We are a group of users of Blackbaud products and are not affiliated with Blackbaud. We'd love to have you join our community to help and be helped in getting the most from your Blackbaud software.
Register now to join us to get independant advice on your system, connect with 3rd party consultants to help you maximize your database and have a real alternative to the official Blackbaud website.
I have been struggling my way through trying to understand RE's own Objects. It's not going so well in case you are wondering! Is there a way to just write the code using visual studio 2005 and somehow link it up with RE? We are still in version 7.70 and I'm having a hard time making this work. I have an excel sheet with several fields. I want the user to be able to click a button and the cells auto update to the proper fields in RE Gifts. Is this even possible? Thanks in advance
You raise a few points here but need to give a bit more information.
Quote:
Is there a way to just write the code using visual studio 2005 and somehow link it up with RE
How far have you got? You can either work from this environment (if you have the API or at least access the sample database) or the VBA environment from within RE (if you have the VBA module).
If you are working with VS2005 you will need to add the correct refrerencs. With version 7.7 and under you have to create an interop assembly. You need to take a look at the knowledgebase article BB121061. For versions 7.8 onwards Blackbaud include the full PIA (primary interop assembly) which is the official interop for accessing the API from .net.
Quote:
I want the user to be able to click a button and the cells auto update to the proper fields in RE Gifts
Where would the button be? In Excel? In a custom application outside of RE? In a VBA macro window? In a plugin? All of these are possible if you have the right modules.
Check out my blog for some more RE API tips: RE-Decoded
The button would be in excel. We do have the vba module. That's what I've been trying to write in. I feel like a newbie with this though. Thanks for all the help. I'll check that knowledgbase article you suggested and your site also!
If the button is in Excel then you need RE:API. You need to initialize the REAPI object from within the Excel VBA code (I assume you are write the code there). For this you will need the RE:API module (which is not the same as the RE:VBA module)
The VBA module is good for reacting to RE events such as on opening, saving and closing records such as constituents, gifts, funds etc. You can write "applications" with only the VBA module but they can only be opened from within RE as you say from the Tools macros menu. However as it is VBA and not the API product you cannot take it outside of RE.
I guess my question would have to be what good is this VBA module then? I should try and find out what my limitations are with it.
Hi Rachel,
I would think a plugin would be the way to go. If you are familiar with VB6, there are already examples of VB6 plugin projects under your "\program files\blackbaud\the raisers edge\help\samples\plugins" folder. If you're more comfortable with .Net, check out this thread.
[ROUGHLY] VBA is good at responding to events (user actions) and allowing users to do custom actions when they are already IN the Raiser's Edge, while API comes from the opposite direction... It allows applications OUTSIDE of RE to do things inside RE.
Is there a way to just write the code using visual studio 2005 and somehow link it up with RE? We are still in version 7.70 and I'm having a hard time making this work. I have an excel sheet with several fields. I want the user to be able to click a button and the cells auto update to the proper fields in RE Gifts. Is this even possible? Thanks in advance 
Linear Mode
