Office-Type Software: Combination Documents

Factual Questions
1
      • Is there any software that allows you to use word processing, spreadsheet and database access features all in the same document easily? (This rules out MS ActiveX controls, as they involve programming knowledge). I know you can special-paste some things into others (at least in MS Office) but then you have multiple linked documents, not -one- document with features of all three.
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2

MS Office has, or used to have, a nifty thing called Binder.

3

Monty, Binder was primarily a tool for allowing documents to be syncronized across different pc’s wasn’t it?

4

Yes, I know, It’s not really possessive. I should have put PCs instead.

5

DougC,

I, for one, would like a little more information. MS Excel can work as a tool for all three of those. The weakest part would probably be the word processing part.

6
      • I am wondering why, when I want to create a new document, I have to choose what type: in many office suites there’s not a lot of difference between a text document, a spreadsheet and a database form. It almost looks like they purposefully left out features of each in the others just so they could have three different ones, instead of allowing everything in one type.
        …
  • I am imagining something that would allow you to draw rectangle containers anywhere on a page and declare them individually as either a text body, spreadsheet cell or database query. It seems pretty obvious to me, so I’m wondering if anything already does it…
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7

You want an “integrated package,” something like Framework or Lotus Symphony. Unfortunately, I don’t think they make them anymore.

8

I’m being a bit dense here I think but I’m still not clear exactly what you want.

I think the MS Office tools would do what you want, but I’m not sure.

Can you give me an example of the document you’re trying to create or some similar information.

Thanks,

SD

9

Enright: Well, that and also one could combine different types of Office documents in Binder.

10

What you’re describing is OpenDoc.

It’s officially a failure but may resurrect.