OK. Folks.... the much-anticipated release of The Excel Semi-Automated Ticket Maker [EDIT] v4.1.2 is finally here.

Although this has been made available completely free-of-charge, some people have graciously offered to donate $$$, as a thanks and sign of good will. :) If you feel so compelled, please feel free to contribute through Secure PayPal (you can even use a credit card): Click HERE ----> Donate to MikeWh! (http://home.earthlink.net/~sushinut/donation.html)

You can get the files at
Jason Hilton's web site. (http://www.jasonhilton.us/ticket.htm)
(latest release number will be in my sig)

There are several bugs reported in this version. A few are discussed here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4737267#post4737267

In the interest of supporting the new version in this new thread, here is a quote from the previous thread about this new version:
Why not have 2 separate versions, one for PC and one for Mac? How many people are going to be moving the tickets between two platforms?It's bad enough just maintaining this one workbook. If it were split between two platforms, Rick would have to support the Mac side completely, as I don't have a Mac.... and I don't want two versions getting out of sync, either. I think Rick's addressed what he could within this newest version.

I will be posting different compressed files for Mac and Windows users however, as the compression programs aren't cross-platform compatible....

I know this is the last thing you want to hear. but...
I have a bit of a problem.... Is this some setting im missing or is Excel 2003 not liking the ticket maker?
The good news is... I am mirroring your ticket maker on www.jasonhilton.us/ticket.htm with 80GB of bandwidth.

Don't use Mike's Bandwidth.

DOWNLOAD HERE: www.jasonhilton.us/ticket.htm

Mike,

I gotta tell ya, I'm computer illiterate and this is one of the coolest things I' seen. You are an absolute STAR!!!!! This may be easy for you, but I was so excited about the first version I printed one to show my wife and now you do this. Thanks for your time and effort from all the people that know nothing about computers and get ALL of the enjoyment from people like you

THANK YOU!!

Scott

Thanks Mike!

I've sent the Mac compressed file (.sea) to Mike. He should make it accessible soon.

Rick

Jason--I have a bit of a problem.... Is this some setting im missing or is Excel 2003 not liking the ticket maker?
OUCH! That's not good at all!! I didn't have ANY beta testers using Excel 2003. I was a little bit worried about that! I'll have to see if I can find 2003 to try and debug. In the meantime, I hope you can still use the later worksheets within the workbook to still get some use out of the new version.... I'll PM you.

Quick note to any Excel 2003 users--- You won't be able to navigate the initial "ticket type selection" pages. I'll have to see if I can get a workaround for you.

I have anxiously awaited this. I stayed up late just to check this out. WOW! You guys deserve alot of credit for this. I am impressed.

Thank you.

Thanks for the kind words, Scott. The funny thing is... I work for one of the world's largest computer consulting, integration, and outsourcing companies.... The people I work with would put my programming skills to shame. I work with some SERIOUS alpha-geeks. ;)

SUPERB, I don't think there is any more you could possibly do with this unless you want to pesonally make the popcorn at each theater. This is great and thanks again

I actually found a bug already! I don't know how this crept in there... I swear I had tested this....

In this particular type-selection sheet:
"Basic Ticket without Seating, LARGE vs. Basic Ticket without Seating, SMALL,"
if you select one of the two ticket types, you will be moved directly to printing options and past the design step. From the printing page, just click on the "Back to Ticket Design" button in the upper left. It'll take you back to the design page.

This is easy for me to fix, but I'm going to wait, until I can find out more about the problems with Excel 2003..... stay tuned.

Hey Mike, is there any way to be able to add the watermarked background images like Jason Hilton did from inside Excel? If I copy the ticket and paste it into Photoshop, the text is still blurry and pixellated. It would be really nice to be able to print all 5 tickets from Excel with the watermarked image in place.

Very very nice. I just downloaded 2.x yesterday and thought THAT was cool but it's got nothing on this one! Now if I can just make some free popcorn tickets I'll be set!

I expeerienced the problem you just described as well. At first, I thought it was something I did wrong. Pushing the back button worked fine though.

reaper

Mike,
Did you get the compressed Mac file?

Rick

Wow. This program is awesome. Now I need to find a name for my theater!

Excellent Job, I've been off the forum for a long time and to come back to see somehting like this gets the home theater bug rolling for the upcoming winter months. Once again excellent Job and thank you!
Dan

Thanks Mike for all your hard work and for making this available to all of us. I must be doing something wrong, I'm having a problem going from one screen to the next - after I choose the picture it doesn't take me to the next screen to edit the ticket. Then after I have chosen a color it doesn't print the same color I have chosen. Please help. OOps I found my mistake concerning the color, not a problem.

MikeWh already mentioned that he is aware of the first bug you just described...

BugMan--

is there any way to be able to add the watermarked background images like Jason Hilton did from inside Excel?
Unfortunately, Excel cannot do that. It's really a painting type of function, and it requires you to edit that background image in a paint program anyways (regular posters don't have the aspect ratio that would look right if pasted into the ticket, without editing).

If I copy the ticket and paste it into Photoshop, the text is still blurry and pixellated.
Try it again, but don't COPY and PASTE--- use the SAVE AS GIF button and then open up the saved GIF file in PhotoShop. See if that produces a better ticket image (it does for me). The saved GIF file should appear in the same directory that the Excel workbook is running.

Rick-- I know I got the email, but I'm having a bit of a problem with getting the attachment. My home computer has email filterting software on it, and it hangs during the d/l and scanning process... I've also got some memory problems (hey... don't we all!?!)... so I wasn't able to get the file last night. I was planning on trying again later today (Friday).

I have xl2003 (and a couple other versions as well) and some programming experience if I can be of any help. Looks great so far!

Mike,
I just downloaded the new version and in 5 minutes had a set of 5 tickets with cover pics for Kill Bill printed. You did an outstanding job on this. I think you have way too much time on your hands. :D
Thanks for the new version. I really liked the old one but I LOVE this one !!!!
Dom

Thanks Mike. This is a great idea. Thanks for all the work and time you spent.

Mike,
Thanks for all your hard work.
Much Appreciated.

Mike,

Great, great job. Just started fiddling with this newest version and absolutely love it. Big improvement over the earlier versions, which were terrific in their own right.

htomei

Mike,
Excellent job on the ltest version!! You have out done yourself once again.

I fixed the previous bug I noted (it was actually on two different pages) and have hopefully fixed the problem that Jason reported. I've sent him the link for the files, and he should hopefully be able to post the fixed versions soon.

If you haven't downloaded the files for 4.1, then you should probably wait for 4.1.1.

Thanks everyone for all the positive responses. If anyone has any problems, please be sure to post your issues/questions here.

Mike

dbroome-- thanks for the offer. Hopefully, this will be the last version I do in Excel... it's not the best way to deliver this sort of thing.... but it just grew from a much simpler Excel spreadsheet in version 1. I'll hopefully port this over to a different platform, so people don't have to own Excel! If you see any problems with Excel 2003 and the soon-to-be-released 4.1.1, then please be sure to post a note here.

DomNY-- I think you have way too much time on your hands.If you only knew.... I have about 10 projects going on right now, a home office that need to be cleaned up, and movies to watch.... I'm just glad I got this release done. It was a lot more work than I had hoped, but I learned a BUNCH in the process...

OK Mike,

The new files are up and I changed the links accordingly.

Just waiting on the Mac Version.

Thanks,
Jason

Mac Users--- Sorry for the delay in getting the Mac versions posted.

If you want the Excel 2000 workbook, PM me with your email address. Unfortunately, I can't send the Excel 97 version.... it's just too big.

Sorry Mike,

I didn't mean "I", myself was waiting on the mac version.
I ment I was waiting to put them on the site for other people.

heh heh, Jason... I actually was composing my Mac message, before you posted your previous note. It was a general note to Mac users... not to your message. :D

Excel 2003 users--- Jason is reporting further problems with the graphics not showing up. Unfortunately, there are BUNCH of buttons in this workbook, especially on the "Print the Ticket" pages. Unless I can find a fix for this, you may not be able to see much of the real functionality in this version.

I'll take a look at 4.1.1 when it is up and see if I can find anything.

What other platform were you intending on using? I'll be glad to throw my hat in the ring if you want to split responsibilities. I know how quickly all the good suggestions people have can make a project grow from a 'in your spare time' hobby to a full blown project...

Jason,
PM me with your email address and I can send you a compressed Mac file with Excel 2000 version 4.1.1.

Thanks
Rick

Mike,

Truly excellent effort. It is rare in our line of work (contract programming/consulting) to find folks willing to go the extra mile for just about anything anymore.

Thanks a million for sharing your hard work with the forum members - all for free as well!

Dwight

dbroome-- I've been toying with the idea of rebuilding it in Flash. I like playing around with Flash, but this would be bigger than anything I've tried before.

Rick-- Thanks for following up with Jason. My earthlink POP mailserver has been down since last night... I can't get to any of my emails!

Dwight-- thanks. I owe my boss an Access database that I've been trying to develop (during work hours) for the last 3 weeks. After hours, I've been doing this thing for the last week. I'm not a "real" programmer though, so it has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated (learning curve issues). Fortunately, I've learned alot about VBA from Rick's work on the Ticket Maker, so I've found a bunch of useful code on the Internet that I can pilfer for the Access project! :D

BTW-- Jason has reported to me that in just 1-1/2 days, 99 people have downloaded the Ticket Maker! Thanks again to Jason for hosting. I wouldn't have been able to provide that kind of bandwidth on my own web space.

MAC 2000 Version Up!

Running Excel 2002 on a PC. When I try to save my ticket as a GIF I get the following message: "The macro 'Theater Tickets 4.1 xls Save GIF cannot be found'". Want to save it as a GIF so that I can work with it in Photoshop Elements. Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks

Jason, Thanks for the link for the Mac version, but the server says that no such file exists there.

Gary

ok, sorry about that... I forgot the server was case sensitive...

Jason,
I just downloaded the file from your website and it will not expand.

Could another Mac user check to see if the .sea file will expand?

Rick

Running Excel 2002 on a PC. When I try to save my ticket as a GIF I get the following message: "The macro 'Theater Tickets 4.1 xls Save GIF cannot be found'". Want to save it as a GIF so that I can work with it in Photoshop Elements.
htomei22--

I found this bug earlier today, too.... oh well. I renamed a macro and forgot to update the buttons. Not to worry though. Just click the "Save all 5 tickets as GIFs" button. It'll save all 5 tickets to 5 separate files. You should find them saved in the same directory as the Ticket Maker. They will be named "Ticket1.gif", "Ticket2.gif", and so on. Just use one of them for your work within Elements.

I'll wait for any more bug reports, before releasing a fix, since this has an easy workaround.

Anyone know where to get good nfl team logos for background images ?

A quick google search:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=NFL+teams+logos


Provides:
http://www.logoserver.com/NFL.html
(some nice vintage logos, too!)

http://www.clipartgallery.com/sports/sportsteams/football/nfl/nfl.html
(VERY nice helmets and "headers")

http://www.nfl.com/help
(about midway down, there is a list of team URLs... there are probably good images on each teams' site).

Originally posted by MikeWh
A quick google search:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=NFL+teams+logos


Provides:
http://www.logoserver.com/NFL.html
(some nice vintage logos, too!)


I always forget to google these things :) The above site is a good one. nfl.com had some ok ones.

I'm having trouble with the Mac file, too - it wants to download as a text file.

Randy

Mike,

Thanks for the workaround on the single ticket GIF issue.

htomei

Thanks Mike, looking great over here in Ireland

Is the hosting server down? I have tried to go to the link and it says Server not Found. Perhaps Jason is in FLA?

Laters,
Jeff

Is there any way you could save it to excel 95 format. It is slightly different and my excel 95 cant read it. I'm teething at the bit for this!!! This is amazing...thanks for doing it.
Art

Is the hosting server down? Working as of 8:30pm Eastern

Art-- I saved a previous version (3.0-beta) as 95, but I thought you said it was all messed up (for example, it wouldn't do vertically merged cells). I'll PM you the link to download it, but I really don't think it'll work very well. I guess you can try though....

Out of curiosity, I decided to test a suggestion made by buckey29 in a previous thread... I installed OpenOffice (an open-source desktop suite) and opened the most recent version of the Ticket Maker in its "Calc" program (their Excel knock-off). As I figured, the program doesn't know what to do with all the macros in this workbook (as a matter of fact, there's no evidence that the macros ever existed). It's a shame though... it would have been nice to provide a free method of getting this thing to work, for those with earlier versions of Excel. Oh well.

Yup I was able to get the file now.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK!!!

Laters,
Jeff

Mike

I loaded this into OpenOffice as well. However, I can see all the macros. I'm not sure why you cannot. However, they are all REM'd out. I've read where some macros will work - I think there is a security feature that REM's it, but I've not had time to invest into it.

Maybe a port to OpenOffice could be done at some point. Not sure how easy or hard that would be. But it beats feeding more $$ to Bill Gates.

Interesting, buckey. I've already uninstalled OpenOffice Calc, but when I went into Macros, I couldn't see a single macro in any of the modules. Maybe I missed something. I did notice that Calc did not ask me if I wanted to enable macros (security risk notice that Excel will give you). In Excel, if you answer "Disable Macros", it'll remove all the macro code from the modules... Maybe there was some setting that was defaulted differently in my install. Anyways, it's unlikely that I'd spend the time to port it to Calc.... I'd rather spend the time moving it to a Macromedia Flash application. I think I could get it to do more fun things (like having the translucent graphic layer that many people seem to like).

oh man... what a week... our power was out for 2 days, and cable (tv, internet) was out for 3 days. and now..... Ivan is heading straight for us.... We live directly on the beach, on a island. and things do not look good.
This is our city, just to give you guys a idea of where I am... Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=US&addtohistory=&searchtype=address&cat=&address=&city=Belleair%20Beach&state=FL&zipcode=33786&search=%20%20Search%20%20&searchtab=address)
Sorry for being "away" so long. What did I miss? My server is back online.

Thanks, Jason

Uh, Jason. Pack up the projector and head for the hills, buddy. And good luck!

Randy

Unfortunately, there's not a single "hill" in Florida. Well, it's a little more hilly over there on the left coast. To really "head for the hills", he'd have to go to northwest Georgia.... think Deliverance and a banjo player. :eek:

Jason... good luck. I've been through the brunt of several hurricanes before, but thankfully I'm not on the beach. BTW, I've stayed at the Don Cesar, down in your area (sort of). Very nice area.

Is anyone with a Mac having problems with the Ticket Maker? Were you able to download the file?

Are there any more "bugs" to report?

I wasn't able to download the Mac version from the site; the server still reports that no file exists.

Should we then use the PC versions posted. I know I can read them on the Mac, but I am not sure of all the features are implemented.

Gary

I worked on making the workbook compatible on both platforms. The only difference is that the PC version is a self extracting (.exe) zipped file and the Mac version is a self extracting (.sea) stuff-it file.

If you have a full version of Stuffit, you can download the .exe file, highlight the downloaded file and choose Remove self extracting in the Stuffit menu. This will convert the file to a .zip file but you may need to close the directory and reopen it (mine didn't refresh so that I could see the .zip file). Double clicking on the .zip file should extract it.


Rick

I worked on making the workbook compatible on both platforms. The only difference is that the PC version is a self extracting (.exe) zipped file and the Mac version is a self extracting (.sea) stuff-it file.

If you have a full version of Stuffit, you can download the .exe file, highlight the downloaded file and choose Remove self extracting in the Stuffit menu. This will convert the file to a .zip file but you may need to close the directory and reopen it (mine didn't refresh so that I could see the .zip file). Double clicking on the .zip file should extract it.


Rick

It may be better to just post the xls (uncompressed) for the 2000 version. Then Mac folks can download and use that. I didn't do this originally, because I was thinking I'd have to use my bandwidth. I'll PM Jason to see if he can post the 4.1.2 fixes and the raw xls file for Mac users.

The Excel 2000 .xls (uncompressed) mac file is now up along with the other 4.1.2 windows files.

Thanks, Jason.

To all-- The 4.1.2 version is available. It fixes the problem with the "Save Ticket 1 as a GIF" button not working. If you don't save GIFs or usually save all 5 tickets as GIFs, then you really don't need the new version.

As Jason indicated, the ...2000.xls file is available for Mac users. Windows users can use this too... it's actually the same file as the ...2000.exe, just not compressed. If for some reason you are having troubles with the self-extracting 2000 file (e.g., maybe your firewall won't let you download exe files), then this should work for you.

Jason,

Thanks for hosting 4.1.2 and for the uncompressed Mac file. The description on your web page says the Mac file is approx. 1 MB. It is actually 1.8 MB. You might also mention that the Mac file is uncompressed.

Mike,

I downloaded version 4.1.2 and while the filename was 4.1.2, the first page of the Ticket Maker showed 4.1.1 (just an oversight).

Originally posted by Rick Wilson
The description on your web page says the Mac file is approx. 1 MB. It is actually 1.8 MB. You might also mention that the Mac file is uncompressed.

Fixed

Thanks, Rick; I got it. The shareware version of Expander worked fine once I saw it needed unpacking as an exe file. Thanks; works great.

gary

Mike,

Ver. 4.1.2 did indeed fix the single ticket GIF issue. Again, Mike, thanks for a terrific program. I know that you have downplayed your programming expertise, but I, for one, am in awe of it.

htomei

I downloaded version 4.1.2 and while the filename was 4.1.2, the first page of the Ticket Maker showed 4.1.1 (just an oversight).Doh! I need to get a better programming staff. ;)
Mike, thanks for a terrific program. I know that you have downplayed your programming expertise, but I, for one, am in awe of it.Thanks, again! I guess I need to pay my programming staff more $$$. :D

I downloaded this today and am so totally impressed. It's a great tool, it works flawlessly, and it's a really nice touch to print tickets for a party or get together. Thanks to all who worked on this and made it freely available. You (and others like you) are the reason that AVS is such a great place! Thanks!

I'm having a problem running the program. I'm using Excel 2000. When I get to the design page (choose the color and text of the ticket), I keep getting a message that says, "The Macros in this project are disabled. Please refer to the online help or documentation of the host application to determine how to enable macros." Everything works fine up until that screen. I was not prompted by Excel to enable macros when opening the program like the .exe file stated.

You should have a setting in the Tools-->Options-->Security tab for Macro Security (it may be a button you click on for a popup window). In that window you should be able to change macro security to Medium and it will ask you. If it is set to high, then macros won't run.

That is from memory, so the location may be off a bit...

thanks again Mike for a great program. I posted a sample ticket in my photo gallery. It's in RPTV section , just type in my user name.

Mike-i found my Word software and have a question,

my software is Word 2002,which version of your ticket maker is right for me...

97 or 2000.?

thanks-

mercury-- I'm confused. Did you mean to say you found your Excel software? (I think you had your Word software all along, but couldn't find Excel).

If you've got Excel 2002, then use the 2000 version.

Nice job, taxman. What did your guests think?

(BTW, just in case you didn't know.... you can also lead people to your gallery by telling them to click on the "gallery" button in your posts...)

Mike iv got NO excel.....just word.iv down loaded open office and got the ticks but can`t seem to figure out the program,where do you get the pictures to add to the tickets...

:(

I thought I'd pass along this idea for another use of the TicketMaker.

I've never actually used the Ticket Maker. I just liked the challenge of developing it. (We rarely plan our movie nights far enough in advance to actually give someone an invitation.) Anyways, I've used the Evite online invitation service for a couple of parties. We're hosting our annual Oktoberfest party in a couple weeks, and I was just using it for invitations.

Anyways, you can add your own graphic to the invitation, so you can insert your TicketMaker ticket into the online Evite invitation. One problem-- the ticket appears small, but you can click the image to enlarge it to normal size. Maybe you could instruct the folks to click on it and print it out to bring with them....

I've attached a couple of test evites. Their design gallery is very large... you can really do some nice invitations. You just add the email addresses of your guests, then evite will help manage the RSVPs, etc... it's a really nice and FREE service.

www.evite.com

Here's a nice animated background (doesn't show here, but the projector light flickers).

A nice one with theater seats.

And a Hollywood premier.... There are a bunch of others.

BTW, if you add the TicketMaker ticket, you'll be replacing another default image supplied by Evite. This one originally had a nice "HOLLYWOOD" sign.

Sorry, mercury. We've got a couple different things going on here at once, I fear.... I'll try to break down your options, as I see them:

1. Find some way to get Excel 97, 2000 or 2002 (obviously, this is the prefered choice).

2. If you want to try using just Word---

The only thing you can do with Word is to use the Rich Text Format file I posted in the other thread. If you couldn't work with that zipped file (compressed file), then here's the file in ".rtf" format:

http://home.earthlink.net/~sushinut/5tickets.rtf

This will open up in Word. It doesn't have any of the functions available in the Excel Ticket Maker, but you can at least work with something that looks like the tickets that the Ticket Maker produces. In order to add images, you'll have to find suitable images that you can copy and paste into the ticket. The design used in this RTF file isn't exactly the same one in the Ticket Maker, but you can modify it to suit your needs (e.g., the space on the left of the ticket would need to be expanded to fit a poster graphic in there).

I like the pretty pictures at:
www.allposters.com
www.amazon.com
www.movieposter.com
(but I wouldn't want to suggest that people actually use these copyrighted images). <get it...?> <wink><wink>
Copy (right-click on image, Copy).... then place your cursor where you want it to go... and Paste (right-click, Paste).

2. If you want to try OpenOffice--
I really can't help with OpenOffice Calc. I downloaded it, tested it, and found that the macros in the TicketMaker simply won't work. The Ticket Maker was designed to use a BUNCH of user-friendly buttons to help navigate through the spreadsheets. OpenOffice's Calc program just doesn't support the Excel macros. I couldn't tell you where to go from there.... you'd have to play around with it and see what you could do on your own.

Hope this clears things up a bit more...

Mike thanks for your time/help.

iv got a friend who is a computer programmer and he has tons of software-

ill check my options with him...

stay tuned.:)

DBroome,

Thanks for the heads up. It actually turned out to be Tools-->Macros-->Security. So you were close enough. Thanks again.

I thought I would post some tickets that I recently made utilizing Mike's software. I've been having problems getting the exported image from Excel to retain decent quality with the text, so I created a base inside Photoshop that I can use now and have excellent results. The PSD base also allows me to add unique things like the sound format logos along with the watermarked backgrounds.

Anyway, here they are:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/bugman72/Theater/StarWarsTicketSmall.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/bugman72/Theater/ESBTicketSmall.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/bugman72/Theater/ROTJTicketSmall.jpg

As you can see, I'm planning on having a little get-together for the DVD release of the SW trilogy. I thought that these would make excellent invitations.

Originally posted by bugman72
The PSD base also allows me to add unique things like the sound format logos along with the watermarked backgrounds.

Would you be willing to share your base PSD file?

bugman,

Those are absolutely GORGEOUS!

htomei

Amazing!!!

ill be there by 7:00:p

Nice, bugman. Were you having troubles with the quality after a cut-and-paste, with the exported GIFs, or both?

BTW, the Photoshop graphics look nice. I use Photoshop all the time. (Been working for over 30 hours this week in it). It's a very nice tool. If I ever port the Ticket Maker over to Macromedia Flash, I expect to be able to achieve similar quality/results as the PSDs.

By a "PSD Base", I assume you don't need the Ticket Maker any more... you've created a separate PSD file with all the necessary text boxes, layers, etc., and you just have to edit the text boxes.... Is that correct?

Mark, I will see what size the file is. If it's not too big, I'd be more than happy to share. The only thing is that when I developed the file, I was using Photoshop LE, which does not have re-editable text layering. I have 7.0 here at the house, but haven't had the chance to bring the file home and convert.

Mike, that was the problem that I was experiencing. When I would cut-and-paste from Excel into Photoshop, the text became rather pixellated. I also tried using the "export to gif" option, but the results were the same. And yes, by PSD base, I basically have the basic format set up in Photoshop. But, as of right now, my only problem is due to my use of Photoshop LE, as I mentioned to Mark. Once I bring it home and redo the text boxes to editable text layers, I should be good to go.

I just tried this. It's excellent. Thank you!

Wow, major credit goes to you for such an amazing job!

Thanks, Mike, Crescent, and everyone else for your comments (and thanks again to Rick and the beta testers).

I just thought I'd mention that I'm planning on using my Excel Semi-Automated Ticket Maker for the very first time next weekend with my annual Oktoberfest party. This is the first year I've had the rear projection running in the HT, so we're going to <ahem> sit the kids in front of the 110" diagonal babysitter, while the adults drink! :D

I'm going to print out tickets for all the kids and let them give their tickets to my son before entering the theater. Should be fun.

You're welcome Mike. I really enjoyed working on the project. Please keep me informed if you need help / testing on version 5!

Rick

I just found your ticket maker and I want to say thanks so much!

My first HT party will be Dec. 18th. And I can't wait to start designing the tickets.

Originally posted by bugman72
Mark, I will see what size the file is. If it's not too big, I'd be more than happy to share. The only thing is that when I developed the file, I was using Photoshop LE, which does not have re-editable text layering. I have 7.0 here at the house, but haven't had the chance to bring the file home and convert.


How do you make re-editable text for this design? i was thinking to use photoshop cs to make a "template" of this type so one could very quickily make a new themed ticked. did you make these tickets from scratch or did you you the excel ticket maker and export to photoshop and redesign?

I'm not sure if you can actually make editable text layers in CE. If I remember correctly, CE is much like my office's license of LE. Editable text layering is one thing that was omitted on the "lite" versions of Photoshop.

As for creating the PSD base, I used Mike's Excel ticket as a visual reference. I created the actual file from scratch, though. Check the thread for David Broome's post on uploading my PSD file to his server. You might have some problems bringing it into CE and using the editable text layers, but it's worth a shot.

Checked his homepage and fourm could not find anthing about the file.

Try here, HTguru.

http://ccc.rivals.com/ticket.psd

I forgot that David had posted the info in another thread. That should get you the file without any problems.

Great job Mike. I'm making this a sticky with the revision and rev. date in the title. PM me if there are updates and I'll change the title to reflect the new revision. That way you can just keep the first post updated instead of starting a new thread.

Thanks for the hard work. (More importantly thanks for the excellent results :) )

Gosh. I feel so privileged to be sticky. :eek:

Thanks. Maybe you can let it run a slow death, then unstickify it. :D

Wow! great job on the ticket maker. I just finished making some tickets for Super bowl XXXIX 2005. Thanks for the effort you put in this.

cool software.i have a problem, i get a warning box that reads, Macros in this workbook are disabled because the security level is high,and the macros have not been digitally signed or verified as safe.To run the macros,you can either have them signed or change your security level.

That's a standard warning whenever you import a worksheet that has macros in it. Somebody could write a macro that could intentionally screw up your computer.

how do i get rid of it? can't do anyhing but change the text

ithrill: go to the tools menu, macro selection, security option, set it to medium or low

thanks you for the help,i love this program works great:D

I used it to create Shrek 2 screening tickets which my daugther gave to her three best friends at school. Now her entire class wants to come.

Great program by the way:cool:

Great program, Mike! U da man!

I have Excel 2003. I cannot find the "Paste image into tickets" button that is referenced in the instructions. Everything else is working fine.

Suggestions?

Rsante had the great find of the Office Depot ticket paper.

Any chance on making this program print out on those?

I have Excel 2003. I cannot find the "Paste image into tickets" button that is referenced in the instructions.
Guided-- JasonHilton and some others have reported problems with Excel 2003. Can you see other buttons on the pages? I'm assuming you can, since you were able to navigate far enough into the program to get to that page. All of the functions are macro-based. I might be able to fix it by assigning a keystoke combination to the macro, so it'll work. I'm not sure if I can get to it anytime soon though! :-/

Any chance on making this program print out on those?
It wouldn't be hard to do, but it's just a matter of me finding time to do it.

I have Excel 2003. I cannot find the "Paste image into tickets" button that is referenced in the instructions.
Guided-- JasonHilton and some others have reported problems with Excel 2003. Can you see other buttons on the pages? I'm assuming you can, since you were able to navigate far enough into the program to get to that page. All of the functions are macro-based. I might be able to fix it by assigning a keystoke combination to the macro, so it'll work. I'm not sure if I can get to it anytime soon though! :-/

Any chance on making this program print out on those?
It wouldn't be hard to do, but it's just a matter of me finding time to do it.

Originally posted by MikeWh

It wouldn't be hard to do, but it's just a matter of me finding time to do it.

Guess we do have a life outside the forum....

;)

My wife believes that I'm addictive to this forum.:(

Anyone still having problems with load image button in excel 2003? the button will not show up on the page.

The easiest workaround is to create a keyboard shortcut. I would NOT recommend creating a new button on any sheet. If you do create a button, "Delete Images" will not work properly.
A. Here's how to create a keyboard shortcut for the Paste image button:
(you may want to make a #7 under the adding an image with the keystrokes you use to fire the macro - ex. Option+z+(your letter choice))

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros.
2. In the Macro name box, enter the name of the macro you want to assign (paste_5images) to a keyboard shortcut.
3. Click Options.
4. To run the macro by pressing a keyboard shortcut key, enter a letter in the Shortcut key box. You can use OPTION+z+letter (for lowercase letters), or OPTION+z+SHIFT+letter (for uppercase letters), where letter is any letter key on the keyboard. The shortcut key will override any default Microsoft Excel shortcut keys while the workbook that contains the macro is open.
To include a description of the macro, type the description in the Description box.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Cancel.

Hope this helps.
Rick

I must be missing something. Where can this be downloaded? Jason's site (near the top of the thread) is 404'ing all over the place.
Thanks,
JayW

[edit snip]

Looks like Jason has the site back up and has even increased the bandwidth.

THANKS AGAIN, Jason, for hosting the files!

Wanted to make some tickets for elf this weekend but couldn't find the 2.0 ticket maker I had downloaded months ago so I came here to look for it and imagine my surprise when I found the updated ticket maker! Thanks Mike and everyone else who contributed to this awesome "Accessory"!

BTW, Jason, how did you survive the awful hurricane season? My dad lives in Orlando and luckily they didn't have too much damage.

Originally posted by rdwalt
BTW, Jason, how did you survive the awful hurricane season? My dad lives in Orlando and luckily they didn't have too much damage.

Yep, No Problems, no damage other then a bent wind vain.

Just downloaded the file and looks like I may have a slight issue:

When I'm customizing the ticket and inputing my personal information, the pop up box for line 11 is the exact same as the pop up box for line 10 :

Admission Price - you can put anything in here as the price of admission.

Additionally, if I try to enter "this theater features Dolby Digital" (or almost anything else) for line 11, I get a pop up warning that states:

The value you entered is not valid. A user has restricted values that can be used in this cell.

If I do input something it will allow (i.e. I typed in "hello"), the text where it says "no reserved seating" doesn't change.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?


Stew

Also, the preview of the ticket looks perfect, but when I actually print it some of it is cropped off.

For example, the name of my theater is "The Royal Stewart Theater". The ticket preview shows all of this, but when it actually prints, the "r" and half of the "e" at the end of Theater are cropped off (on the vertical area, next to admit one this day only).



Stew

Figured out part of it.

The area where it says "No Reserved Seating" wasn't linked to the data. When you click on that box, it just said "No Reserved Seating". I changed it to =G26 and it's working right (but the # of characters must be limited, which is why I sometimes get the value entered warning).



Stew

Originally posted by bugman72

Anyway, here they are:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/bugman72/Theater/StarWarsTicketSmall.jpg



Bugman,

How did you get the Friday night area to not be capitalized? The code currently says UPPER which makes it all capitalized. If I change that to LOWER, then the whole thing is lower case. How do I get it to where the first letter is capitalized, but the rest are lower case?



Stew

Just remove UPPER and the parentheses. Don't add LOWER.

Wow, Stew! Sorry you ran into all sorts of problems!! I've tested them all. Most were outright bugs, one is a common Excel configuration problem, and another was actually my attempt to PREVENT the configuration problem that you encountered in another cell.

I've entered them all in my change log, and if I ever get around to releasing a new version, they'll be addressed then. In the meantime, here are explanations (and some workarounds, where possible) for each of the issues you've raised. Please note that there are 8 different ticket types "hidden" within the workbook. If you implement any of these fixes/workarounds yourself, you will likely encounter them again later, if you select a different one of the 8 ticket types...

When I'm customizing the ticket and inputing my personal information, the pop up box for line 11 is the exact same as the pop up box for line 10 : Admission Price - you can put anything in here as the price of admission.BUG. You caught me. NOTE: This is only a problem in the ticket choices where no seat numbering is desired.

if I try to enter "this theater features Dolby Digital" (or almost anything else) for line 11, I get a pop up warning that states: The value you entered is not valid. A user has restricted values that can be used in this cell.As you've discovered in your later post, I put a maximum length to the number of characters allowed in this cell..... I actually did this to attempt to circumvent a problem that some printer drivers have with properly printing the contents of Excel cells-- PRECISELY the problem you encountered with the chopped off letters you reported later.

Two suggested workarounds:
(1) Reduce the total length of your entered text (including "spaces") to 25 or less characters.
(2) Select the cell (should be G26), then on the Menu bar, choose "Data/Validation..." (along the top, next to File, Edit, View, etc.). In the Settings tab (should be the default), change these settings to anything you'd like, or "Clear All" to get rid of the rule alltogether.
NOTE: Again, the 25 character limit was an attempt to prevent undesirable printing of long cell contents.... Use with care. See later issue regarding "cropping."

If I do input something it will allow (i.e. I typed in "hello"), the text where it says "no reserved seating" doesn't change. BUG. As you've discovered, M4 should =G26. This is only a problem in three ticket types (I used a convention for naming the 8 different types of tickets available. They are hidden from normal view, but the 3 that are effected here are known as "PIC NoSEAT S", "NoPIC NoSEAT L", and "NoPIC NoSEAT S").

the preview of the ticket looks perfect, but when I actually print it some of it is cropped off.This is the problem I was referring to earlier. This is actually a rather common problem Excel users run into. Some printer drivers don't behave well with Excel (or tables in Word, for that matter). This is ESPECIALLY problematic for vertical text, as you've encountered here. Essentially, the problem is that your printer doesn't react well to the way that Excel formats the text in the cell.... so it does the best it can, and you get unexpected results. Ironically, I could have used the "Data/Validation..." tool to restrict the length of this cell, but it turns out I didn't add it to this particular cell.

Workarounds:
(1) Use a shorter phrase here. Obviously, taking "The" off your theater name is less than desirable though.... ;-)
(2) Use the most common Excel function for problems with printing text: Change the font size. Regular Excel users play with font sizes ALL THE TIME, just so they can fix printing issues. In this case, select cell C4 in the ticket, and then reduce the font size, using the font size function in the toolbar (it should have a "10" next to "Arial" in your toolbar, if you have all the default Windows fonts... if you can't figure out how to do this, please respond.... I'll step you through a more manual way of adjusting the font).

How did you get the Friday night area to not be capitalized?rdwalt is correct regarding the UPPER function... in general.... the only problem in this particular case is that I concatenated the day of the week with some other HIDDEN text that already happen to be CAPITALIZED. (DOH!) This was something I built into the very first version of the TicketMaker, so that the resulting ticket would look like someone else's original ticket design. It turns out that if you remove the UPPER function in the "Day" cell, you'll be left with contents that looks like this:
Thursday LATE MATINEE

Unforunately, you'd have to type in your own text manually in cell H11 to totally get around this UPPER issue with the "Day" cell.... which then, in turn, removes the automatic time of day logic I built into this cell....

Also, please note that Bugman scrapped the TicketMaker and built his own templates in Photoshop.... that's how he got his text to look differently.

You are correct, Mike. I wouldn't say that I "scrapped" what you did...I prefer to use the term "enhanced" based upon my own personal needs and abilities. My main concern and primary reason for utilizing Photoshop to create the workable base was due to the pixillated text that I kept getting when exporting from Excel into an image format. Photoshop gave me the advantage of having crisp text and allowing me to insert whatever image I desired as a background. Add to that the ability to add sound format logos and I had exactly what I was wanting. I just needed Mike to initially pave the way for me!!

Mike, Bugman, the TicketMaker and Photoshop template combined are awesome - gives users the flexibility to use either and create very impressive invitations to their friends and family.

I was farting around with some half baked ideas for tickets til I ran across this string. All I can say is THANKS A MILLION!

I love playing around in Photoshop and using your stuff have already created a number of very cool tickets - and using the Ticket Maker, I appreciate it's built in capabilities for adding the pictures, printing multiple copies, etc.

Thumbs up to you guys!!

Originally posted by MikeWh
Wow, Stew! Sorry you ran into all sorts of problems!!


Mike, thanks for the reply. None of the problems I encountered were that big of a deal, but I appreciate you taking the time to look into all of them. Since I know basically nothing about Excel (if I spend enough time on it, I can create a spreadsheet to add numbers in a column) this program has been great. I appreciate all of your efforts.



Stew

Does anyone know if there is another mirror for this download? They are no longer available from the link provided.

Thanks.

The link works fine. are you sure you clicked on the right one?

http://www.jasonhilton.us/ticket.htm

ok, was trying to practice with the exel 200 version and i keeop getting a macro error.
it keeps telling me the security is too high.
so i set it too low and it still wont let me change colors or hit the next button.

it also says something about requesting the macros be signed.

this is the first time i tried this ticket program and i never used excel before so i'm sure i'm doing somehting wrong.

ok now i tried the '97 version but i cant figure out how to add pictures to that box.

sheesh i feel like a boob.

i'm sure this is much easier then i'm letting it be.



ok i think what may be going on is that i'm not seeing al the buttons on the last page were you print the tix from.
is this the excel 2003 issue?

i also have to "ok" four file error pop ups before i can use the 2000 version.

alright, another update.
after experimenting with the different options.
one with the picture and one without.
i find that the one with pic will not showw all the buttons on the last page.

if i create a ticket with no pic, i can see all the buttons.

but i still get the 4 pop up error windows in the begining.

Yes, whotony, all of your issues are related to Excel 2003... There have been so many security problems with the use of macros, that it looks like 2003 has really limited some of the features I had placed in the 2000 workbook.

Sorry, I can't help you out, as I don't have Excel 2003 here at home. Maybe one of the other folks here can help you out though.

i guess i just cant use the add a picture version.

Originally posted by whotony
ok, was trying to practice with the exel 200 version and i keeop getting a macro error.
it keeps telling me the security is too high.
so i set it too low and it still wont let me change colors or hit the next button.

it also says something about requesting the macros be signed.

this is the first time i tried this ticket program and i never used excel before so i'm sure i'm doing somehting wrong.

I tried the 2000 Excel version (though I have Office XP).

I got the same message even though I also lowered security to allow the macro to run.

Since there's no "apply" option when changing the security settings to allow macros, I saved the Excel file and closed it, then re-opened it - which enabled it to "save" the lower security setting. Then I could run the macro and complete my design. Hope this helps, whotony.

MikeWh,

Thanks for the "Ticket Maker". Very clever, and adds a really nice touch to planned movie gatherings at our theater.

- s.west

Here is a superbowl logo I borrowed. I think it would be great to give out tickets to a superbowl party!! Awesome program!!

Great tool. THANK YOU... and thanks for the little pictures.

Originally posted by function12
Here is a superbowl logo I borrowed...
Be sure to give it back when you're done with it. :p

Thanks to Mike, bugman and function12, I was able to get an idea for the superbowl party ticket. It wouldnt have been possible without your great ideas. Thanks so much, I am very grateful. Here's a sample of what I did.

Hey Voltes,
Great ticket! Considering last years wardrobe malfunction you might want to consider changing the 'rating' from 'PG' to 'R'! :p

Here's my ticket. I'll probably add the teams once they are known.

Originally posted by rdwalt
Hey Voltes,
Considering last years wardrobe malfunction you might want to consider changing the 'rating' from 'PG' to 'R'! :p


Good point! :D

Thanks. Very good suggestion on the teams. I'm still looking for good graphics of team helmets, but I made a change to where I can add those. Thanks for the tip!

btw, the team helmets I used are the only ones I can find so far. I am not in anyway predicting who will be in the superbowl. :)

RDWalt: how do you add " No reserve seating" on the end instead of A1 seat 1..etc thanks in advance matt

How do you use this program what do you do just print on your printer?

RDWalt: how do you add " No reserve seating" on the end instead of A1 seat 1..etc thanks in advance mattmatt-- He has chosen a ticket style "Without Seating"... (With Picture, Without Seating, Large or Small)

How do you use this program what do you do just print on your printer?Dan -- You need Microsoft Excel (preferably Excel 2000).
You select from several styles/options, then you enter your movie and theather info. You can add a poster or other graphic as a picture on the left side. You then print them or send them via email.

Actually downloading it and playing with it a bit will go a long way in helping you figure it out.

Ok thanks

Thanks again MikeWh for a great program. As someone who has authored automated forms using Microsoft Word, I share your frustration with each successive version of Office interfering with macros.

It would be great if there was a way to print these out on the OfficeDepot ticket paper... ;)

It would be great if there was a way to print these out on the OfficeDepot ticket paper... I'm assuming the wink means "come on... let's get an update.... eh? It's a shame that I couldn't find any ticket paper stock at Office Depot, when I designed v1.0. I actually looked, but couldn't find anything.

If anyone (Robert, too) knows of easy-to-buy card stock that can be used for printing tickets, please post the brand, name, and item number (if available). I'll collect this information for the next version of the TicketMaker. BTW-- I've found card stock on the Web before, but ideally, I'd like to find stock that anyone could easily get at Office Depot, Staples, etc..... If you find good (and especially cheap!) stuff on the Web, feel free to post the info here, too.

Where can I get excel 2000?

Excel comes with Microsoft Office. You can buy it anywhere you would find office products - online or Office Depot, etc...

Sorry Mike if it sounded like nagging.. :) ,

They're Office Depot "Print Your Own Tickets" Item Number 922-761


You can download the template for it here. (http://www.officedepot.com/promo.do?file=/guides/papertemplates/tickets.jsp)

You might consider setting up a Paypal donation link for your hard work... ;)

Excel comes with Microsoft Office. You can buy it anywhere you would find office products - online or Office Depot, etc...Dan asked about Excel 2000, which is no longer sold (or isn't supposed to be available). The current version of the Office Suite is Office 2003. There are issues with macros/buttons not being upward compatible.... The current TicketMaker is available in Excel 2000 format, because I don't have access to Excel 2003 at home.

Dan-- you might want to ask around to see if friends/family have the 2000 version that they'll let you have.... maybe they've upgraded.

Robert-- Thanks for the item number... it's a shame I couldn't find those before version 4 was released. Oh well.

Originally posted by MikeWh
Dan-- you might want to ask around to see if friends/family have the 2000 version that they'll let you have.... maybe they've upgraded.

Technically, if they've upgraded, then the old version doesn't exist. You might try eBay, however, but cautiously.

Randy

I'm using it on Excel 2002 here at work and it works fine.

And I'm using it on Mac - works great.

Randy

Technically, if they've upgraded, then the old version doesn't exist. You might try eBay, however, but cautiously.Not really what I meant.... Find a friend/family member with the old 2000 install disks/CDs... Those will still work just fine.

rdwalt-- yes... 2002 doesn't seem to be a problem, either. Just 2003. Thanks for the clarification.

Donations??? Well, I had resisted the urge, because I never ever cared about making money off the work..... But I have had several offers from some of the highly generous folks here. So.... If you feel absolutely compelled to do so, then by all means!

Here's a webpage with a simple-to-use button to donate directly to my account. Again-- thanks for your support.

Donate to MikeWh! (http://home.earthlink.net/~sushinut/donation.html)

Done.

Very generous, Robert. Thank you!

I'm touched by the generosity of the folks who have donated. Some wanted to use a credit card, so I've upgraded my PayPal account to allow that.

OK. Now I'm feeling almost guilty enough to do another upgrade. :) I previously stated that I probably wouldn't do another upgrade... mostly because I didn't have Office 2003 here at home.

Well.... Yet ANOTHER gracious AVSer also offered to set me up with WinXP and Excel 2003! I didn't publically thank him, because I didn't want people asking how they could get a deal like that.... but suffice it to say that we've got some great people on this forum.

If/when I get the new software, I'll take a look at an upgrade to the TicketMaker.

Again, thanks for your kind support and generosity. I'll be sure to give thanks to supporters in any future releases. :) :) :) :) :) :)

Mike,
This set of macros for Excel is great. I'm printing them on a heavy stock paper and putting it into the mail to my guest.

Great Job

here's my version:

I made tickets before with my own graphics but I think what Rotoman & IfixitBIG posted above are great. How do I import the graphics from either one into excel to make my own copies of the tickets ?

dozens-
The SB logo is in this thread, I'd use that and just follow the directions in the program.

As far as adding the helmets, TV logo, Dolby logo, etc, what I did was do a search in Google Images for what I was looking for and then just used the Paint program in Windows to add them to the ticket. Pretty easy actually and just adds some nice touches to what is already an awesome program.

I just used the Insert Picture on Excel on the ticket design page. Once inserted, I could move them around and resize them, it was easy

Matter of fact, I'll post the logos I had

Here come the Eagles

dang, didn't even think of that...

I will mention Google again for finding images...works great!

Here's the TV logo for anyone that wants it.

here's my version. really poor scan quality- haven't figured out the new scanner yet. :(

used Kroooog's Mylar from the superbowl Mylar thread for the graphic.

Great job BradZ, that looks cool. Maybe I should come to your party?!

its a long trek from SC, but you're welcome to come :)

Originally posted by BradZ
here's my version. really poor scan quality- haven't figured out the new scanner yet. :(

used Kroooog's Mylar from the superbowl Mylar thread for the graphic.

Can you post a link to the superbowl mylar thread. A search in "Home Theater Accessories" did not find it.

[Edit] Nevermind - I searched for "superbowl" not "super bowl" :)

Those look nice:)

IfixitBIG-- FYI: You can get rid of those little green triangles on your tickets by disabling Error Checking. Excel thinks that there might be a problem in the cell (even though there isn't). I believe the feature is disabled in Excel 2002 by going to Tools/Options and selecting the Error Checking tab.... then deselect the box that says something like "Enable background error checking." Sorry... I don't remember if that's it exactly. I've got Excel 2000 here at home. Alternatively, you can hover your mouse over the individual cells and a pop-up will ask you if you want to fix the cell.... and you can tell it to pound sand... or something to that effect. :-)

(Maybe others can correct me here, if I didn't get those directions quite right... )

Rotoman-- question:
I noticed that you posted a .bmp of your ticket. Did you know there is a button for automatically saving your ticket as a .gif? It says "Save Ticket 1 as a GIF." It should save it as "Ticket1.gif" in the directory where you have saved the TicketMaker .xls workbook.

(Just a helpful hint.... since gifs and jpgs are generally more browser-friendly when posting images in the forum.)

Thanks for the information. I have them when I save as a graphic, but not on the print out.

Mike-
Thanks for the tip. I'm not printing these as I don't have a good printer so the format I'm saving them in hasn't been that important to me as I'm just emailing them out. That said, I had just cut and pasted the ticket from your program into Paint in order to add some other graphics which after reading Ifixit's posts I realized I didn't need to do. Then when I saved from paint it defaulted to a .bmp file.

Going forward, I'm just going to use the add image function in Excel to tweak the graphic. And I'll remember to save as a .gif.

To your point about the 'Save ticket 1 as a .gif' button, I don't use it as I like to keep copies of all of the tickets I make. May be a suggestion for later to have the option to "Save as" and then pick a filename. Otherwise, each time you use the program to create a ticket you're overwriting previous work. May not be a big deal to some but I like to have the old ones. :D

Mike, Thanks for the 'disable error checking' tip. You got it right. Here's my new SBXXXIX Ticket. (All Excel, no photoshop)

Ok. this is what I tossed together. I am done messing with it now. This is a great program.

To your point about the 'Save ticket 1 as a .gif' button, I don't use it as I like to keep copies of all of the tickets I make. May be a suggestion for later to have the option to "Save as" and then pick a filename. Otherwise, each time you use the program to create a ticket you're overwriting previous work. I had considered doing the Save As..., but thought this would be more user-friendly.... maybe not though. I didn't think people would be keeping their tickets, so I went the other way (plus the coding was easier). As an alternative, you can always rename the Ticket1.gif after it's saved, so you don't overwrite it next time. I've added this to my "issues log" for the next version.

Thanks for the 'disable error checking' tip. You got it right.Good to know. Thanks for the follow-up. FWIW-- this issue was raised in a previous thread about the Ticket Maker, but I can't seem to find that thread. DOH!

Finally made my last ticket. If anybody wants some of the graphics I used, like the helmets, logos, etc just let me know. I can attach them here. Thanks for everybody's great ideas!

man, i looked all over the place for the DD sign. I want that for later if you want to post it. Here is another pic I ran across but didn't use.

duh, I can see why now. wrong bowl. hehe

duh, I can see why now. wrong bowl. hehe

salreus, is this what you want?

And here's a big Superbowl XXXIX logo.

Voltes: can you attach the helmet logos? How do you bring them into the ticket maker? thanks matt

here's the helmet logos.
I will just attach the others in case anybody's interested.

Pats helmet..

afc logo

nfc logo. very small, maybe you can find a bigger one. so far this is the only thing i can find.

eagles logo

pats logo

I think that's all of it. I hope somebody find them useful.

matt,

do an insert of a picture from file. insert the file and resize it to overlay the part where the you want the pics to show.

yeah, that was the gif I wanted. thanks. I can use that for my normal tickets. Thanks for finding it and posting it.

I made a ticket of my own as well. Thanks Voltes for the logos and the Photoshop template.

my first ticket:D :D :D how can i easily put a picture in the backround? (star wars ticket on page 7)

Originally posted by murph3699
Thanks Voltes for the logos and the Photoshop template. [/B]

Greats tickets everyone! One more week and we can put them to good use. :D

Btw, I didn't provide for the photoshop template it was generously provided by bugman72.

The picture background can be done if you use the photoshop version. I haven't found a way to do that in the excel version yet.

Murph, I like the 'No Recording Devices' and 'No Smoking' on your ticket.

how can i easily put a picture in the backround? (star wars ticket on page 7)Unfortunately, you can't do backgrounds with the Ticket Maker. I'll have to check if Excel 2003 is any friendlier with background images (possibly for the next version), but it can't be done with Excel 2000 and earlier. The tickets with backgrounds are done using a Photoshop template (also available in this thread).

sucks for me i guess. I don't know how to use photoshop:( Does someone have a tut. on inserting the pic?

This thread shows why this is the best forum. Great talent and resources on every aspect. Several years ago I was trying to figure out what the hell was 5.1. Now I'm trying to figure out how to print tix for my soon to be completed theater.

Thak you.
Skip

I sent out a bunch of "tickets" to my friends and family who will be watching the game at my house.

I added a Lombardi Trophy to the ticket I made for my pal. Here it is.

Does someone have a tut. on inserting the pic?ithrill-- Do you mean a turorial on how to insert a background picture using Photoshop? If so, read through the entire thread. There is a photoshop template and some instructions.

Several years ago I was trying to figure out what the hell was 5.1. Now I'm trying to figure out how to print tix for my soon to be completed theater.It's a wonderful thing, ain't it?!? :) I'm just happy to see how many people enjoy the Ticket Maker. I've said this before.... it only took me maybe 15 minutes to come up with ver. 1 of the Ticket Maker. I really only did it, because I knew Excel could do some fun things automatically. I don't even use the Ticket Maker (maybe once or twice!).

Not sure if it has already been asked but what type of paper weight does everyone use?

I've used heavy stock paper but, my best is glossy photo paper.

Card Stock

I've been using inexpensive photo paper, Staples brand. I mailed them to my buddies who are coming over for the game. One of them thought they were real, no lie.

I've had people at work see them on my desk and ask how I got so many. :p

I've had people at work see them on my desk and ask how I got so many.Tell them they can purchase them from you for a mere $100 a pop. :D

I use 52 lb. glossy paper, any brand.

Anyone going to the Oscars (www.oscar.com)? ;)

anyone planning MM tickets? If you are, where is a good place to get the logo for March Madness? I already have the logo for NCAA final four St. Louis .. thanks

March Madness logo:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5353889#post5353889

The week before Star Wars Episode III comes out, we're going to show Star Wars Episode II at work in our large dining room. I'm part of the committee organizing the event, so I volunteered to make up some tickets to hand out to employees (and for their guests).

Thanks to the Excel ticket maker, Photoshop template, and many ideas provided in this thread, I came up with five different designs. Here's the first:

second:

third:

fourth:

and last but not least, fifth:

Nice ND. May I also suggest that for promotion of the upcoming movie, to manipulate some of the wallpaper files and downloads now available at the starwars website. (Maybe make a ticket for those you know are going to the movies as a keepsake)

Pretty cool and very nice (yea, I'm slow, I just found this).

Anyone ever see something similar for creating a bar or snack menu?

Do you mean for your HT or for a commercial establishment? I'm not sure what I would automate for building a menu. Seems like it would be a lot easier to just use a word processor. What exactly did you have in mind?

Originally posted by MikeWh
Do you mean for your HT or for a commercial establishment? I'm not sure what I would automate for building a menu. Seems like it would be a lot easier to just use a word processor. What exactly did you have in mind?

1st no this is for home use only. After I finish my media room, my next big project is to build a bar in the room next door.

Yea, I'm passable with Word, and you are right, not much of a reason to automate I suppose.

What I was thinking about was a 2 sided bar menu. I was thinking you know a list of house drinks on one side and other drinks and snacks on the other side. I wanted something easy to edit so I could easily change it from time to time.

Hey don't make anything, I was just wondering if there was something out there already. I really like the ticket maker. I showed my kids and they freaked out and started planning all sorts of movie nights!

For a Word 2000 menu file, try this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5538367

Hey, thanks!!

hey for us non computer wizards- which version of excel should I get to be able to print the tickets?? thanks gary

Excel 2000 works.

You may have a hard time finding Office 2000... maybe used/ebay. Check around with friends and family. Maybe someone has this older version they can part with. There is also a version saved in Excel 97 format.

I have not had the chance to update the Ticket Maker to a more recent version of Excel yet... I just got Office 2003 last month, but haven't had to time to upgrade to Windows XP, which is required to run Office 2003. Maybe sometime in the next couple months.

The excel 2000 version worked fine for me and I have Office 2003 running on XP.

The excel 2000 version worked fine for me and I have Office 2003 running on XP.

Some people have reported that some of the functionality is not available, when using 2003. For example:
I have Excel 2003. I cannot find the "Paste image into tickets" button that is referenced in the instructions. Everything else is working fine.

And Jason Hilton, the person who is providing the download site, has reported this problem: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4293591#post4293591

Oops!

I am using a Mac and everything works fine but I can not get it to post a pic. Can any one give me any help in this area please.

I worked on the Mac compatibility. Please be a little more specific about your problem. Also, what Mac version of excel are you working with?

HELLO,

I JUST WANT TO SAY WHAT A GREAT PROGRAM THIS IS, THE PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM ARE AWESOME,
I HAVE ONLY READ PART OF THIS THREAD, BUT I KNEW I WANTED TO FIND A VERSION OF EXCEL AND GIVE IT A TRY, MY COMPUTER WAS GETTING KINDA OUT DATED, SO I JUST GOT A NEW ONE, IT HAS XP PRO, AND EXCEL 2003 PRO INSTALLED. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE BUGS WITH 2003 HAVE BEEN REPAIRED YET?. I STILL DONT HAVE TIME TO READ THE WHOLE THREAD YET, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I DOWNLOAD THE CORRECT VERSION. MY DAUGHTERS BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP NEXT MONTH, WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A MOVIE PARTY FOR HER FRIENDS, THE TICKETS WOULD MAKE GREAT INVITES :cool:

tHANKS, ED

Ed-- The 2003 issues have not been resolved yet. Please read through the thread though, as some people have reported they can use it.

This program is coolest thing I've ever seen.

I knew Excel was good for something.

Victor

Great Job! I gonna try to translate it into French.
Thanks for sharing....
Fred

How are some people getting the background images in? (i.e. the star wars ones on page 4). I've had this thread saved for over a year but am just now getting close to finishing my theater so I want tickets for opening night!

Are there any other systems to make tickets or is this the best one? When I downloaded graphics they ended up huge and I had to manually resize them all. Not a huge problem, but just wondering.

Thanks to the originator - awesome job!

re: the background (Star Wars, etc.)--- this is answered elsewhere in the thread. But for those who don't have the time to read through it-- bugman created a PhotoShop template that is separate from my ticketmaker.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4555741&&#post4555741

re: huge downloaded graphics-- If you haven't visited this thread in over a year, then you probably have an earlier version. Click on my signature, which will take you to the first post in the thread, then download the latest version. The ticketmaker has a function that you should only have to copy a desired image into your computer's clipboard (ctrl-c). Then you can press a button that will paste the image into your tickets and resize them automatically (or at least it's supposed to.... I don't think anyone's reported it not working correctly). Please report back, if you can't get this to work.

re: thanks to the originator-- you're very welcome. :D

how do you change the background picture on the photoshop file?

Can someone else explain how to do a keyboard shorcut for the paste picture button that does not appear in excel 2003? I've looked at hdttluvr's description on page on page 5, but do not understand this step:

You can use OPTION+z+letter (for lowercase letters), or OPTION+z+SHIFT+letter (for uppercase letters), where letter is any letter key on the keyboard. The shortcut key will override any default Microsoft Excel shortcut keys while the workbook that contains the macro is open.

Whenever I go to make a shortcut, it says use the control button and whatever letter you assign. What does he mean by OPTION+z=letter?