Layouts

Newb question here. I have a solution that uses multiple layouts that are printed - That single page print out is the end result, and it is all the user requires. Works OK. One problem I have is that sometimes the data in a field is too long, cutting off part of the data for that line (each line is essentially its own field). I could reduce the font size on all layouts, but that is not desired when the data is shorter. I would like to be able to allow the user to reduce the font size - or change the font entirely - for that one field if necessary. I am not opposed to adding scripts and buttons to accomplish this, but am clueless where to start. Any ideas? …

Ok, so I'm a noob at FileMaker Pro 9, but my company has asked me to set up a client db with it. I've come a long way, but now I can't figure out how to make a field type that I need. Here's what I'm needing: I'm looking for a field that can hold: 1. Dates 2. Notes that correspond with the dates 3. A scroll bar that will show me all the dates/notes that belong together. Dates should be to the left, notes to the right. I need clear lines between each individual date/note, as it would confuse coworkers otherwise. I've purchased a book, looked through fm.com's forums, and not found a way to do this field type yet. Anyone able to help me? Thanks!

Hi all need a small push in the correct direction. I have a simple data base to track my trucks. Date : Ticket # : Material : Supplier : Source : Pit : Tonne : Unit : Truck Co : Truck # : Customer : Contract Nov21.001..........A.............Abc...........There.....1......20.........ton.......xxx............25............Him...........Hers Each line below my headers is a record, all records can be found and sorted by any of the above fields single or multiple criteria. I also have a date range find script with my 2 date input fields set to global. My first report works well, find the data in the above layout, got to report 1 layout sort and print. Repor…

I have a simple data entry form made up of edit boses, drop downs and pop ups depending on the source data. My issue is that whilst I can tab between edit boxes and drop down menus, when I enter the pop up menus it doesn't seem to take the focus. I therefore have to revert to my mouse to select an item from the list. Any ideas?

I have what I guess is a fairly simple issue. I am a recent convert to Filemaker having used MS Access in the past. What I am stuck with is how to filter records. I have a list of transactions and a calculated field which works out which month they were conducted in. In access I would have set up a drop down menu which would populate from that months field. I would then have a button which would take the value selected from that and return the found records. In filemaker I don’t seem to be able to set up a drop down (or pop up) menu like this. As soon as I try to select a value from the month field, it tells me that I cant change the value since its a calculated…

This is my first attempt at learning filemaker. I am enjoying its features, but have ventured upon some difficulty. I have ten fields with drop down lists that have the same value lists: Admit, Deny, Unknown. Sometimes the fields are not used in the document, so the way I currently have it set up is that you do not select any thing for the field if you do not intend to use it. In the layout mode for the document I am attempting to automoate. I inserted merge fields for all of the ten field in descending order down the page. After the ten fields, I have more information that I would like to type. The problem that I am running into is that if I do not se…

Hi All, I'm a newbie and will be the first to admit I know nothing! I've got a letter to INSTRUCTORS in which I have information about all STUDENT workers working for each instructor for a particular semester. I finally figured out that I could use a sub-summary to list all the students and their info in the letter and put the closing of the letter in a Grand Trailing Part. However, there is a gap between the info in the Sub-Summary and Grand Trailing. I tried the sliding thing, but it only works with fields and not PARTS. Is there a way to shrink the PART area? Thanks for your help Amy

Hi, I have a question about multiple fields in a record/Layout. I have one layout that consists of 200 records. In those records i have about 50 fields. Now i want to make a layout which searches for typical entries in those fields and put them in another field. How do i do this?? grtz

Hi all, not sure if I am in the correct forum or not to ask a few questions about building a report. Can someone point me to the correct sub, thank you. Sean

Firstly, apologies if this has been asked before. I’ve searched but it’s difficult to know what to search under! I have a basic question about layouts. I have a number of fields that require a Boolean answer. I have set them up as Numbers and to format as Boolean. However, I cannot work out the best way to allow the user to enter a Boolean value. At present I have a simple edit box where they enter 0 or 1 (hardly user friendly!) I have tried a popup or radio buttons using a value list (Yes/No) but can’t see how I can get it to translate that response to a 0,1 result. It seems to translate everything from ther as not 1 (or false). I guess one approach is to …

Hi, I am new on FM and I have accomplish in setting up a layout but I haven't manage to activate the Web Link and Inserting a picture for each contact. All my contacts has website, is there a way to just click on it and get connected right away? Inserting the picture I have done to the layout itself but when viewing it shows on all my contacts. I want to be able to put a picture on each of my contacts. Is that possible? thanks

We have a timecard invoice that *almost* correctly summarizes the total hours against multiple hourly billable rates ($/hrs). Explanation: / Say there are two billable rates, a = a $/hr. and b = b $/hr., and the data input is a chronological listing of six entries with those two billable rates: a, b, a, a, b, & b. / The invoice that is presently created summarizes the six entries like this: a, b, 2a, & 2b / What we want is the invoice to summarize it as 3a & 3b. The "a, b, 2a, & 2b" currently appears on our invoice in the Part, "Sub-summary by billable rate/hour (Trailing)" with the following Merge fields and text in the layout: "…

I cannot believe I cannot find it.... where do I specify the text that is displayed on the windows title bar?

Is there a way in FMP 8.5, or plug-in's that anyone knows of to make the fields change color when the mouse rolls-over the specific field. I would like the simple effect of a yellow or pink color.

Hello guys, is there a way to use an image as a button? I mean I would like to trigger a script once a image is clicked. Thanks and have a good 1! Sig

Not too sure where the best forum is for this, so I'll put it in here. What I want to achieve is a virtual directory listing of everything in on a hard drive that is browsable in a fairly good looking interface. Currently we archive lots of projects on to hard drives and put them in storage, and from time to time we need to find things on them, so at the moment we have a filemaker database of the top level directory listing of each drive in a simple text box and then various other fields with information about what is on each drive. So the step up from this seems to me to be a complete virtual directory listing of each drive, I'm not sure whether this is be…

:o I copied a Layout that had a ton of client fields on it, then deleted everything I didn't need for the new task. Visually, It looks like I need it - just the handful of target fields. However, When I go to EXPORT RECORDS or Save Records as Excel, it looks like it still thinks it has the original's entire field set, plus 'copies' of some of the fields. For example: Running EXPORT RECORDS, The 'Specify Field Order for Export" dialog lists the correct Current Layout name (It should have about 20 fields). It shows the entire field set from the original. When the output dumps out, I am getting duplicates of certain fields and the displays as [color…

I recently started using FileMaker to organize my notes. I've created a customized form that I like a lot. The one thing I can't figure out how to get around is that whenever I bring in text from other parts of my computer, I have to adjust the font and size individually. I would love to create a button so that I could select the new text in the form, click the button once, and have it all uniform in terms of size and font. Is this possible? Help please!

Hi! I have a table consisting of steps to perform service functions (Step1, Step2, Step3, Description, Expected Result). For many entries, Step1 and Step 2 will not change per record but will by Step3. I am not certain I need to display in groups based solely on Step3 or a combination of Step1|Step2|Step3. I know this can be done in reports, but I need to enter data for each record n these groups, so I would like to see if it can be done in list view. Other than calculating a group ID, is there a better way to go about this? Thanks in advance for your consideration!

I work at a DOE Facility that have 100's of FMP 6 databases. We have a "menu" database that consist of a series of buttons (a button for each database) on several screens. We are in the process of converting to FMP9. I am looking for ideas of a new format of our menu database. The current one has too many buttons and can be confusing to the user. Any input or screenshots would be appreciated.

I've found that I can have local and global variables in FM. Local variables are visible and valid within a certain script. Global variables are visible and valid within a certain database (file). Questions: What about multi-user access? What about multi-database applications? Has every logged in user his own copy of a script and the local variables within this script and their respective current values? Has every logged in user his own copy of a set of global variables and their current values set initially or by the user? Is there a way to get from a database currently open and used the values stored in the global variables of anothe…

I have an invoice table, with a record number on it. Whenever I export the record as a PDF to email it, the record number shows as "1". So even though the record # shows as 8 or 9 or whatever in the record in FM, the PDF always shows 1. Is there a way to fix this? Also, is there a way to make my record number have 4 digits, and start at 1000 or something. I just started a new business and I don't want someone knowing that they're only my 10th customer. Maybe for some businesses this would be cool, but I'm only 22 years old and it highlights my inexperience. I created the record number symbol by going to the Insert menu, and selecting Insert Record Symbol I …

I am new to FM having come from DBase way, way back. I have constructed an FM database which, among other things has a numerical field which collects amounts of payments and an other field driven from a value list which indicates whether the payment was made by cash, cheque or credit card. Currently, the report totals all payment irrespective of type. I want to add some more fields on the report which break down the payment totals into Cash, Cheque or credit card. Something like sum for type = "cash" but I can't seem to find how to do it. I am sure there is a way - it would have been easy in Dbase. Any help to a newbie would be most appreciated. Many thanks, P…

Was just wondering if anyone knew if there was a way to get your layouts to automatically resize based on the size of the window so that the edges of my layout won't be seen on various size layouts. I saw a runtime solution do this and was wondering if it was possible in FM.

I'm working with a layout that has a large text field. Users on occasion apply formatting to the text in this field, for example, setting the font weight to bold for a heading. On some computers, this looks great, but others show the font as fuzzy. The font being used is Time New Roman and the Bold checkbox is on in the Format>Text dialog box. On a Mac Book Pro and a Mac Pro, it looks good, but on another Mac Pro, an iMac and a Mac mini, the bold text looks fuzzy. This is true of all of the bold text on the layout, including the bold field labels in Arial. So far I've been unable to find the commonality between the systems that look good and those that don't.…

A person looks at a layout of a solution I built. He/she mistakenly edits a field (w/o knowing they'd done it) and then move on to another record or layout. That change is permanent. Has anyone worked up a solution to make changes to any field require user approval? Such as a pop-up box "You've made changes to this record, click yes to save, no to revert". It feels like there's a way to do it, but I'm not sure of the logic that would go into it. Thanks in advance for any help! - Michael

I have a students database. I want to be able to show which cubicle they have been assigned to on a graphical representation of the floor plan. Can't figure out how to accomplish this. I have a basic "join" table with 3 fields room, cubicle, and studentName. This is working fine. I can see the student assigned to each cubicle; however, how can I then place this ONE field in each of the cubicles on the floor plan? Could not find a similar solution on here. Seems something someone who have done before. Any help is very much appreciated.

Anyone know why Self() can be used in a Conditional Formatting calc on a text box, but not a button parameter?

My problem is this: I have 3 fields in my layout. They are set in a table view going down then across. There are 3 columns when viewed or printed. The problem is that the table grid lines only show up in the first column (preview or printed). How can I make the grid lines show and print in the other 2 columns? Thanks

My situation is this: OBS:I have only filmaker 8.5 so no conditional formating. I need to make a field unchangeable depending on a value of another field. I could make it disapear if i had conditional formating.... So is this possible in Filemaker 8.5???

I have a text field that is presented in a tab control. Once the data is entered, and we move to a different note, the text gets displayed as 1.7201e+10. If we click on that specific note again, the text displays, but as soon as we move off that note, the numbers replace it. Any insights on what might be happening? The particular text is only 21 words in length ... Thanks!

I'd like to sort by values from a summary field. I have a database for a fundraising event . One table has the donation information (donor's name, amount, student to be credited for donation etc.) that is linked by student ID number to another table of student info. This table may have several donation records per student. The Student table has the student information (name, grade, teacher, etc.). I want a report that is sorted by teacher's name then lists each student in that class by total donation amount per student. The layout works fine if it's sorted by teacher then student name, but I can't figure out how to sort by total donation amount per student. An…

Hello. I would like to know if, when it comes to container fields, there is a way to show the name of the file only and if there is a way to show the according icon only. Thank you! Mike

Hi there Is there any way to goto a field where that field is currently in stored in a $variable? Thanks for any leads ... Tim

ok... My ideas have dried up and I need some new ones. Anyone know where I can go to get some fresh idea on layout design. Mine are looking old. I need to learn some fresh ideas. Any hints or ideas would be great.

I have a portion of a database that keeps track of wait time. I have a report that is supposed to group my data by start time, and average the number of minutes waited for each hour. I have a summary field for number of minutes waited. I get the report all laid out and it's working great. Then, suddenly, it stops grouping the data on the preview view. I can still see the grand total, but not the sub-summaries. I have no idea what could be causing the sudden change. The only way I've found to fix it is to recreate the report from scratch.

Hi Everyone, I have just started working with FileMaker Pro for an internship that I am doing and I don't know what I am doing. I need help in changing the field names to a database. I did the process that the tutorial tells me but it is still not going through in the actual database. Can someone help me?? thanks

This seems like it should be really easy, but can't find any mention of this on the forum. I would like to have one button that when clicked, goes to the next record of a found set and on more clicks, continues to loop through all the records even after reaching the end. So instead of having 2 separate buttons for previous and next, they just keep cycling through the records with the one button. Thanks for the help!

I'm revisiting a topic I pondered over a year ago: How to display iconic representations of information without having to store the corresponding icons in the individual records? Up to now, I've used a container field or two in a very limited number of tables, with each field using a lookup-style calculation. This has always seemed cumbersome for these reasons: In records with just a handful of text and numeric fields, adding corresponding container fields for icons greatly expands the table size*. Displaying corresponding icons should be a runtime activity -- equivalent to the Format as Boolean capability for numeric values. Deciding (at runtime)…

Runtime solution that contains a multiple page layout in Preview Mode. Without making the status area available to the user, Windows will advance to the next page of the report by pressing CTRL+down arrow. I cannot find an equivalent command on the Mac. I've tried Apple-down arrow, CTRL-down arrow, and Option-down arrow to no success. Any insight from you Mac FileMaker geniuses? Thanks. Jerry

I need to put in a 15 page contract in filemaker, but the layout will only go up to 110 inches. So is there a way i can a) Extend the length of the layout or : Make a 2nd column to print. Eg: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x normal page x 2nd column page x normal page x 2nd column page x normal page x 2nd column page x normal page x 2nd column page x normal page x 2nd column page

I have a font that I use all over and I tried to set a filed to that font in Layout with no success. When I'm in View mode and switch to that font in the filed, it types correctly. Any ideas? Mike

I have a field that is a drop-down list displaying a value list. The value list is "Use values from field: " and I'm selecting a field from another table. It all works fine, except one thing. If you enter the field and begin to type, the list will scroll to the whatever you're typing... as long as you type fast enough. If you pause in your typing, it starts over. If I type "Cust" quickly it will go to "Customer". But, if I type slowly, it will go to "Customer", then "User", then "Supervisor", then "Trainee" I have other databases where you can type as fast or slow as you like and it works the same. I can't tell the difference in the field setup or in …

Hi. in advanced thanks for looking into this post. i am an IT Consultant and have been working on a database where i have a list of all of my clients, technicians, issue tracker, work orders, etc. The database is nearly perfect and about 90% complete. The last 10% i am struggling. here is the issue: I have a Clients table: Client Code (Related) Client Name Address, Etc. I have an Appointments table: Client Code (Related) Visit Type Technician, Date, Etc. I have an Issue Tracking Table Client Code (Related) Priority Date, Etc. Currently there are 3 Accounts in the database. Admin and 2 technicians who enter work orders. What…

I've inherited a file that displays the header when in Table View. I've tried to copy the exact same technique into my own file, even going so far as to copy the same header, same depth. Yet it doesn't work for me. Header is ignored on display. Both files running under FMP9 Advanced. Any clues on how to display the header when in Table View? Kind regards,

I'm a little new to FMPro. I hope this is the correct forum. What's the best way to protect (make it read only) an individual sales order once it has been invoiced? I have a field in the sales order table that is either empty (not invoiced) or contains a timestamp (date/time of invoicing) that can be used to test if the order has been invoiced. I have a feeling that this could be done with read-only permissions on single records, but don't know how to do this.

I am having difficulty figuring out how to use the GetSummary function and was wondering if someone could help me out. I am creating a table that displays therapists and their treatment time(in minutes) of patients. The output looks like this using a 'summary field' for total time-min when sorted by therapist. Therapist 1 Total minutes 160 patient1 40 patient2 40 patient3 40 patient4 40 Therapist 2 Total minutes 240 patient1 60 patient2 60 patient3 60 patient4 60 I would like to add a field that converts the field total time-min to hours and have tried the creating a calculation using the GetSummary()function (using tot…

I am a new user of Mac and am checking out compatible database systems for our small business. Our needs are basic, but I do not have a lot of experience or time to create something that will fits our needs. Maybe my question is simple enough to get an answer on this forum (that's my hope anyway). I can use any one of the templates available and edit it, but I am not sure how to get the results I am looking for. For example, 1. I need a field that will "timestamp" before entering notes in the notes field. The notes field will need to hold 6-8 entries. 2. When I send an email from FM I need a copy sent to the notes field. Any suggestions/help would be great…

First, I apologize if this is the wrong area for this post, but my suspicion is that layouts will ultimately hold the key. I have recently become responsible for maintaining the database for a school. Currently, they have a somewhat convoluted (albeit functional) set of FM databases. They have one separate database for students, one for instructors, another for classes, and another for the current semester. Each semester, they copy the last semester's database and erase all of the data. I want to bring all of these pieces together into one database. I've started doing it, but one issue that I can see looming on the horizon is maintaining the separation betwe…

I am working on a database to help secondary school students choose majors in high school.Different High Schools have different major selections. I would like to create a drop down box field with the selections being the high schools in the district, and then, based on that selection, have another drop down box to allow the student to choose one of the majors offered by that high school. Can a selection by one drop down box control the selections offered in another drop down box?

Ok, I have a number of databases linked. After I navigate to one from another, the screen flickers/flashes. Is there a way to do the navigating smoother so it looks better?

Since I can't install Filemaker at work, I develop my tools at home and convert to a runtime to use at work. I develop on my MacBook (OSX.5 and FMP8 Adv) and use on my XP Professional Dell at work. I ventured into using a pop-up window. Point being I am entering invoices and need to tweak the vendor record. I click on a button and go to that vendor record. When I went to close it, there X was grayed out. I opened the file on the MacBook. There I could close the Vendor pop-up window. Back on the XP I couldn't. I didn't see options to control it. Is it a matter of the OS used or runtime vs full application?

Is there a way to create a list of layout names with associated tables, as shown in the Set Layout Order dialog box?

Can anyone help me or show me the way to do this with filemaker please. Having looked for all the templates and examples I cannot find anything even remotely close to what i want to achieve with filemaker. Before i explain further,i will just summarise the extent of my knowledge and ability. I previously used Excel to collect data in conjuction with macro enabled word documents,I am quite advanced in vb scripting which has helped when in comes to filemaker scripts,but i still consider myself to be a learner in that particular department. The reason I switched to filemaker I think is quite obvious because of the data handling capability and speed of excel. So i…

Hi, I was wondering if it was possible to create a chart without a plugin? I went on the chartmaker site, downloaded the demo and the weren't any plugins. How can we generate such charts? Thank

After messing around with the table view, I just discovered that you can't copy and paste multiple fields like you can in Excel. This functionality is very important to one of my clients and I was wondering if anyone has come up with an elegant way of addressing this problem. Specifically, the client would like to copy most of a given row (but not all of it so duplicate won't work) and tab down the list pasting it (but not in every row) with keyboard shortcuts. I thought about just having copy and paste buttons for each row in Form View, but this still isn't as easy as being able to use arrow keys or tabs. Any ideas? Thanks, Brien

Hi. (I apologise if this topic is in the wrong area - it seemed like the best spot, but feel free to move it if need be.) I am looking to write a POS system for a client of mine. I've written them before but not in FmPro. I am looking to see if anybody knows of- or has written a popup keyboard function - used mainly for the touch screen environment. Cheers, Greg

Having a problem here. Working on a database for a law firm. Main table is Cases and the related table is Clients. A case can have many clients. Clients can be active or closed. Attorneys are assigned on the client level. An existing report shows attorney client assignments for active cases using the sub-summary report feature and a summary field. We search for active clients and sort by assigned attorney and the display is like: Atty Assignments Brenda 17 Bob 20 Sarah 15 This worked great until they realized they need to see not only a count of the client assignments but also a count of the number of unique cases comprising the attorney assignment…

As I am new to Filemaker I stumbled over a problem that I can't find any topics or help in FM. How do I in a correct way setup a layout so it matches I.E. an MS Word A4 document. I mean what is important to think about with the header, body and footer? And even more I need to have three A4 size pages on one layout as I will send them as PDF files to the costumer. Can some body please direct me to a topic or any instructions for this. Thanks, Mats

Hi, I have one client computer (iBook G4) that has a weird issue with Arial 12 font. Whenever the person types a small "c" it either comes up on the screen as a small "g" or capital "T". I also noticed that some other fields that are from a relational database have replaced the C's with other letters. I tried changing the font type and size and it will display correctly. It's only happening to this one machine. Any thoughts? Thanks! Raschelle P.S. Attached is a screen shot. Notice in the grayed fields that Project looks like ProjeTt. (FM 9v3/FMS 9v3 & 10.5.5)

Does anyone have any experience with using non-body parts to display data in Form View? Right now, for some of my data entry tables I have two layouts, a list view and a form (detail) view. In the name of simplicity and the principle of "Return your user to where they left," I'd like to use one layout for both views. What I've come up with is to have on layout with a small body in which I've put the contact's name. Then I've put all the detail info in a trailing grand-summary part. In List view the summary doesn't show, just the name. In Form view, both parts show, with the name in a decent enough location on the screen. Do you see any downsides to t…

I am wanting to create a list of letters of the alphabet, which when clicked upon will execute a script (that will return records beginning with that specific letter) and then highlight that letter in the list. I can envisage 26 buttons each calling the same script passing in the chosen letter. Where I am struggling is with how to highlight the letter somewhere in this process. I have spent hours barking up lots of wrong trees!! Can anyone help me please. Many thanks Tim

I created an invoice layout. Everything is working, except that I can only get one product from the Sales Orders TO to display. Here's my setup: Sales Orders: SalesProj portal (used to choose project from Project TO) ProjProd portal (displays all products for specified project in Project TO) Sales Invoice: Show records from ProjProd In the body I have the Product Name field from ProjProd Everything works fine except I only get the first product to display. I believe I must be missing something simple or have some setting incorrect. Thanks for any help and push in the right direction.

I suppose the title says it all. I have a table layout mode. It includes some information about a student and I want to print out several tables according to one specific field, each table having it's own page with the matching fields. Can this be done? I find that the Part Section is fairly confusing if you haven't used it before and I think I need a fairly clean explanation on how to do this, I keep thinking it might be a script I have to create but again, I am not even sure. Thanks! -Keith

Hello All, In creating a new layer I have a number field for account numbers, However when the number exceeds 7 characters and if you click out of the field it will open spaces in the field no longer showing all numbers until you reclick in the field and all numbers look normal. This would not be such a big deal but I need to print these numbers and not spaces in the field. Why would clicking out of the field make it show spaces in the number and not the entire number until reclicked into ? Any help please. Thx much Erick

Frequently I see icons or small graphics in various computer programs (for example Win Vista) that I would like to use in FileMaker. Is there a way to copy them as a graphic and create buttons for use in FM?

I have a product catalog that is automatically created from the line item records in an inventory table. The script that creates the catalog sorts the products by category and via the use of a sub-summary the catalog comes out nicely with headers at the top of each new category as you flip through the book. However, I would like to be able to have a table of contents automatically created with the page numbers of each category. How might this be accomplished? Basically I would need Filemaker to be able to calculate on which page each new category would begin when sorted by category. I hope that makes sense.

Hello, Is it feasible to use a pdf in a field for layout/printing purposes? I need to print records to a specific (state issued) form. What I've been trying to do is insert that form as a pdf into a field which is behind all the other pertinent fields in the print layout. I believe I can only do the insertion on a Mac, which is fine. I've actually accomplished this and it works beautifully on the Mac. My problem is when I host the db on FMP server and view/print from a windows xp machine. The quality is pitiful and not usable. Am I going about this the right way? The form has fonts not currently installed on the systems which is why I tried the pdf route. I …

Hi, I have recently upgraded to 8 then 8.5 from 7 (windows platform) and the fonts are being displayed in a n anti-aliased style (not smooth) when in 100% mode. If I move to 150% or 75% they are smoothed but obviously I can't do this as all my layouts are full of many sized fonts and it would be a mammoth task to reshape every layout. Besides if I am viewing in 150% then the print size will be too small. Anyone encountered this before? Any suggestions? I have tried EditPreferences.. and all the options there. Interesting note: oproblem is worse (fonts are sketchier) in 8.5 than in 8! It's like the further it gets away from the native 7 format the les…

I think I have finally poked enough keys I found my answer after I posted below. Will this do what I need?..it seems to work If[Get(RecordNumber)=Get(TotalRecordCount) Show Custom Dialog etc. ect. Hi, On my layout I have an arrow to move to the "Next" recod. How would I script the button so that when the user has advanced to the last record a message would show "You have reached the lat record" I know how to do the message part...I just cant seem to figure out how to script the button to know when it has reached the last record in the db. Thanks, Jim

I started a project and got it almost done however I am simply missing the understanding of report layouts (preview mode) vs the same in list view and possibly relationships between tables or so I believe. For the description of project you can see this thread: http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/198469/ Basically I have two main tables. Orders and OrderItems. It is a one to many relationship. What I need is to get a set of reports. I got some of the reports working but not all. I added a third table named Items. I related that to OrderItems via SKU number so that will give me a report of total quantities for each SKU number. What I need t…

Hello guys, I have a table with a date field (called expiration) and I need to create a new layout (columnar list) that shows only the expired records (expiration < today). I have looked around for a bit but I couldn't find anything about that. Can someone please point me on the right direction? Thanks and have a nice day!

Hello, I'm not sure this is the right place for my question but I couldn't find a better place. I need to remove a container field from a FM9 DB but when I try to do that I get a message that sounds like "the field x can't be delated because is used by the privilege y" I checked out the privilege but I couldn't find anything about that. How can I delete the field? Thanks and have a great day ! Sig

Hi, Before I ask my question, I ask that you please bear with me. I'm a novice at best when it comes to Filemaker, but it was thrown into my lap when an employee left. "Hey, you're a Linux guy. Linux guys are smart, you do the Filemaker stuff." We have a system here where customer service can print out a packing slip for an order. In this layout, every item ordered is on it's own line (line item). Among other things, the line item row contains the product name. This has been fine for the most part, but now we've added products which need more space to print out the product name (due to chosen options). In the product name field, if I have a name that is t…

FM 9 Adv, Win Vista SP-1. Creating and editing field names in this latest version of FM is driving me crazy . Just about every time I create or edit a field label it becomes clipped and I have to adjust the object so the text fits. Even if I simply make the text bold, it becomes clipped. Ditto if I simply edit the text. Does any else have this problem? Is this a bug in FM 9 Adv?

I have a pop-up window with a stack of variables the end user needs to complete. They are grouped by various headings. It is on one layout so the user can print/pdf it and pop it on file (hence multiple tabbed screens not suitable). I ultimately would like it to have these headings much like a shortcut at the top of a page which scrolls to the applicable area e.g a scroll much like HTML code i.e Go To Section 2 blah blah blah blah blah blah Welcome To Section 2! I can "sort" of get this to work by using go to object/next field. The problem is however that if I am going to field XY which is a page and a bit down it will scrol…

I'm searching for good icons for creating a link and breaking a link. Here's my criteria. They must be instantly recognizable for what they mean at 15 x 15 pixels size. At that size icons of two chain links broken and whole just don't register well. At least none that I've ever seen. In the past I've used the red circle with a diagonal slash through it as my symbol for omitting records. So conceivably I could use a green empty circle for making a link and a red slashed circle for breaking a link. But then I'd still need an intuitive icon for omitting records. What am I talking about when I say make and break links? In a database of companies, some are linked to…

Hi, I have searched for window resize, new window etc. but I cant find the answer. I hava layout which is set to open to Max size. I have a script called to open a new smaller window. The problem is that when the new window opens it resizes the original layout to about half its original size...any suggestions? Thanks, Jim

Hi, I recently copied a technique for incorporating GUI elements from a database I inherited that seemed cool but now I'm not so sure. The Technique: in a table called Preferences there is a container field with repeating values. Each repetition contains a GUI element (e.g. an arrow, a check mark, a delete symbol etc.) The Preferences table is then related to another table via a 'X' (Certesian) join using a gConstant field in the Preferences table and using the ID in the other table. To use the element on a layout I drag on the container field, choose the repetition number and, voilà, the GUI element is on my layout. This seemed like a cool, tidy way t…

I am setting up a "People" database for an organization with contacts that serve a range of functions to the organization and one person can serve more than one function. At this point there are about 11 functions laid out. I would like to set up the database so that there is a field with a checkbox list of the functions that each person serves (funder, film subject, govt contact, etc). If the person entering information into the database checks the box then the section with the necessary fields to be filled in will appear below. If it is not checked the section will not appear. So for example Madame X serves the function of "funder" and "film subject" to my or…

I would like to preface that I am fairly new to File Maker so excuss me if I do not get the terminaology corret. Also thank you in advance for your help! I am looking to be able to copy and paste information pulled into the data base so that I can preform a "find" I have noticed that I can only copy and paste for editable fields, however. The first field is a calculation field that has category, make and model so even though it is editable in browse mode, if the user tries modifying the field it prompts that the field is not modifiable. So I am content with them being able to copy and paste information out of that field. The problem I am having is t…

Currently, I have a user interface that contains several gradient images. I tend to use the same base project management system for different clients and retool it for each. I am trying to update that base system and provide some clients updates to their existing system. Also, I just want to have a better base to work with. Now, my question: I created containers and placed all the layout objects in them. I can't seem to get the gradient pieces to line up. Picture 7 is what the images that are pasted on the layout look like. Picture 6 is what the images look like in containers. I created the images with OmniGraffle and then exported them. I …

How to do a report with 15 break fields? There are about 100 clients, their contact layout is the parent table. Each client has three fields reporting a status, and each of those three fields is a drop down list of about 15 status-types. I need a report on those 15 status types as the break fields, listing the names under each status-type. Each client therefore will appear up to three times. HOW?! I am stumped right now. In my attempts I have now entered the statuses in two different ways on the main layout, 1) as three text fields in the main layout and 2) as a portal. Thanks.

I've inherited some databases where text fields have all sorts of different formatting in them that need regularizing, so I was happy to discover the strategy of using the TextFormatRemove(Self) as an auto-entry option, so that when I build a database I can control the formatting of various fields that wind up getting put ontto reports etc. I'm tempted to just make this a standard practice for all my text fields -- would anyone anticipate any downside to this practice? Of course, it prevents the user from doing something he or she might like to do, but aside from that -- any consequences I'm not foreseeing? wickerman

I have sliding set for multiple fields but one particular vertical range of fields has a calculated result but does not slide up like it's supposed to and has the result $0.00 if nothing is supposed to be there! Can anyone help me on this!?

I cant imagine what my problem is -- I'm trying to solve all sorts of higher-level challenges, and suddenly I find I can't even create a button the size I want. Here's what happens: I click the button-drawing tool and draw a button. can make it as tall as I want or as wide as I want . . . but I can't make it *shorter* than 26 pixels tall. If I draw it, say 18 pixels tall, when I let go it snaps out to 26 pixels. If I try to change the height value in the Object Info box, it reverts to 26 when I tab out of it. It *does* allow me to make the button taller than 26 pixels. The default anchors of top/left are checked. THis is holding true on any layout. …

I have a checkbox that I took the borders from around the check off. I need to get the check to be darker I have tried different fonts. I made them bold but still not dark enough. Any Clues Thanks in advance

Is there a way to format a text field so that it appears in columns across the page? I am trying to do a merge document in Filemaker for some contracts of ours but they incorporate columns for only part of the text which I need to figure out. The text field will cover several pages and needs to be able to shrink several pages if necessary.

I would like to make a button appear if the current count of records in a portal is more than 1, disappear if 1 or zero. In FMP6 I used the trick of a one record portal that displayed that record if the relationship was satisfied. That solution always felt quite clutzy, but it worked. In FMP9 I can hide the button under certain conditions by making the text and fill of the button match the background. However the button will still flash when that area is clicked. So this solution isn't ideal. Is there a better way? In a related issue, I've worked out a way to obtain the displayed count of a portal. It works, but it also feels clutzy. Is there a better way. …

Hello everybody! I am a newbie to Filemaker. I am evaluating various options to custom build an electronic medical records solution for a Maternity Hospital. Our workflow at the hospital is very unique and we cannot retro-fit available EMR solutions into our setup. We are looking forward to develop our own solution which will basically do the following: My question is: Can we do it with filemaker? or do we have to rely on VB/C++/etc on Access/MS SQL and stuff? 1. Show a SIMPLE screen which can be nagivated by keyboard direction keys alone, with simple fields such as: Name: Wife of: Dt of Birth: Gravida: Para: Aborts: Live: 2. I do not …

I know this sounds really dumb but it's a project that has confounded me in the past. I can't remember what the crash was because I can't imagine why there should be one but there was. I want to produce a simple mailing label, about the size of a business card. Can anybody recommend a particular label product to do this with. I think I have gotten this far before, so I am sure the conundrum has yet to, but will eventually reveal itself. I would like to start with the mailing label model number. Any suggestions?

Hi, Is there any way to create a list of all layouts that are not used in any script? Maybe a plugin or a script? I know that using a DDR or some external reporting product I could find this out, but one by one (not nearly practical when you have hundred of layouts and scripts). The reason I need this is to delete all developer garbage layouts. Thanks in advance

I need some help with setting up a sub-summary report, which is pulling data from different tables. I know (after my last problem with this) that the sub-summary fields have to be from the table that you create the layout in. My problem is that I have a bunch of different tables that I would like to use data from to create my report, and I'm not sure if it is possible or if I did something terribly wrong when setting up. I have 4 tables - Customer, Contract, Labor, Material. They are all linked by Customer ID. Contract, Labor & Material all have fields for type of work (so we can assign costs for material & labor to profit centers and line items from cont…

I have three tables in a FMPro9 database which will track my books. Tables (simplified to relevant fields): Titles: id, Title TitlesAuthorsLink: id, TitleID, AuthorID Authors: id, Firstname,Lastname Relationships are setup Titles.id to TitlesAuthorsLink.TitlesID and Authors.ID to TitlesAuthorsLink.AuthorID I have the Titles layout able to view/edit/add Titles records, as well as view any linked Authors in a portal. Existing records in the Authors portal are displayed and may be edited via the popup menu connected to the field. I can't, however, add a new row in the portal to add another author to the currently displayed title. Am I able …

Hello I am building an application that contains a table with 113 fields in it, however, of these, 60 are calculation fields used to summarize data from various child tables. The layout this table is used on does load slightly slower than other layouts, however, it is not really an issue. My question is I need to add another 10-15 calc. fields to this table and am wondering if it already is way too big? Does anyone have a table similar in size and makeup as this and if so, have you run into performance issues when there it contains significant data and is actually used? Joe

Hi All, I hope someone can help me with this. I believe it can be done but don't know how. I have a DB with field text properties set to: Left Justified Plain Text Arial 10 I have a script that creates a record and then inserts text into the field described above. I would then like to change the formating of that record only to: Right Justified Bold Arial 12 I believe this can be done in the specify text calculation but I do not know how to write the code to set the format properties. I am willing to look it up myself but do not know where to find the resource to give me the proper tags. The script then imports a found set of record…

Hi group, I hope this is the proper forum and I word my question properly. I am pretty sure this would need to be scripted but it is also a display issue so I wasn't sure which forum to post in. I need to take the contents from several records and place into one text field. For Eaxmple: (Please Note: Each word or number is a seperate field) Record 1 >> Phoenix Arizona 42 Record 2 >> Tucson Arizona 32 Record 3 >> El Paso Texas 19 Record 4 >> Las Vegas Nevada 17 Desired result in ONE RECORD in a separate Table: Phoenix, Arizona 42 Tucson, Arizona 32 El Paso, Texas 19 Las Vegas, Nevada 17 Result would …

I don't even know where to begin, it's so confusing. Okay, here's what's up. I'm trying to create a database for a research project for online companies. Keeping track of various products that are sold, cards accepted, etc. Not gotten very far past fields and tabs. The help desk people tell me not to use templates, start from scratch but I want file tabs and such. Wonder if anyone out there is doing a similar project who could let me see how they went about it, perhaps explain features used.

Hi. Im looking to display variables directly onto the screen somehow. I was thinking of putting these variables (get(accountname) etc) into a field, but as the user is multi-user it would not work correctly as each user would override it. How can I schieve this please? Cheers, Greg

Hello, A customer have two different layouts, one with logo, and the other one without it. He wants an unique layout with a checkbox asking "Do you want the logo?". With the checkbox is checked, it will print with logo. If not, it will print it with without it, because it is already at the paper. I have tried with buttons, without success. The checkboxes must be from a field in the datebase! Any ideas? I have search in google, in the filemaker training series, and I do not know how to do it yet : Thank you very much in advance.