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Using MapPoint from Word, Access and Excel

This article contains code snippets that allows you to seamlessly drop a map graphic into your Word, Access or Excel documents anywhere you have a valid address.

Using MapPoint From Word

MapPoint can be used from within Word. This code snippet allows you to seamlessly drop a map graphic into your Word documents anywhere you have a valid address. There is no reason to open MapPoint manually, enter the address, geocode it, copy the map to the clipboard, and then paste it into Word. This snippet does all that for you with a single mouse click.

1) Create a Macro in Normal.dot with this code:

2) Add the CreateMap Macro to your toolbar by right clicking on any toolbar and selecting customize.

3) Type a fully qualified address and click the macro.

"6531 Chesterbrook Drive, Sacramento, CA" works fine
		"6531 Chesterbrook Drive" does not work
"300 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC" works great
"300 Indiana Avenue NW" does not because there are two. (MI and DC)

4) When you click the macro button on the toolbar, Word will contact MapPoint. MapPoint will then proceed to find the point and copy the map directly into your Word document.

Using MapPoint from Access forms

(MapDemo.mdb)

Microsoft Access can display MapPoint maps just like Word can. The macro is very similar to that of Word. Here, we have a form that can capture address information into a table. We can use that address information to generate a map as well as driving directions. (NOTE: For this demonstration, you can either create a database from scratch or use the accompanying MapDemo.mdb)

1) Create a form with Address information:
a. Fields for First Address: (Address, City, State)
b. Fields for Second Address: (Address2, City2, State2)
c. Field for Address Name: myName
d. Empty OLE Image (imgClip)
e. Command Button (cmdMap)

2) Add this code:

Using MapPoint from Excel

(MapDemo.xls)

We will use the same manner in which Microsoft Access accessed MapPoint and created a map in Excel. Excel will store the picture of the map right on our spreadsheet. In this example, we create a command button to launch MapPoint in the background and paste a copy of the map to the spreadsheet.

1) Add a command button to your spreadsheet.
2) Copy and paste the following code to your new command button's click event:

3) Save the spreadsheet!
4) On the B column, enter the address.
5) On the C column, enter the city
6) On the D column, enter the state
7) On the E column, enter the zip
8) Press the Command Button

Chris is a former Lieutenant with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. where he was the Commander of the Tactical Crime Analysis Unit responsible for crime analysis and crime mapping. This job is the basis for the TV show "The District."

In his spare time, Chris is the Technical Advisor to the California Crime and Intelligence Analysts Association (www.CrimeAnalyst.org).

Chris can be reached at chris@crimeanalysis.net.

	MP2Kmag Internet