Looking for a "Fill-in-the-blanks" programmer

[Raydal]

If you are familiar with those instant sales letters
type of programs where you fill in some blocks of
text and press a button to get the letter then
you understand what I'm looking for.

I think that Russel sold a product where you
could create such programs, but not sure.

I see some article writing help programs with
a similar model.

So how can I get one of these programs created.
What platform / programmer should I be looking
for?

Thanks for any help.

-Ray Edwards

[Elliott Bean]

Hi Ray

I'm guessing you want this to be desktop software. I would recommend getting it developed in java as java is cross platform the same application will work on both macs and windows. The customer will have to have the jre(java run time environment) installed but anyone that ues things like open office or freemind or other opensource software will probably already have this.

Another option is it being developed in C# or VB.net with visual studio though this will rule out it running on macs.

Hope that helped

Elliott

[Ralf Skirr]

Hm, there are some products that you can use to create a program like you want. But in my opinion the output of these progams looks crappy and unprofessional.

If you have the budget rather go for a programmer who can create a solid windows exe that looks like real piece of software, not like a piece of...

But if you're interested in those do-it-yourself-things, check this:

Make Your Own Software

:: Cody Moya's Instant Software Builder ::

I tested both a few years back and liked instantsoftwarebuilder better.

Hope this helps,
Ralf

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by Elliott Bean

Hi Ray

I'm guessing you want this to be desktop software. I would recommend getting it developed in java as java is cross platform the same application will work on both macs and windows. The customer will have to have the jre(java run time environment) installed but anyone that ues things like open office or freemind or other opensource software will probably already have this.

Another option is it being developed in C# or VB.net with visual studio though this will rule out it running on macs.

Hope that helped

Elliott

Hi Elliott,

So in essence I should be looking for a JavaScript programmer?

-Ray Edwards

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by Ralf Skirr

But if you're interested in those do-it-yourself-things, check this:

Make Your Own Software

:: Cody Moya's Instant Software Builder ::

I tested both a few years back and liked instantsoftwarebuilder better.

Hope this helps,
Ralf

Yes, MYOS is the one I remember when it first came out.
I'll guess I'll check those 2 out and see what they offer,
although I prefer giving the job to a programmer and
stick with what I know best.

-Ray Edwards

[entrepenerd]

Originally Posted by Raydal

Hi Elliott,

So in essence I should be looking for a JavaScript programmer?

-Ray Edwards

Not Javascript. Java.

Javascript is what runs inside a web browser. You need desktop software, so you'll need Java.

They are often confused, but are definitely not the same thing.

[Elliott Bean]

No you want a java programmer.

Java is used both for applications and websites.

javascript can only be used on websites.

I have no idea why they are named similarly!

Best of luck with the application

[Raydal]

I see, thanks for the correction. Now it's very evident that
I'm outside my comfort zone.

-Ray Edwards

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by Elliott Bean

I have no idea why they are named similarly!

Mostly because they've evolved differently over the past 15 years. Once upon a time, they were almost the same language.

[Ralf Skirr]

Originally Posted by Raydal

Yes, MYOS is the one I remember when it first came out.
I'll guess I'll check those 2 out and see what they offer,
although I prefer giving the job to a programmer and
stick with what I know best.

-Ray Edwards

I agree, probably you will do better writing copy and paying a programmer. :-)

While the sales letters of MYOS and co. like to give the impression that you have your app created in minutes, there IS actually a learning curve. That learning curve gets the bigger the more you want to customize your app.

Ralf

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by Ralf Skirr

I agree, probably you will do better writing copy and paying a programmer. :-)

While the sales letters of MYOS and co. like to give the impression that you have your app created in minutes, there IS actually a learning curve. That learning curve gets the bigger the more you want to customize your app.

Ralf

Hi Ralf,

I thought as much. I see most of the testimonials are by people
who I know didn't create the programs themselves but must
have outsourced this.

Although I'm not a total dunce when it comes to programming
(I once tried to teach myself C++), "simple and easy" can
only mean "limited" when it comes to programming. The
more control you give the programmer the more varaibles
you have to deal with.

But for sure I prefer writing copy.

-Ray Edwards

[LMC]

Ray,

It might be easier to have this created in Visual Basic, while it may not be Mac compatible, your costs and your time constraints will see a big plus.

VB, will allow a professional user interface (UI design) and most VB programmers are fluent in creating UI's.

With how the market is, I would suggest creating a Windows specific program, and hiring someone to make it MAC compatible if necessary, but considering that most business professionals stick with Windows I think your market share on MACs is nearly not important, thus, it won't be necessary for a java programmer.

A VB application costs between $500-$1,500 to get created, and it will come packaged with the software setup, there would be no further steps needed in development.

[Alican Yenidogan]

Originally Posted by Raydal

Hi Ralf,

I thought as much. I see most of the testimonials are by people
who I know didn't create the programs themselves but must
have outsourced this.

Although I'm not a total dunce when it comes to programming
(I once tried to teach myself C++), "simple and easy" can
only mean "limited" when it comes to programming. The
more control you give the programmer the more varaibles
you have to deal with.

But for sure I prefer writing copy.

-Ray Edwards

You should try .Net. It is the easiest framework you can ever see

About some of the comments;

You don't need it to be java, .NET would also work on Macs. You just need to have Windows installed Run Windows on Mac OS X - with no rebooting!

About the VB comment, if you ask me, VB doesn't have such good user interface. If you want a good interface and a desktop application, stick with WPF (You'll need to pay more since it is a new technology compared to anything else - Java, VB, c#..)

What I suggest is, find a good programmer, tell him what you want briefly and make him feel comfortable. I would go with C# or WPF as a programmer myself.

Alican

[LMC]

Isn't .Net the newer version of VB?

[Alican Yenidogan]

.Net is the framework. You can code VB in .Net framework.

[Thomas Belknap]

Originally Posted by Alican Yenidogan

What I suggest is, find a good programmer, tell him what you want briefly and make him feel comfortable. I would go with C# or WPF as a programmer myself.

Alican

I would not make my customers download the 3.5 framework since it is so big. I think it is about 200 mb just for the upgrade if they don't have it.

[Alican Yenidogan]

Originally Posted by Thomas Belknap

I would not make my customers download the 3.5 framework since it is so big. I think it is about 200 mb just for the upgrade if they don't have it.

I would. In todays world, a 200mb installation would take 10 minutes on an average connection. It is worth every byte If you target the same market with different software products, your repeat customers will understand the value. Also it is an automated download so I really think it is worth it.

[tomw]

Why not ask,

View Profile: Kevingators

how he made his?

http://www.saleslettersmaker.com/

Tom

[Steven Wagenheim]

Ray, get in touch with John Ritz (haven't seen him around here in ages)

He actually has something just like that. Maybe he can help you.

[Thomas Belknap]

Originally Posted by Alican Yenidogan

I would. In todays world, a 200mb installation would take 10 minutes on an average connection. It is worth every byte If you target the same market with different software products, your repeat customers will understand the value. Also it is an automated download so I really think it is worth it.

What is a average connection? Broadband? Dialup?


How is it a automated download (built into the setup is the only way to automate it)?

You may think it is worth it but many people don't and will not download that big of a file. You will lose sales. Things may change when Windows 7 becomes the norm but until then the interface with .net 2 is perfectly fine.

[Raydal]

Whoa! now the plot thickens with more options.

I'm looking for a decent GUI, but nothing fancy
beyond instructions--box--instructions--box to
be filled in by the user.

-Ray Edwards

[Thomas Belknap]

Ray, it shouldn't be too hard. It is mainly a mail merge type of application.

[jjpmarketing]

You might want to look into getting a Flexx programmer that can put together a Flexx frontend (what the purchasers would use), and a PHP backend (what you would use) to manage licenses, etc. You could deliver ads, messages, etc. through this setup directly to your customers instead of via email. This would also work great if you had a free or lite version of the software.

Market Samurai was designed with Flexx if I am not mistaken.

Dennis

[Alican Yenidogan]

Originally Posted by Thomas Belknap

What is a average connection? Broadband? Dialup?


How is it a automated download (built into the setup is the only way to automate it)?

You may think it is worth it but many people don't and will not download that big of a file. You will lose sales. Things may change when Windows 7 becomes the norm but until then the interface with .net 2 is perfectly fine.

Thomas, yes, an installer automatically installs the framework as you know.

About losing sales. I don't know, we coded Mass article creator on 3.5 and it sold like $700k. Maybe it would sell more if we did like you told.

If you don't want anything fancy, I suggest you to tell the coder that you want it on .net 2.0 fw (if you want something in c# or vb).

[Thomas Belknap]

Originally Posted by Alican Yenidogan

Thomas, yes, an installer automatically installs the framework as you know.

About losing sales. I don't know, we coded Mass article creator on 3.5 and it sold like $700k. Maybe it would sell more if we did like you told.

If you don't want anything fancy, I suggest you to tell the coder that you want it on .net 2.0 fw (if you want something in c# or vb).

Funny, Adeel was talking about 1 million in sales when he spammed me yesterday through pm. Of course those statements does not include refunds. Sorry, I don't believe any figures from him.

I am programmer and have been selling software products for a long time using the internet.

Most people want simple and easy to use software products. Fancy isn't a necessity with most people.

I am sure you could have sold the same amount or more doing it with .net 2.0.

[Alican Yenidogan]

Originally Posted by Thomas Belknap

Funny, Adeel was talking about 1 million in sales when he spammed me yesterday through pm. Of course those statements does not include refunds. Sorry, I don't believe any figures from him.

I am programmer and have been selling software products for a long time using the internet.

Most people want simple and easy to use software products. Fancy isn't a necessity with most people.

I am sure you could have sold the same amount or more doing it with .net 2.0.

I don't know the full amount since I'm not selling it That is what I was told a few weeks ago.

I'll try the "simple" way with a few products and test it.

[Raydal]

Maybe an example would make it easier to understand
what I'm looking for.

Please note that all the input fields would be text as
well as the output.

Let's say I wanted create an article writing program.
So the software will contain the instructions about
what to write in each paragraph.

=====
Title: (Give the article a catchy title) [Input text]
====
First Paragraph: Summarize what you'll talk about [input text]
===
Body: (Give 2-5 points on your subject) [input text field]
==
Conclusion: (Summarize your article) [input text]
===
Bio Line: (About the author) [Input]

You press "compile" and out comes the formatted article.

It's that simple I'm looking for. Does this narrow down
the options?

-Ray Edwards

[dspa72]

I think you can outsource this kind of program for few dollars (I could make this in two hours )

I prefer to make windows native executable (without .net or java). You can use VB (the old version without .net) or an IDE like Delphi or C++Builder if you like C++.

[Christian Sawyer]

I would definitely go with Java. That can be written in a days work and as stated before this post, Java is compatible with Mac and Windows OS.

I think going with a windows based programming language would limit you greatly.

-Christian

[Raydal]

Thanks for all the help guys. I think that I have a better idea
of what I have to look for then.

-Ray Edwards

[lenlatimer]

Hi Raydal,
I'm not too clear as to whether you want a desktop or web app. The desktop could be Net (vb.net probably) using Net 2.0 - that's fast and easy and not a huge download. You could also use VB6. You'll probably need a database - probably SQL compact edition (1 meg) or Access for Vb6 (very small) or Vb.net.

Although not working on Macs is somewhat a problem, don't forget that PC's are 10 to 1 over Macs, and newer Macs can run Windows using Parallels.

For the web, I would would also recommend VB.Net or C# net. They're highly secure and only show HTML code to the browser, so your code can't be stolen. The programmer might have other tools like javascript, etc. also as well as interface controls that he/she can use. Net has some of the richest and really cool interface tools for desktop and net, especially from third parties like ASP.NET - WinForms - WPF - Silverlight Controls & Components, Reporting Tools, App Frameworks, Add-ins for Visual Studio & Delphi-C++Builder or Infragistics - User Interface Components, which your programmer may already own. And since their runtime license is free, it costs you nothing.

The other consideration is that a desktop is a one-time licensed sell while a web version could be a monthly membership- if it's valuable enough. You could also sell a subscription to the desktop, I guess, but would have to provide a website for updates and the like.

Take a look at my Copy-In-A-Box app, which is both a desktop and a Microsoft Word Add-in tool (see signature line below for link to my wso).

You need to write a spec out, clearly, in plain english. I suggest posting it on Elance.com or Rent A Coder: How Software Gets Done -- Home of the worlds' largest number of completed software projects and get some quotes. Just keep in mind, as a software company owner myself, I assure you that you WILL have support issues that'll you need to deal with. Usually more in the beginning - so ask your programmer to quote you on some support and as well as on-going fixes too.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. Good luck.

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by lenlatimer

Take a look at my Copy-In-A-Box app, which is both a desktop and a Microsoft Word Add-in tool (see signature line below for link to my wso).

Took at look at your application and that is a lot fancier than what
I'm thinking about. I love the MS Word integration though.

My application will be desktop only and put out a simple .txt
output. Nothing fancy at all.

-Ray Edwards