Andrew Jensen wrote:
Back in October of this year I posted a somewhat lengthy thread at
OooForum with details on creating a first database. The database is
simple, based on the employees table definition that ships with Base.
...
Now the reason for this mail. I would like to take the text and screen
shots I used for the posting and move them into a written tutorial. My
plan is to use the chapter template from this site for the format.
Additionally there have been a few people asking if I have something
similar that would cover some of the issues (views, real use of sub
forms and macros) in the same fashion as this tutorial. Looking at
another of the postings from the forum I am immediately struck with a
database I helped a fellow make for tracking Layaways at his retail
store. It covers exactly the things asked for, in what I think is a
clear and concise way. The posts are very detailed and the final product
is actually quite nice.
OK...so, I would like some input on this...
... I am not asking for someone to ghost write
the published version, just give me an opinion as to if you think it is
worth the effort trying to clean it up. I am not adverse to someone
wanting to take a more active role with me however and would surely give
credit accordingly.
A second question I have is this. Given that the first tutorial has
already been out on the forum board for a while, do folks think it might
make more sense to work on the second 'Layaway' tutorial first. My
initial thought is no, because it truly does seem like a perfect fit as
a second and complimentary companion to the techniques covered in the
first. I will be coalescing the multiple messages from this thread into
the same type of post on the board over the next few days, either way.
So, if anyone has a few spare minutes I would very much appreciate your
input.
Drew,
I just had a quick look at it. This is good stuff, and I think it
would be very worth the effort to clean it up for publication. If
you make a first draft and put it through the OOoAuthors review
process, I know that several people (including me) will help you
with it.
Also I think doing the second tutorial would be good too. Given
your comments, it sounds like doing the employees database first
would be best.
Both of them would complement and extend the material in the
"Getting Started with Base" chapter in the Getting Started book.
I'm a big fan of targeted tutorials, and the small business
sector is a very important target market.
BTW, I have been thinking about producing a book tentatively
titled "Running your small business using OpenOffice.org" (which
would cover all the components of OOo). Your tutorials could fit
perfectly into such a book. If you -- or anyone else reading this
-- are interested in the project, let's talk about it further.
Though preferably not until the new year; I'm swamped at the moment.
Cheers, Jean
