Word Tool Bar that Connects to a Database

[Paul Reavis]

I want to create a Word toolbar that will search a
database and link to information sources. I, ideally,
would like to not leave Word but would have a dropdown
list of links that can be serched and effected without
going here to there to there to there....

I work for a law firm and the intent is to make the fewest
number of clicks between when they realize they need an
authority for a proposition and getting to the source for
that authority. I have an Access database that links to
the various libraries and services to which we subscribe
and I would like to address that data from a toolbar.

I have set up a button that invokes the library catalog
but that means launching another application and running
the link -- launching Internet Explorer and each of these
need to be closed and/or navigated back to where we were
to get the information into the document. I thought it
would make sense to have a toolbar that would have a link
to the database and just give the opportunity to link to
the source.... This cuts down one application launch,
getting the search screen, selecting the source and
linking. Instead the search is assumed so you enter the
search criteria, select among the qualifying candidate
sources and link.

I think I know how some of the code would go but I need to
know how to build specialized toolbars that have dropdown
lists. Buttons are the assumed medium in Word's Toolbar
world and if you want more you have to invoke the other
application or a dialog box.

Any ideas you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Paul Reavis
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Paul,

If you're coding in Office VBA, then you want to use DAO, or
possibly ADO, to link to the data in the Access source.

ComboBoxes have to be built with VBA - they can't be dragged
into the toolbar as buttons can. That's fairly straight
forward; type Commandbars(1).Controls.Add into the VB editor,
then press F1 to get the help). And you'll also want a
procedure that picks up the data from the database and puts
it into the list, this is the .AddItem method of the
Office.CommandbarComboBox object.

I want to create a Word toolbar that will search a
database and link to information sources. I, ideally,
would like to not leave Word but would have a dropdown
list of links that can be serched and effected without
going here to there to there to there....

I work for a law firm and the intent is to make the fewest
number of clicks between when they realize they need an
authority for a proposition and getting to the source for
that authority. I have an Access database that links to
the various libraries and services to which we subscribe
and I would like to address that data from a toolbar.

I have set up a button that invokes the library catalog
but that means launching another application and running
the link -- launching Internet Explorer and each of these
need to be closed and/or navigated back to where we were
to get the information into the document. I thought it
would make sense to have a toolbar that would have a link
to the database and just give the opportunity to link to
the source.... This cuts down one application launch,
getting the search screen, selecting the source and
linking. Instead the search is assumed so you enter the
search criteria, select among the qualifying candidate
sources and link.

I think I know how some of the code would go but I need to
know how to build specialized toolbars that have dropdown
lists. Buttons are the assumed medium in Word's Toolbar
world and if you want more you have to invoke the other
application or a dialog box.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun
8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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