Ok guys. Someone anyone... Be creative.

[BLeslie88]

Ways to notify people with an application that there is new records in the system?

With-out re-loading forms....

No this is not a repeat question... I am talking about a creative way to set up notification of new data.

So far I got, a timing sequence using field (lets call it "viewed", for lack of a better word)which I update to true once a user accesses their records.

So my timing sequence will look for all record set to false

I have a way to get my db flashing and even pop up at times with new fun code... but I was wondering with all the brains in this forum, is there a better way then my plain true false viewed field..?

Or is simple good in this case?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

As you have noted in your own solution, the first thing you must do is to determine something (and I'm being intentionally vague here) about the last time this same user entered your DB.

You must figure out which approach you want and implement it, but you have already figured out that a user has to leave tracks.

The way I would do this, and this is just me, is I would create a startup form that says, "Hi, Jane, glad you're back....Oh, by the way, you have 1,234,104 new messages...have a nice day"

Now, the way I would do this behind the scenes is to have a hidden table of last access. When the users come in, presumably you know who they are and you don't let them in as ADMIN. So you can tell Dick from Jane. Build a startup form. On the form's OnLoad event, look in your last-login table for the last time they connected to the DB, hold that number, and then append a new record for their current entry. Now run a query against whatever table it is searching for records tagged with their name but with a date greater than (after) the time of their last login. That could be as simple as a DCount with a two-part criterion. Then put it up as a value in an otherwise unbound text box on the startup form. Give them a button to click that says OK, I'm ready to attack my mail now.

What's wrong with this picture? Nothing if all you are doing is notifying them. Now if you want them to know how many new records they haven't visited yet, YOUR method (marking the records when visited) is preferable. But it all depends on what you are trying to tell them.

 

[BLeslie88]

thanks

some good points taken.

the one thing I think you missed is they never logged out.

My boss is busy and needs things simple...

He wants to know when he has a new message. The program is always open. Minimized because he is doing other things, he wants a way to know he has new messages.

In this company, they are few doing much... So time is of the essence, and often only 1-2 people can answer customer's questions.

They are using sticky notes now and messages get lost and not followed through on properly.

So I have made a simple message program, which yes has users names for logging in and they do only see their messages.