FALL 1999
Microcomputer Applications and Systems Integration
FALL 1999

Lesson 12 and ODBC concepts will utilize this diagram to understand Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC) and its use as an Excel Addin, as well as a standalone program. We did this in a hands-on class

Quiz on Thursday, November 18th will cover Lessons 2, 9, 10 and 11 of the textbook and related lab experieces and handouts. You have done the Invoice Maker user interface program as well as Rock, Paper, Scissors, so userforms and Lesson 11 experience is a cinch to be on the test. Also the Metals applications (gold, silver, bronze, tin, diamonds, etc.)

There will be a few PhotoShop questions, similar to the sample quiz handout from the Tuesday, November 16th class.

The quiz will NOT cover database concepts, HTML FORMS, PERL or VBScript. That can wait until the final.

If you need the handouts of old quiz questions, see my office door, 323 Wright Hall. I will try to keep several copies taped up there.

Thursday, November 4th VBScript and Frames example. VBScript is easier that PERL, especially since is is very similar to the VBA we are learning from the textbook. THIS REQUIRES MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER to work.

Read Lesson 12 of the textbook, especially regarding MS Query and ODBC. We used Excel and ODBC and Query at the very end of the lab class. 

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 16:16:19 -0500 (CDT)
From: MARK JACOBSON 
Subject: Metals due on Tuesday...

Hi 022 students,

     Do not forget that the Metals project is due on Tuesday.  Please
turn in a printout of your VBA code and a screen snapshot of the 
application.

     You may have an extra week to finish the Invoice Maker Microsoft Word
VBA project.  Note that is is WORD 97 for the INVOICE MAKER, not Excel!
                              -------
     I will answer questions about the Invoice Maker project on Tuesday
in class, if you have some.   I will also demonstrate how you would move
a VBA UserForm and its associated code over into Word 97 from Excel 97, for
those of you who might have done the entire project in Excel by mistake.

     Mark

  1. Take home quiz is to be given out on Tuesday, October 12th and will be collected on Tuesday, October 19th. We will have this take home quiz instead of an in-class quiz. The quiz must be turned in by class time on Tuesday, October 19th. In other words, 2 p.m. at 10/19.

  2. The assignments and take-home quiz email note from October 12th contains information about what is due when.

  3. Your journal of Lesson 11 experience from the textbook will be due by one week from next Tuesday, which is on Tuesday, October 19th. You need to turn in one sheet of paper that is filled front and back with your notes (journal or diary) of the experience of doing Lesson 11 of the textbook.

  4. See what you can do with the FORM tag and CGI (using PERL).
    • The two question quiz example is my first crude attempt at both the FORM tag and a PERL script program to allow you to have your answers graded.
    • The answer is Converse for Q1. I am not Contrapositive about that, however!

  5. The Variant variables and Dim VBA experiment is due on Tuesday, October 5th. Also due with it are the two functions to extract COBRA user ids and generate 4 character passwords.

  6. See my office door if you missed the handouts on Tuesday, Sept 28th. There are additional VBA macros to go with the above VBA experiment.

  7. Here are some screen snapshots of code needed for 10/5 macros.

    • The INSTR() function to find UNI and to find the AT symbol (@) in userName@cns.uni.edu data. The VBA InStr() function does the same work as the Excel FIND() function!

    • The INSTR function code window only.

    • Picking 2 random letters function techniques can be applied to your generate a random password macro.

    • Excel worksheet snapshot of the use of the random 2 letter function.

  8. Hands-on class on Thursday, September 30th.

  • See the Quiz 1 outline/study guide for the Tuesday, September 23rd quiz event. The quiz will last about 25 minutes and is guaranteed to be or not to be a fun experience.
  • See my 323 Wright office door, if you missed the hands-on lab class on Thursday, 9/16/99.

    Week one
    1. Read Lesson 1 (Making a Macro Do Simple Tasks).
    2. Read the Chapter 1 What is VBA? web material.
    3. Answer the homework questions that are due at the start of class on Tuesday, August 31st.
    Week two
    1. Hands-on class in Wright 112 on Tuesday 8/31
    2. Homework due at start of class on 8/31
    3. Read Lesson 2 (Making a Macro Do Complex Tasks)
    4. 1st macro programming project has been assigned. It was handed out on Thursday, September 2nd.
      • See the user interface for the racing rectangles game. All rectangles are in the starting blocks.
      • See another user interface snapshot, the exciting finish of the one of the races. The finish line dancing rectangle touchdown celebration is NOT shown.
      • See the RaceEm macro code for the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) program. You have this on a handout, but the Photoshop annotations are useful to see and study here.
      • See the ResetRace macro, as well as the pauseDelayAmt() macro. The screen snapshots of the VBA code window are annotated with Photoshop graphics, so they should be helpful to study. You have this code on your handout.
      • Due date: by Thursday, September 16th
        Demonstrate working race game to instructor in Wright 112
    Week three (Labor Day)
    1. PLEASE READ THIS (Racing Rectangles assignment):
      Thursday, 9/9/99 VIP COBRA email note about Racing Rectangles assignment.
    2. Classroom and lab exercises will focus on techniques and concepts needed for racing rectangles assignment.
    3. Pages 205-210 of Lesson 9 of the textbook should be read and reviewed as you study over the toolbar assignment handout and review the Tuesday, Sep 7th class lecture notes and demonstration.
    4. Read Lesson 9 (Launching Macros with Events).
    5. Hands-on class in Wright 112 on Thursday 9/9.
    6. 1st macro exercise can be demonstrated in or after the lab, for those who are finished with it on 9/9.
    Week four (Sep 14 and 16)
    1. Hands-on class Thursday, Sep 16th.
      Topics:
      • Graphics using Photoshop introduction.
      • Adding Photoshop produced graphics to a web page.
      • Introduction to Perl 5. Adding a random quote feature to your web site.
    2. Demonstrating your racing rectangles game, if you have not had it graded (checked off) yet. I prefer to grade it in Wright 112, but if you have it on diskette and catch me in my office, that works too.
    Week five (Sep 21 and 23)
    • Customized toolbar and macros due on 9/21/Tuesday
    • Quiz on Tuesday, September 21st (25 minutes of class)
      1. The quiz will cover Excel 97 and macros and VBA handouts and experience doing the two VBA macros assignments.
      2. It will NOT cover PERL and the web page stuff.
      3. It will NOT cover any Photoshop
      4. It will cover the 10 questions material you did for the 1st homework.

    For assignment number 1 questions and for more background information on Microsoft Excel Programming, macros, and using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Chapter 1 What is VBA? has free excerpts from the IDG BOOKS Excel Programming For Windows 95 For Dummies.

    Homework #1 questions (using the online material linked to above).

    1. What does the work macro stand for? What does it not stand for? What Greek or Latin root does it come from?
    2. Of the 10 most common uses of VBA macros, the author states that "One or two of them may push your button". Rank the top 3 and tell why the 1st and the 2nd and the 3rd are the most interesting to you?
    3. What are the 5 advantages of using Excel macros and VBA?
    4. What are the 4 disadvantages of using VBA, according to the online material from the What Are the Pros and the Cons section?
    5. How do you perform actions in VBA?
    6. What does a VBA module consist of?
    7. What does VBA manipulate? What lesson of our textbook will probably teach you the most about those?
    8. Give an example of a collection?
    9. You can think of a property as a ________________ for an object? Objects have properties. (Fill in the blank question).
    10. Give an example of the use of the DOT separator. The DOT is just a period, in terms of syntax.

    The material below here is from fall semester of 1998, so you can ignore it until it is moved above the birdies graphic or removed.

    Click to see MSQuery location

    Very simple animated gif file, using 8 XPaint frames.

    Mark Jacobson ..... University of Northern Iowa ..... email: jacobson@cns.uni.edu