ProjectThree
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2019
- Messages
- 4
Hi All,
I'm looking for some inspiration and ideas regarding an excel based reporting tool for field workers. I currently envisage a worksheet formatted to look like a form, this will have elements such as cells using drop down and content validation, tables to record values etc. The format of the report can change a fair amount, and additional rows etc can be required on tables, there will be sections that may or may not be applicable. This then needs to be able to be exported as a PDF document.
The solution I'm currently looking at it a "Snippet library" with blocks of content on a worksheet, and a separate worksheet containing an index with the cell range addresses for the snippets. I'll then have presets of standard reports, or pages which can be selected, a macro would then run through the list of required snippets and then run down the index list, find the location on the snippet library sheet and then copy it into a report worksheet in sequence. The snippets will already have buttons and associated macros to add additional blank lines to tables etc.
There would also be an index sheet / list which tracks the snippets used, start and end points. When additional lines are added, this index would be updated so that it should remain accurate. This would also allow for additional snippets to be "sandwiched" between existing ones.
I was then planning on using just a standard print to PDF with a defined print area to export to the required format.
This however, will take a long time to develop, and I'm not entirely sure that this will work. Does anyone have any other ideas? done anything similar? We're looking to avoid buying into an existing solution due to a low cost solution being required, however I am open to other open source software or solutions available under the Microsoft E3 license.
I'm looking for some inspiration and ideas regarding an excel based reporting tool for field workers. I currently envisage a worksheet formatted to look like a form, this will have elements such as cells using drop down and content validation, tables to record values etc. The format of the report can change a fair amount, and additional rows etc can be required on tables, there will be sections that may or may not be applicable. This then needs to be able to be exported as a PDF document.
The solution I'm currently looking at it a "Snippet library" with blocks of content on a worksheet, and a separate worksheet containing an index with the cell range addresses for the snippets. I'll then have presets of standard reports, or pages which can be selected, a macro would then run through the list of required snippets and then run down the index list, find the location on the snippet library sheet and then copy it into a report worksheet in sequence. The snippets will already have buttons and associated macros to add additional blank lines to tables etc.
There would also be an index sheet / list which tracks the snippets used, start and end points. When additional lines are added, this index would be updated so that it should remain accurate. This would also allow for additional snippets to be "sandwiched" between existing ones.
I was then planning on using just a standard print to PDF with a defined print area to export to the required format.
This however, will take a long time to develop, and I'm not entirely sure that this will work. Does anyone have any other ideas? done anything similar? We're looking to avoid buying into an existing solution due to a low cost solution being required, however I am open to other open source software or solutions available under the Microsoft E3 license.