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Question

Modify icon text with variable from a spreadsheet

Jan 9, 2014 10:16AM PST

I would like to include in an icon text or the icon, a dollar amount derived from a cell in a spreadsheet that resides on a network storage device. Is this possible? How can this be achieved?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
I'm going to write yes.
Jan 9, 2014 10:20AM PST

But until I know what programming background you have and even then you would have to write the code. I can't for the simple reason that if I wrote it, you might expect me to explain every line and then support you for years. I can guide, but not much more than that.

Details are too slim but yes, it looks possible given a wide open road of solutions.
Bob

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Background
Jan 9, 2014 11:15AM PST

Bob, here is some info.


Programming background: PL/1, COBOL, SAS, IMS, DB2 plus many other mainframe languages.

Have done limited work with Access, C, BASIC, FoxPro, JAVA, JAVA script, .Net and some PC assembler.

Willing to do some grunt work and experimentation. Not an expert on Windows programming or interfacing with Objects.

Bryan

Windows XP Professional, SP 3. Let me know if you need any other info.

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Amazing. First college programming class was ...
Jan 9, 2014 11:40AM PST

Fortran IV and PL/1.

OK, we're going to need some image tools and then write a batch file to create the image. No objects are really needed.

In the Excel sheet the VBA code would be to write the script out to a .bat file. That's pretty mundane but may take some research. The part that is new is the image manipulation part.

I suggest you start looking at ImageMagick soon. Here's a link to overlay text on an image.

http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/annotating/

As you see it may be a one-liner.
Bob

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Understanding and solution?
Jan 13, 2014 11:53AM PST

Bob, I have spent some time investigating the animation link that you sent and I think I have a grasp on the process. It has started me thinking of how to accomplish the task.

I was thinking about some VBA to create an icon or bmp with the dollar amount from the spreadsheet but I do not have a good grasp on doing that or if it is possible. When the sheet is closing the image should be updated. That would give me something to work with for imagemagick.

Any other thoughts or ideas on this process would be appreciated.

Regards,

Bryan

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That's an "event"
Jan 13, 2014 2:07PM PST