Excel Message Board / Forum

[daveb86]

Hi Guys

Is it possible to create a message board / forum within excel ?

Complete with a simple posting page and post button which includes the following

Name
Email Address
Subject
Post Detail

"Post Button"

Once the Post Button is pressed it could send an email to 2 Email Addresses ?

And also the post information is displayed on a separate sheet with a reply button where if someone replies then it also sends an auto email out to the email address entered by the post creator ?

Thanks

Dave

[dominicb]

Good evening daveb86

OK, you've got three, maybe four questions there - when you see how tricky the first bit is, you may want to bin the rest off, so let's tackle that bit first.

I think I'm fairly safe to say that you can't upload (FTP) files to a remote web server using native VBA. You can use a third party app (see here for instructions for that).

Alternatively, you can use the windows FTP support by creating a batch file from within VBA and executing that (this is probably trickier than using the third party FTP client above, but see here if you fancy it).

Once you've got that bit working, post back and tackle the other less difficult bits.

HTH

DominicB

[daveb86]

Good evening daveb86

OK, you've got three, maybe four questions there - when you see how tricky the first bit is, you may want to bin the rest off, so let's tackle that bit first.

I think I'm fairly safe to say that you can't upload (FTP) files to a remote web server using native VBA. You can use a third party app (see here for instructions for that).

Alternatively, you can use the windows FTP support by creating a batch file from within VBA and executing that (this is probably trickier than using the third party FTP client above, but see here if you fancy it).

Once you've got that bit working, post back and tackle the other less difficult bits.

HTH

DominicB

Hi Dominic

Im trying to avoid any 3rd party software if possible ...

Im just looking to see if its currently possible to build a forum / message board a bit like this one but within excel using VBA

Ive attached a screenshot of what im currently visioning.

\1

Thanks

Dave

[Kyle123]

Possible but very icky without a database. Is access/sql server express out of the question?


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[daveb86]

Possible but very icky without a database. Is access/sql server express out of the question?


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Unfortunately yes ...

Maybe even if we played it smart and the post button grabbed the entered data and moved it to a row in another sheet

EG:

Name = Sheet 2 Cell B1
Email Address = Sheet 2 Cell C1
Subject = Sheet 2 Cell D1
Post Detail = Sheet 2 Cell E1

So it would function the same as a basic message board but all the post button would do is grab the data above and move it to a new sheet in the same row but different column letters.

Dave

[Kyle123]

That's not the problem, it's making the updates visible to other users when they happen that's the hard bit


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[daveb86]

That's not the problem, it's making the updates visible to other users when they happen that's the hard bit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was thinking for this is each time a new post or reply is added then the file just saves and then within the macro there is a sendmail script which auto emails the email address which is submitted.

Thanks

Dave

[daveb86]

Anybody any ideas how this can be done ?

Thanks

Dave

[dgwebster]

you don't need access to make it work, just an access file.

you can create an access database, tables & queries using SQL in VBA.

start slowly: a top level menu system. add sub menus to those levels. use excel to table the menus & code on cell activates to trigger VBA to load the sub menu, refreshing the worksheet with the sub menu results or hide a top menu worksheet & display a sub level menu worksheet.

once you reach that point you can table out the posts, clicking a post cell will refresh the sheet to show the post & replies or hide the sub level menu and display a post & replies.

ultimately displaying the menus & posts would be easier done in a form from VBA.

source: did this myself after a building move and temp loss of a server meant staff could not access support material. created something akin to what you talk of. I would post a copy for you to look at but there are two problems: 1) it was done on company time so technically belongs to the employer & 2) I left that employer over 5 years ago and no longer hold a copy personally. doubt they hold a copy either as it was a stop gap solution whilst the SharePoint site was built.

[daveb86]

Ahh okies .. Sounds interesting though

Would of been really good to see

Dont seem to be having much luck with this and my skills on SQL are very basic meaning i can only do select queries

Might have to think of something else for this

Thanks all

Dave

[Doc.AElstein]

..........................
Ive attached a screenshot .......................

\1

....Dave

. Hi Dave,
. can I ask a quick question (and hope the answer is simple as I have limited computer knowledge…! ..)..
…….. I spent some time last week-end tackling the general problem of posting images in Forums to..to name but a few of my ramblings on the Theme....
http://www.excelforum.com/the-water-...ly-needed.html
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/about-b...ge-ie11-4.html
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/about-b...-use-imgs.html
…
. …. I just about have a working solution anywhere. But just coincidentally stumbled over your post quoted above…(This Thread Post#3)
.
. Is it possible to explain in simple steps how you get the link in post #3
http://i.imgur.com/IlAHatI.png
. - say at the start point that I have some .png File saved on my desktop?

Thanks

Alan