autofill of blank fields

[Jim Hornaday]

I had an old Filemaker app I was using on a system 9 G3 Mac. With that combination, I used Filemaker a lot. One of the nice things I used to do was auto-fill fields with preset lists of correct entries.

Now I have a G5 iMac with a system 10.3.9. The old Filemaker didn't work on the iMac. I had to update to Filemaker Pro 7. It works fine on everything BUT the auto-fill thingy.

I have gone semi-blind reading the User's Guide, and I think I'm following the instructions, but I can't get any pop=up list or any drag-down list of proper entries when I try to fill a blank field. The Filemaker "Help" stuff is just as impossible to use and make the auto-fill work.

Has anyone else had this problem? Anyone know how to do it? I'm at my wits end.

Jim Hornaday

[Tim W]

Hi,

A little clarification, an auto-fill field is set up in the field definitions (it fills the field with a default value upon creation) and a pop-up menu is setup with a value list to allow selection of an item from a list at data entry. They are different things, which are you trying to do?

Tim

[Jim Hornaday]

Thanks for replying Tim.

I THINK I want the auto-fill, which would give me a list of pre-set values to select when trying to fill in the data for a specific field.

I set up the fields first by DEFINE -- no problem. Then I followed (per page 45 of the manual) File menu> Define > Database route, and filled in the specific values I wanted for selection in a specific DATA box (separated by CR's). Nothing!. When I tried to fill the keyed field in a blank record, it acted like I had NO data to be selected. Wide open for any old data entry.

I'm doing something wrong. Got any ideas?

Jim Hornaday

[Lee Smith]

The Type-ahead or auto complete is new to version 8.

You are describing a value list I think, have you looked at using one of those?

Lee

[Tim W]

Hi Jim and Lee,

I agree with Lee, that what you are looking for is a value list. Setup the value list, then in the field you want the list to appear (in layout mode set up the field to use the value list).

HTH

Tim

[Jim Hornaday]

Guys:

I have tried the value list procedure. I still don't have anything.

This data file it is just beginning, and is one record long.

May I suggest something that might get me past my problem. Could I send the small file to you as an appended file, and you could see how I defined "railroad" and "railroad file name", and all the current variations of formatting that DON'T work -- and then you could tell me what I need to do to make the whole list of "rail file name" entries appear when I go to enter a specific name in the railroad field -- and select one of the entries?

Hey, maybe I am trying to do something that just can't be done with FileMaker Pro 7 with a Mac operating on system 10.3.9

Jim Hornaday

[Lee Smith]

One of the benefits of the Forum is that you can attach files.

When you compose a [color:red]Reply using the [color:red]Full Reply option (located towards the bottom of the page)

File Attachments: [color:orange]Manage files

Be sure that that use Zip or one of the other file types

Lee

[LaRetta]

Here's the thing, Jim ...

It worked before. It doesn't work now. And "This data file it is just beginning, and is one record long." If you have created a value list which uses 'values from field' - and if that lonely record has one value then, of course, your value list won't contain all the entries. In a copy of your file, add some additional records with different values in that field. Then check your value list by selecting the field and see if those additional values have been added. If you are using a Custom Value List to hold your "rail file name" entries, you must type the values in yourself when you define the value list.

Fields hold data. Value Lists hold 'possible selections' to insert into that field. But the field doesn't fill with the data until User clicks the checkbox (or selects from a popup).

[Jim Hornaday]

Wow! I got it to work! Your collective help did it!

Thank you all.

Jim Hornaday