Other Software > Developer's Corner

Invoicing & inventory problem for my business.

<< < (2/3) > >>

superboyac:
Man, db90h, you are one sharp dude.  I don't know if it's as easy for me as you say.  I'd love to give it a shot, but this is something I'd need in the next 3 weeks.  I actually am familiar with sql queries, if that gives me a head start at all.  I wrote sql queries last year for work pretty regularly and I kept it simple, but it was effective.

superboyac:
Supposedly this can do something similar with a vba script in outlook:
http://www.rondebruin.nl/mail/folder2/files.htm

I can't tell how easy or hard it would be to tailor to my requirements.  Anyone have an eye for this, please let me know.  Thanks.

wraith808:
And $1500 is standard charge for a software engineer. If I wasn't so busy, I might do it for $1000. Many don't realize the value of experience and knowledge. It's like a doctor or lawyer, requires extensive experience to have worked in the field, really understand it, and integrate multiple aspects of the field together -- instead knowing everything about one little piece. You can have it done a little cheaper I'm sure, but make sure their code is secure if you outsource to somewhere.
-db90h (March 20, 2012, 05:40 AM)
--- End quote ---

Very true, though:
(a) most customers don't realize that software is that expensive, and
(b) most seasoned consultants won't give you a flat price, but a hourly rate, and an estimate in man hours.

Why?  It's a service, not a product, no matter what the end product is.  And it's easier to make scope creep transparent with hourly rates.  You want to do X?  It's Y more hours at Z.  It makes the customer a part of the process and lets them see how expensive adding just one more thing really is.

Also make sure to execute a contract.  Seasoned professionals will do this, but it's worth saying.  And make sure that the contract says it's work for hire, and spells out exactly what is to be done, and what definition of done is.  Payment is another sticky thing, as is source code.  And if it's important enough to you (which it would seem like if it's running your business), then a lawyer should be employed when setting up the contract, and for the purposes of vetting the code.  They usually hire outside developers for that these days- they make sure that what is delivered really compiles to the binary that you're receiving.

A lot of these details are usually lost in the wash, to the detriment of the consultant, the client, or both.  The person you get might seem nice and competent enough, but you don't really know someone in that capacity until things go wrong.  That's when their professionalism comes out to play.

Steven Avery:
Hi,

You are talking about a mini-app.  If someone has it available, modifiable for your needs, look it over.  However, why not put it together in a database program where fields have an auto-increment function and where you could build around your first portion-app, to do more later.  Filemaker and AlphaFive come to mind, 4D and Dataease and others, Filemaker still being the ease-of-use leader for simple apps with a good environment for writing letters and excel export and such. Some of these can run on a database like MySQL, and/or their own proprietary formats.  This is an area where it is hard to find similar full functionality and ease-of-use in products from an SQL lineage (Servoy is an example, maybe there are others, things like Navicat come to mind, but there functionality is limited.)

Your only real "external" issue is triggering the activity from a received email. With a product like Filemaker and AlphaFive you ask (and search) on their forums and you probably get a few good answers.  Should be fairly easy, a lot depends on the email product used (Note: Filemaker may have some email integration/hooks.)  Let's say you use Eudora but prefer Thunderbird or TheBat! for this app. You should be able POP-ify a Gmail account so that you could work that account with Thunderbird/Bat so you do not have to change your own personal email preference. "Pushing" the email response should be fairly simple, built in to the product (one of the reasons you purchase an environment instead of simply doing more basic raw code, as in a scripting language).

Cost .. $300 or so for a program that may give you wide use for your business.  And some hours of your time getting up to speed and putting together the mini-app.  Again, for simplicity, Filemaker should be considered if you want an "out-of-the-box" learning curve.

Even if you want to contract out the app, you can discuss it on their forums.  One big advantage  ... when it is done you have a base of thousands of programmers who could modify it tomorrow.

(I looked around a bit for a freeware or $100 product that might fit the bill.  It would be a good niche but have not found one yet. Maybe Access at $140, and there is WinDev Express ... free .. as a possibility. Real Studio has a personal edition for $100, but the environment is probably comparatively sparse, leading to coding time.  Similar with Servoy, open source with a community edition. Open Office has Base .. or ooBase .. to consider.  Not to mention the attempt to make spreadsheet programs like Excel into database programs. On any personal or express edition you have to check the license stuff about a biz use.)

Steven

superboyac:
Hi,

You are talking about a mini-app.  If someone has it available, modifiable for your needs, look it over.  However, why not put it together in a database program where fields have an auto-increment function and where you could build around your first portion-app, to do more later.  Filemaker and AlphaFive come to mind, 4D and Dataease and others, Filemaker still being the ease-of-use leader for simple apps with a good environment for writing letters and excel export and such. Some of these can run on a database like MySQL, and/or their own proprietary formats.  This is an area where it is hard to find similar full functionality and ease-of-use in products from an SQL lineage (Servoy is an example, maybe there are others, things like Navicat come to mind, but there functionality is limited.)

Your only real "external" issue is triggering the activity from a received email. With a product like Filemaker and AlphaFive you ask (and search) on their forums and you probably get a few good answers.  Should be fairly easy, a lot depends on the email product used (Note: Filemaker may have some email integration/hooks.)  Let's say you use Eudora but prefer Thunderbird or TheBat! for this app. You should be able POP-ify a Gmail account so that you could work that account with Thunderbird/Bat so you do not have to change your own personal email preference. "Pushing" the email response should be fairly simple, built in to the product (one of the reasons you purchase an environment instead of simply doing more basic raw code, as in a scripting language).

Cost .. $300 or so for a program that may give you wide use for your business.  And some hours of your time getting up to speed and putting together the mini-app.  Again, for simplicity, Filemaker should be considered if you want an "out-of-the-box" learning curve.

Even if you want to contract out the app, you can discuss it on their forums.  One big advantage  ... when it is done you have a base of thousands of programmers who could modify it tomorrow.

(I looked around a bit for a freeware or $100 product that might fit the bill.  It would be a good niche but have not found one yet. Maybe Access at $140, and there is WinDev Express ... free .. as a possibility. Real Studio has a personal edition for $100, but the environment is probably comparatively sparse, leading to coding time.  Similar with Servoy, open source with a community edition. Open Office has Base .. or ooBase .. to consider.  Not to mention the attempt to make spreadsheet programs like Excel into database programs.)

Steven
-Steven Avery (March 23, 2012, 11:20 PM)
--- End quote ---
Thanks Steven!  I'll look into that immediately.  My biz partner's computer is a Mac anyway, so Filemaker pro might be the perfect thing.  Yeah, if the email hook can work, that sounds pretty good.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page