Hello folks:

I'm looking for a contact tracking system, and I'll list my requirements
below.  I'm not particularly keen to bother to learn how to develop a
database and reports using Microsoft Access, just for a simple tracking
system like this, but if I have to, I will.

I'm definitely willing to purchase software.

I'd also be willing to explore an arrangement with someone who could set
this up in Access, and I could just teach myself how to enter data--not
have to construct the whole system I want.

I'm wondering whether there might already be a stand-alone program out
there that somebody might be easily able to adapt or expand. I have seen
some programs designed specifically for blind folks for tracking contacts.

If people respond off-list to me directly, I will post a summary of
responses, as appropriate.

I use Windows XP Pro and Window-Eyes.

Requirements would look something like this, but fields (in item 2) do not
necessarily have to appear in this order:

1. Screen reader friendly, but also usable by a sighted person.

2. Fields would consist of:
2.1 Priority/importance: low, medium, high
2.2. Name: might need first and last to be separated for possible alphabetizing
2.3. Email address
2.4. Organization name
2.5. postal address: street, city, postal code, country (contacts are global)
2.6. Phone
2.7. Fax
2.8. Date of initial contact
2.9-10. a couple of date-fields to note follow ups
2.11. Comments

3.  My sorting requirements/options  would require a little more thought,
but being able to sort on priority, contact date, alphabetical by lastname,
and country would be especially important.

4.  Prefer ability to export data to VALID, CLEAN, XHTML, but HTML would do.

I'm not sure that Access can export to HTML/XHTML, and even if it can, I'm
not sure that the results are clean code.

I guess formatting the output in a data table would be okay for this, as
long as the table were screen reader friendly.

This is why I do not want to use a proprietary note-taker; I want reports
to be viewable by sighted folks, and I want the software to be usable by a
sighted person.

5.  Ability to import others' contacts into the "master" database that
would be maintained by one person. This is not mandatory, but it'd save
retyping time.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Best,
Jennifer


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