Hi Lizzynashuk,
I have been monitoring this Lotus SmartSuite Forum for some time, and have noticed that it gets VERY LITTLE USE - check the number of members. So, don't expect a response any time soon. In fact, I am choosing to respond "out of sympathy" because I suspect that without my response, you would possibly receive NO responses.
As for your question about using LotusScript, many Lotus 123 users who learned to use Lotus 123's longstanding programming language, have elected to stick with that language for development of serious programming applications - simply because it is FAR SUPERIOR to LotusScript. Why ? - becuase it is BOTH POWERFUL AND EASY TO USE - unlike some other languages such as LotusScript, Visual Basic and others which might be powerful, but are EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to use, AND therefore exceedingly more TIMECONSUMING because of that level of difficulty.
Lotus 123's initial language was actually "nameless", and acquired the "no-name" of "MACRO" language. This HUGE OVERSIGHT (of not giving it a name) on the part of Lotus Corporation (now IBM), was compounded by their more recent decision to abandon that WONDERFUL programming language in favour of LotusScript.
Incidentally, I have come to refer to Lotus 123's initial programming language as "SNAP", which stands for "SUPER NATURAL APPLICATION PROGRAMMING", which is somewhat more meaninful and appropriate than "macros".
As a last point, let me draw your attention to another interesting and relevant situation the IT world is in.
For application development of small to medium size applications, there was none better than Lotus 123. The main "missing ingredient", however, has always been the lack of ability to "compile" such applications into stand-alone, tamper-proof applications. This "void" was initially filled by a software company called "Baler Corporation" which had developed a DOS-based "spreadsheet compiler" which worked fairly well in the DOS world. In fact, they had added a number of security features and other features which, when added to Lotus 123, made for a TERRIFIC product.
However, when "Baler" attempted to make the jump to the Windows world, the "hurdle" and expense of conversion was too great, and forced the company into bankruptcy.
They did succeed in producing a Windows version of their product, called "Visual Baler", but it was frought with too many bugs to become a viable product. This was extremely unfortuate, because if it were "bugless", it had the potential, and still does, to become the PREMIERE application development tool in the world - even TODAY.
Unfortunately, Visual Baler was bought out by a company which appears to have done NOTHING - except to continue to offer the product (Visual Baler 2.5) which STILL contains these bugs.
What is REQUIRED for this product to succeed BEYOND EVERYONE'S WILDEST DREAMS, is to have Lotus/IBM "team-up" with the current owners of Visual Baler. If this were to happen, "the sky is the limit" in terms of conquering the programming world.
So, what can we do in the meantime ? ...suffer, suffer, suffer, while attempting to (painstakingly) program applications using LotusScript or Visual Basic.
On the brighter side, however, there has been recent talk (on the iternet forum for Visual Baler users) of a financier having expressed interest in developing a new 32-bit version of Visual Baler. I hope this comes to fruition, but I believe that any reasonable degree of success can ONLY be achieved by Visual Baler being "matched-up" with Lotus 123 (as an add-on) to provide THE WORLD'S PREMIERE PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE.
Lotus/IBM has been known to have concerns about losing market share because of some end-users using "compiled" spreadsheets instead of purchasing their Lotus 123. Well, guess what, Lotus HAS ALREADY lost the huge lead they once had in the spreadsheet world. And, as for "compiled" spreadsheets becoming a threat, Lotus/IBM/Baler can incorporate conditions of sale which would require developers to contribute "royalties" for each compiled product sold. Developers such as myself would glady agree to such royalties. It would be a small price to pay for gaining use of the BEST PROGRAMMING TOOL in the World.
Let's hope that Lotus/IBM and the Visual Baler owners/investors "tune in" to this type of wavelength, and come through for the sake of programmers who, in the meantime, continue to struggle with Visual Basic and LotusScript.
I hope this has been enlightening, and perhaps you might want to submit a copy of this to Lotus/IBM/Baler, in the hope that it might spurn them on to develop this "NEXT GENERATION" software. The world awaits......
Regards, ...Dale Watson dwatson@bsi.gov.mb.ca