to get some sample code that
does the basics of what you want, and then modify and expand it to suit
your needs. Generally, it involves creating a reference in VBA (using
Tools > Reference) to the DLL from the document management software, and
then using the properties and methods that the DLL exposes to talk to its
database.

My experience is that document management applications rarely allow you to
do exactly what you had in mind; but perhaps I'm just being cynical.

iManage does expose an object model. It is not all that wonderfully well
documented but it does exist, and you can use VBA code to save files to
iManage and retrieve file from it.

You do need to create a reference to the iManage library, and from my
experience, the library required depends on the version of Word being used,
which is rather a nuisance as it means that if you have a mixed environment,
you have to have two different versions of your templates or add-ins, one
for each version of word, differing only in the references that are set.

 

[sjwopg]

Thanks to the both of you. I figured it was sort of dll reference issue. I'll
check with my client's vendor about that.

If the documentation is sketchy or better/worse yet unavailable, how can I
find out the properties and methods of the dll?

Steve

 

[Jonathan West]

Thanks to the both of you. I figured it was sort of dll reference issue.
I'll
check with my client's vendor about that.

If the documentation is sketchy or better/worse yet unavailable, how can I
find out the properties and methods of the dll?

Once the reference is set, you can look at the object model using the object
browser. Press F2 when in the VBA editor to take a look at the object
browser. There will almost certainly be some sample code provided. Look at
that and see how it is built.

 

[sjwopg]

Thanks again, Jonathon.

Once the reference is set, you can look at the object model using the object
browser. Press F2 when in the VBA editor to take a look at the object
browser. There will almost certainly be some sample code provided. Look at
that and see how it is built.


--
Regards
Jonathan West - Word MVP
www.intelligentdocuments.co.uk
Please reply to the newsgroup