Posts: 3,621
Name: Thierry
Location: I'm the uber Spaminator !
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At the sounds it have, you don't seems to have much programming experience.
As far as I know, except if there is a niche firm whose sells something designed to what you need, there will be no generic tools with a wizard that will allow you to make it.
In your case, I think you will use a single computer to do everything, so access looks like a good choice, as long as you don't want to access this db from a web server, or work on it remotely.
If I had to give advices, they would be:
I'm a French speaking person, so please, bear with my poor English.
And some words might be direct translations of French words, so if it's unclear somewhere, ask me. I'll try to describe it better. - Analyze ! What will exactly this tool make.
Is it an inventory, a stock monitoring, a sales analyzing program ? Each function will have different requirements, even if some can easily be mixed together.
Try to write it down. It will be a guideline of what you need to take care of. You would be amazed how many peoples want a tool, but cannot explain to the programmers what this tool should do, and how it should do it.
- Before starting anything, read, read, read and read.
There is many free books, online courses and tutorials available on the net. Try to get to your local book store a visit. I'm a 8+ years programmer, but I regularly goes in library, and looks at the books there. You will never know everything, and you can always learn something.
- When you know what you want to do, draw it!
Believe me, when you start programming, if you have a roadmap, things will be way more clear. When you are banging your head on the wall, it helps you keep focused of what you REALLY need to do.
- Before putting an interface, build the database.
An interface needs datas to work. If your database schema is too badly designed, it can makes it impossible to use it later.
First the datas, then the interface to alter and access them.
- Ask for tips, ask a lot.
You came here looking for help, and that's what you'll get. Willing to go on a self learn base is something rather brave, as it's not an easy task to do. You have a doubt, something you don't understand? Ask for it. If developers works in team, there's a good reason for it. 3 minds are better at solving problems than 1.
- If you have 2 ways of doing something, and one simpler than the other, take that one. Many years, I've put "artificial" complexity in my programs, thinking "If I want to do that later, it will be simpler". It's just an illusion. The time you take at first in the design will almost never be used later on.
In 6 years, only 1 time was this complexity useful. All the other times, it was a time waste.
- Write you thoughts in the code.
A doubt ? Write it. An idea, write it too. Use comments. They will help you a lot, if you need to alter a bit of the code 6 month later.
- If you see that it will be too much for you, get some external help.
Maybe you know someone's kid whose in a computer class?
It could be a good practice job for him, and he may have already enough experience to help and guide you effectively.
Or you could try a service like getafreelancer.com. I have worked as a freelance through them sometimes ago. I liked their service.
If you had the courage to read until here, and you don't feel too anxious about all this, then you have already took the first step.
Good luck to you.
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Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the window.
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