RE: PC programs and IBM i environments

On Tue, 2009-05-26 at 09:21 +0100, McGovern, Sean wrote:

I use .udl files to hold the connection string used within Excel VB
code.

I have DEV, TST, LIV folders etc. and these contain the environment
specific .udl file and the various Excel spreadsheets. The VB code uses
the .udl file found in the same folder.

Thus, I can develop an Excel spreadsheet in the DEV folder which uses
the .udl file from the DEV folder. This .udl file has all the details of
the DEV environment. Once development is complete, I drag/drop the Excel
spreadsheet to the TST folder and the .udl file from the TST folder is
automatically used.

Works fine for me.

So the user chooses the IBM i environment by choosing the folder
from which to load the add-in. So far, I have not had to inflict
users with the knowledge that there is more than one folder with
add-ins. (Indeed, commonly IT installs the add-in for the user
only when management gets around to saying give such-and-such to
so-and-so. Can you say "security by obscurity"? Ah well, that
is a whine for another day.)

Hmmm ...

The Excel add-in manager, so far as I have been able to see, is
distinctly coy about revealing the directory from which add-ins
are loaded. Where would you make the exceptional IBM i
environment manifest to the user? This is particularly important
because add-ins persist from one day to the next, and different
add-ins under this scheme could apply to different IBM i
environments.

Thanks,
Terry.

Cheers,
Sean


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Terrence Enger
Sent: 25 May 2009 15:32
To: MIDRANGE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: PC programs and IBM i environments

Greetings,

The thread "Stored procedures and library independence" returns
this question to the top of my mind, but it is a (slightly)
different question.

I have (a customer with) a bunch of Excel add-ins which retrieve
data from the IBM i into spreadsheets. Occasionally, a PC user
needs to fetch data from an environment other than the usual one.
I am not happy with any mechanism that I have invented to let the
user change to an exceptional environment.

All comments welcome. A good solution would be good <grin />,
but "generally accepted" is also good.

Thanks,
Terry.