any idea on creating a document retrieval system?

[R17]

has anyone created a document retrieval system in visual foxpro? i'm wondering whether it is best to program the system using visual basic or visual foxpro.

the system will basically allow the users to view certain documents such as memorandums etc. my main goal is to introduce a "paperless" document retrieval in our company.

i'm thinking of saving the memorandums as word files then just be able to call and display it in a program. so instead of giving each divisions and employees a hard copy, i will just provide them a program wherein they can view the documents. we have at least 40 divisions with more than 1,200 employees.

can you give me more idea on this system? will the intranet also work in this case?

TIA

 

[ChrisRChamberlain]

R17

This may not be what you're looking for, but I have an app that 'catalogues' files by file type into a table by performing a recursive search on user selectable drives on both network and local machines.

The recursive file search is run as a stand alone app and can be updating the table whilst the main app is accessing the table.

Thus a user can acess all .doc files on the system through the main app. The interface allows searches and filters on the table, and to update the table on starting the app, closing the app, and starting the app through the interface or from the desktop.

If this has any relevance to what you are seeking, please advise.

FAQ184-2483 - the answer to getting answered.​

Chris

http://www.pdfcommander.com

http://www.pdfcommander.co.uk

 

[MrFancyteeth]

you could, i guess, store the paths+filenames to the docs in a table (using ChrisRChamberlin's recursive search method) then display the contents in a grid on a form. Then when user selects a document from the grid, use Shell execute to 'run'/open the document with their default application for that type.

or if you want store the entire document itself in a binary memo field then when the user selects the document, the file can be 'created' on their harddrive. - The issues with this would be Large table sizes - but you could maintain some kind of version control of the documents (important for QA) as they are stored in the table and when you need to update the doc - you just update the table.

mrF

 

[jimoo]

Are these documents going to stored on the local network, and do they all have access to that directory path. If so, that certainly makes it simplier.

Let us know your setup and we may be able to assist a bit more.

Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC

http://www.deltabg.com

 

[R17]

jimoo,

yes, all documents will be stored in the local network and can access the directory. but the application can have some sort of a user database wherein in access rights will be given as to what documents they can view.

i have ideas on how i may be able to share the database in the network to multiple users, but i don't know if mine is the right idea.

i also want to have an "uploading" procedure, where documents of any type (word or xls), can be converted to one format such as PDF.

can you give more insights on this matter?

TIA

chris, mrf and jim. thanks all for your replies. highly appreciated!

 

[R17]

chris,

can i take a look at your app?

and also, is it possible to create a messaging system wherein all users will be informed if new documents is available for viewing in the system? can i do this messaging even if their computers are off and once they turned on their computers, they can still read new messages?

 

[ChrisRChamberlain]

R17

'can i take a look at your app?'

For commercial reasons that would not be possible.

'is it possible to create a messaging system...'

If you were to adopt a 'catalogue' approach, you would have real problems in keeping the file lists up to date by virtue of the number of users.

The app discussed earlier requires users to create new or use existing projects in a similar way that a developer uses VFP.

When a project is saved, the project is date stamped and on reopening the project the user can filter the file lists to show all new or modified files since the project was last saved.

That method or something similar may be something you could deploy in your app.

FAQ184-2483 - the answer to getting answered.​

Chris

http://www.pdfcommander.com

http://www.pdfcommander.co.uk

 

[MrFancyteeth]

Uploading procedure:

if you want to convert word to pdf etc you can use a pdf printdriver (free GO2PDF download at

http://www.go2pdf.com/go2pdf.exe

) - as i said before you could save the path to this pdf in a table or store the entire document in a binary memo field.

the process would be some thing like
- browse for document
- convert(print) to pdf
- store full path / file to table

The table could have a field with a version/ammendment number & when updating the table this could be incremented - the incrementation could trigger a user message (email or whatever).

Access rights:
depends on how you want to do - i've seen a lot of posts about using the computer name or user name recently and this could be in some kind of look-up table with document name.

mrF

 

[darrellblackhawk]

I hate to state the obvious, but if you are creating a
document retrieval system for such a large group of users,
you may want to base it on a browser with SQL as the
backend.

I love VFP, but I think a intranet site might be a better approach.

Darrell