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Problem Of Printing Of Multiple Files

August 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

f_01311444245_technology.jpgIf you have ever needed to print a large number of files, you would probably know how tedious and time consuming this process can be.

If the number of files to print is not very high and the files are of the same type, the task might not be too bad. In this case the best way to print all the files can be: open all files in an application which can print this file type, then go quickly through every file one-by-one and send every file to printer.

The printing process is usually organized in such way that you do not need to wait for printer to finish each document(file), instead you can spool many files into a queue. While printer processes a document, which is a relatively slow process, all upcoming files are stored in computer and printer memory. This memory queue for upcoming files allows users quickly submit their documents for printing and continue doing other tasks.

The problem arises when the number and type of file for printing is getting high. If there are different types of files to be printed, user must open each file type group in a corresponding application and submit each file for printing individually. The problem is becoming even worse when the number of opened files and applications grows, computer memory has its limits and it cannot open too many files and applications.

User can still deal with different types of files if their number is probably not more than 20-30. How would a user deal with 100, 1000, or 10,000 files? This can be a big problem for users at print shops, medical transcription industry, or for anybody who needs to print large number of files, for example PDF, Excel, Word, Image, TIFF, and others.

There are software solutions exist to overcome the problem of printing multiple files of different types. Some of the popular titles include Print Helper by DCI, Batch & Print Pro by Traction Software, and Batch Print & Batch Convert by SilentPrint. They offer free trial versions for download.

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Iridium Satellite Phones Offer Worldwide Coverage

August 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

f_11311444418_1228801090.jpg“When I get to the South Pole, I’ll give you a call on my Iridium Satellite phone.” Sounds like a statement that might be made by the hero of a science fiction novel, right? Although it may sound strange, satellite phones are not as foreign as you might think.

In fact, they are the best way to communicate from places that have little or no phone service from more contemporary sources such as landline phones and cell phones. Because of the nature of the phone, you can literally use it to call anywhere in the world you wish.

According to information posted on the Iridium Satellite’s website, this phone service is the only one that offers reliable service throughout the entire world. They credit this achievement to their constellation of 66 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The website states the company’s particular system allows all areas of the world, even including all of the oceans and polar regions as well as airspace, to be easily accessed by phone.

The website also indicates the Iridium phone system is superior to other satellite phone systems because there are no significant delays in information transmissions. Other positive features of this phone system include the fact they use less power, which makes the battery last longer. Iridium’s hand held phones are also smaller than those offered by some other companies.

Along with voice services, the Iridium company offers a variety of other data transmission options. These options include the ability to send faxes, pages and data messages. These options allow you to stay in contact with your business or family and exchange information in any way you need to.

While these phones are ideal for industries and companies, they are also great for individuals. For instance, these phones are used by members of the United States military when they are stationed in areas not covered by traditional phone service.

The phones are also ideal for those in the construction industry who are working in places where there are no phones in place yet. Satellite phones are also ideal for use in emergency rescue or disaster areas where landline phones and cell phone towers are not working.

There are also a variety of other uses for these phones including travel purposes. Satellite phones are ideal for those in aviation or maritime positions since the phones work everywhere they may go. Those in media positions may also benefit from satellite phones in order for journalists in the field to keep in contact with their home office. Those in the mining, forestry as well as oil and gas fields may also benefit from the reliability of a satellite phone.

If you want to keep in touch where ever you may roam, or where ever your job may take you, you might be a good candidate for an Iridium Satellite phone. These phones can transmit messages literally world wide meaning if you are on the North Pole, or in the air above Australia, you will be able to connect with those whom you need to talk.

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Importing Text Files Into An Ms Access Database

August 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

f_21310650850_ka-065cv01k.jpgIn some of the MS Access databases that you develop, there may be a need to import data from text files, also referred to as ASCII files or flat files. Let’s look at the menu methods available to you.

Under the File menu, there is an entry named “Get External Data”, and then “Import…”. The extra “…” indicates that when you choose that entry, a dialogue box will appear on the screen to ask you for further details.

The next step is to change the “Files of type:” entry to show “Text Files (*.txt;*.csv;*.tab;*.asc)”. A good habit is to always use the .txt extension for text files. Thus, they will appear under that choice and you can quickly look for the file you want to import.

Generally speaking, your text files should either have their “fields” separated by a delimiter (usually a comma or a tab, but can also be a space, semicolon, or any other chosen character), or they may be in fixed widths where each field always takes the exact same space in each record.

Let’s look at the delimited style first. The fields will be automatically sensed by Access as per the delimiters. Subsequent dialogue box screens will ask you to indicate if the first row in the text file has field names, pick a table for the data (if you do not have one predesigned, Access will build it for you), designate field names if needed, adjust field types (Access tries to predetermine the types), indicate if the field should be indexed, tell MS Access to skip a field, add a primary key if it is creating a new table for your data, and finally, name the table if you chose to create a new one. If you are importing the data into a temporary table (a common process) use the defaults.

If your data is in fixed format, the main difference in the above is that you must verify the field boundaries in the data. If your data is all filled in (ie. no spaces) Access will not be able to guess where the fields end. Note that the dialogue box that you get in this case has instructions on how to create, delete, or move a field break line. A little experimentation will get you sucessfully on your way quickly.

For a discussion of the exporting of data to a text file, visit http://www.databaselessons.com/text-files-2.php.

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