smart-tags and hyperlinks

[Chip Orange]

I need to be able to process a document and have certain text strings
recognized and turned into a hyperlink to launch an external .exe program
with that text as a parameter. This doesn't look quite possible with the
word hyperlink capability (it adds a "#" between the .exe name and the
parameter that isn't processed correctly).

Can I do this with smart-tags? Can I write the programs needed for
smart-tags in VBA or do I need to learn vb.net to do this?

Thanks.

Chip

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Can I do this with smart-tags?

Probably.

Can I write the programs needed for smart-tags in VBA or do I need to
learn vb.net to do this?

If the links you need to insert are fixed, or if they can be generated by a
mixture of fixed text plus the text recognised, you may be able to use a
MOSTL file to do this (these are .XML files that rely on a standard Smart
Tag recogniser). This approach should certainly allow you to test that the
action you want to perform will actually work.You may be able to find some
sample MOSTL Smart Tag files in

c:\Program Files\Common FIles\\Microsoft Shared\Smart Tag\

or you may find samples in the Word SmartDocument SDK (I forget the full
title).


Otherwise, you can't write the Recogniser and Actions for the Smart Tag in
VBA. You can use VB or VB.NET.

 

[Chip Orange]

Thanks Peter; assuming this works for 2003 I think it's just the ticket.

Chip

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Hi Chip,

The MOSTL and SmartTag features are in Word 2003. I can't even attempt to
tell you how they might have changed in Word 2007.

If you happen to be able to read German, there are 3 useful chapters about
Word 2003 and XML in "Word-Programmierung: Das Handbuch" published by MS
Press Deutschland, 2006, ISBN 3-86063-989-7.

If you don't read German, read no further, but if you do, IMO It is a pity
that MS Press U.S. has never attempted (to my knowledge) a similar book in
English, because for all its faults, which are mine, I have never seen
anything in English that covers this ground anything like as well as this.
FWIW this was produced after an intense period of research on my part.
Unfortunately, I can't remember a lot of the detail - If I were younger, I
would still be able to do so! Also, Cindy Meister did a terrific job of
rewriting the material in German.

IMO, in software, the more obscure or difficult the technology, the more the
onus is on technologists to make it usable. In my opinion, XML technologists
do quite a lot to promote the benefits of using their technologies but
little to demystify them or make them easy to use. If they think they do,
they are either simply wrong, publishing in places that are not reachable by
the general public (a common failing amongst people and organisations funded
by taxpayers), or perhaps imagine that elitism is good.

 

[Chip Orange]

Thanks Peter, but it's been 25 years since I used my German, and it's not up
to any such task!

I wish it were, as I've had no luck, as you seem to understand, in finding
sufficient material to make this clear enough for me to be able to use.

My problem is complicated in that I'm blind, which means I need my material
in electronic form to be able to read it, so locating some out of print (but
really great!) book on the topic, when it's in paper, just doesn't work well
for me. I certainly understand the point you made about publishing in
ways that leave the material unavailable to everyone.

Thanks anyway, and I guess we'll both get off this crowded soapbox!

Chip

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Hi Chip,

I've been away.

If possible, despam my e-mail (remove "KillmapS") and contact me. I'll try
to dig out some of the material I originally created in English and see if
it may help.