Questions and answers about Gordon McComb Automation

FAQs:

General Stuff
Microsoft Word
WordPerfect

General Q & A

What kind of consulting do you do?

I am an expert in document automation.

 

That in itself is a large field. I specialize in automating paper and electronic documents using three principle methods - all of which are readily available to everyone:

 

  • Microsoft Word. Using macros, merges, and other shortcuts in Microsoft Word, I provide time-saving techniques to greatly improve workflow and enhance employee productivity.
  • Corel WordPerfect. Same as above, but for WordPerfect.
  • Visual Basic.NET (VB.NET). You don't need a word processor to create letters, faxes, e-mails, reports, and other documents. It can be done using Microsoft's VB.NET, a modern programming platform that can be mastered by most anyone. VB.NET applications can integrate with Word, WordPerfect, databases, e-mail programs - in short, lots of other applications that you use in your business.

What special qualifications do you have?

I literally "wrote the book" on macros and document automation. Actually, several books, including the best-seller WordPerfect 5.1 Macros & Templates. In all, some 250,000 copies of my books were printed, starting in 1987. That's what got me started in this biz.

 

Then, several readers of my books begged me to help them with their macros, and 20 years ago I turned my attention full-time to creating document automation systems.

 

I've consulting with numerous corporations - including Microsoft, Corel, Novell, and Adobe Systems - as well as law firms, government agencies, hospitals, research labs, software trainers, even movie studios. See the main Consulting page for a partial list of some of my clients.

Do you give seminars on writing macros?

Absolutely! I provide training in creating macros and document automation for WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, and Visual Basic.NET.

 

I offer two kinds of classes:

 

  • In-person. I will come to your place of business anywhere in Southern California, for a 1, 2, or 3 day seminar. Classes can be one-on-one, or for groups. Up to 10 students may attend for the same price.
  • Distance. I'll train you or members of your staff online. This is often cheaper and more convenient for everyone. Classes can be conducted via e-mail, where you can set the pace. Or, one or more students may attend a training Web seminar, also know as a Webinar. I support Webex and GoToMeeting.

 

See Training in Macros and Office Automation for more details

I've seen your name on other books. What else do you write?

Since 1978 I've written over 65 books and thousands of magazine articles. I also spent 13 years writing a weekly nationally syndicated newspaper column on computer topics, and I've been a regular contributor to several leading magazines, including Popular Science.

 

Though I am now semi-retired from the writing business, I continue to pen the occasional book on robotics and other fun technologies. I do this as a hobby. A partial list of my books are referenced on the Bibliography page. Many are now out-of-print, though used copies continue to surface now and then.

Microsoft Word Q & A

My company decided to switch from WordPerfect to Microsoft Word. Is there a macro converter I can use?

Unlike WordPerfect documents, which Word can open and convert, there is no tool that converts a WordPerfect macro for use in Word. You must rewrite your macros from scratch, applying the specific features of Word as required.

 

In some cases, you may not need to convert a macro if the functionality is already built into Word. This includes things like text expansion (called AutoText in Word). WordPerfect macros that provided common formatting shortcuts can be recorded in Word, then played back whenever you need them.

 

More complex macros you'll have to program yourself, and this will require your learning the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) language that Word uses. Although I've never been thrilled with the variety of books available for teaching Word macros, nevertheless several have come out over the years, and they're a good place to start. See the review of third-party Word macro books for a list of some titles that I like better than others.

 

Of course, you're always welcome to discuss with us your Word macro conversion needs. Different levels of consulting help is provided, from complete turnkey code to "shove-in-the-right-direction" guru guidance.

I have your earlier books on WordPerfect DOS and Windows macros. Do you have a book on Microsoft Word macros?

Sorry, no. The computer book market is much changed over the last 10 years, thanks greatly to the Internet and the copious amounts of information you can find on it (some good, some bad!). For the most part, writing books for a general market just isn't a good personal investment.

 

Long ago I decided to turn my attention to providing personal consulting assistance, augmented by free tools, targeted how to e-books, turnkey macros, and in-person and online training. There are a few books written by others on Word (and Microsoft Office) VBA that don't stink too much, and I list the better ones here.

WordPerfect Q & A

I'm thinking of spending on an automation solution for WordPerfect. Do you think the program will remain viable?

Corel has proven it has the marketing and programming acumen to keep WordPerfect alive and well. WordPerfect still attracts a loyal user base, who vastly prefer it to Microsoft Word. Though it's difficult to predict the future, I see no reason WordPerfect for Windows (but maybe not WordPerfect for DOS) will be around for the foreseeable future.

Now that WordPerfect 9 and later comes with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), what's your opinion about writing macros in VBA as opposed to PerfectScript?

At one time I was thrilled that Corel added VBA to the mix of programming languages available to the WordPerfect user. However, this was before the days of the Microsoft Visual Basic.NET platform, which offers nearly all of the same programming benefits - ability to use ActiveX controls in dialogs, easy integration with COM objects like databases, and more. Plus, VB.NET is more portable, and permits you to build far more complex automation solutions, without being more complex to use.

 

In addition, while versions since WordPerfect 12 support VBA, they do not come with the required VBA program files. If you wish to use VBA with these versions, you are required to have installed on your PC some other application that came with the necessary VBA files. See the WordPerfect VBA FAQ for additional information.

 

For these reasons, we feel that when PerfectScript does not provide the power and flexibility you need, it's best to turn to a VB.NET-based solution. You can obtain the VB.NET programming environment for free from Microsoft, and use it to build rich and sophisticated solutions, whether for WordPerfect or Word.

You used to offer some self-published macros on writing WordPerfect for Windows books, but they're now unavailable now. Will you be republishing these?

I am currently working on updating WordPerfect for Windows Macros Step-by-Step to cover the latest versions of WordPerfect. It will be available soon.

 

Dash us off a quick e-mail if you'd like to be notified when the book is ready. (Your e-mail is kept private. It is not shared with anyone.)