Calculation Engine (Define Fields)

This has been discussed here before. Basically define a STORED calculation field euqal to an IF calculation. If the field to watch is "Name" it would be If(Name, x,x) where x is whatever report you want such as the name of the modifier. HTH Old Advance Man

Try the Data function Month(CurrentDate) Old Advance Man

Hoping the guru's can help with this one... I'm trying to create a validation that will limit the amount of text (word/characters) in a description field. No problem, I can do that one. My hang up is when the user adds a " " and starts a new line (yes, it has to be able to happen). How can I take into account for the remainder of characters on a line that would otherwise be there if there were no " "? The field is also multi-lined, so it could contain several hard returns that need to be accounted for. I envision making some sort of calculation that totals to a set amount then the description field validates against that number. What's that? I th…

i'm really new to FMP so please be kind! I'm basically trying to create a job list for myself and so I have a columnar list and have a text field where I type a job description. Now sometimes the description is 1 row in depth but sometimes it can be 3 or 4 (basically it varies). I need to be able to view all of the rows and also print without any gaps. I've figured out how to use the sliding feature and this is great when I print but is there anyway when creating a text field to get this text field to vary in size depending how much text is in the field. I hope that makes sense and thanks in advance for any advice.

I am a beginner in FMPro 5.5, however I have developed a fairly good relational database that is working so far. I have discovered after reading more that I have several errors that could be critical. I want to set my db up correctly and don't know best route. Errors are: My Pk is not a auto entered key, but is unique. I feel I have too many entities in main file. I am entering data through a portal that is lengthy and is causing many records in the child file.Lastly file names are too long. I wondered if I can start over with a new set of files at our physical year? or can I correct the existing set of files? [email protected]

Hi there, I was reading an earlier post about having a fields display a calculation or being able to input your own figure. The answer involved placing one field on top of another. Can anyone tell a newbie how to place on field on top of another and still be able to see through, or how that would work? Basically, I have a calculation field, with another field that if you type in it, the calc field will show that. I'm just lost on how to organize the two fields. Thanks for your help! Ben

Hello: I have a field that shows a list with several options to choose from. In some presentations this field has to be enlarged 3 or 4 times the size. (the rectangle itself) The problem is that the list's rectangle and letters also increases in size (huge!!), very annoying and also making it very difficult to handle. The same 3 items in the list now take 1/4 of the screen!! Is there a way to show the list in a "normal" size, no matter the size of the field it is attached to? Thank you Pablomac [ February 21, 2002, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: pablor ]

I am trying to calculate c_Age from Today and Date of Birth. I tried Today - Date_Of_Birth / 365.25 which works in Excell, but does not in FMPro 5.5. Can you tell me how to write this calculation. Please e-mail ans. [email protected] Thanks

Hi there I was wondering, if my primary key field value changes, is there a way for a field to do another lookup like what a calculation field does? For example, I have in my order_db_lineitems db a product code field that is a primary key and a product name field that is a text field with a auto-enter lookup field. Is there on any way the product code of the lineitems changes that I can tell the field to lookup again? Thanxs Steve P.s - Please don't tell me I need to change the product name lineitem as a calculation field!

I am working on an Accounts Receivable Invoice Edit report. The detail section includes listings of General Ledger account numbers that are hit by each AR Invoice. The summary lines I need to report don't simply summarize the detail activity. That is the first step, I use a summary field to get the total Debits for that account, and another to get the total Credits for that account. So far so good. Some of the GL accounts will have both Debits and Credit summaries, but we only want to report the net activity. I have put a calculated field on the Sub-Summary line to calculated whether the net activity will return a debit balance. (There is also a Credit formula simila…

I am trying to use FieldStyle to change a field to bold based on if another field has an entry. When I use FieldStyle in a calculation, I keeping getting a window popping up telling me that it cannot find my field entry and then highlights under FieldStyle (Database) - If I place quote marks around it, the program then says it cannot find the (layout), and so on. - Placing quote marks around each entry eliminates this message ("Database","Layout", "Field") but in the end it doesn't do anything. *I am filling these fields in with actual information and my naming is correct. Either this isn't the proper use of FieldStyle or I am doing something wrong or al…

We built a form in FileMaker, but are having a font problem. In some fonts, typing an apostrophe (') or quote (") in the browse mode gives a little rectangular box. However, if those characters are typed in another application, then copied and pasted into FileMaker, they are fine! Ever run into this problem? Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give. Sincerely, Michael Caroff (818) 784-0922 (818) 784-0923 [fax] http://www.taxi.com [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------

I am updating a database and most of the invoicing features. I want the Date Due field to give me the Invoice Date + 30. This works if I do Status(Current Date) + 30. But - why can't I use the Invoice Date field + 30. When I do this - I just get a question mark. Thanks for your advice. This seems like a simple question - I am hoping there is a simple answer.

I have 8 fields "Percent1" --> "Percent8" I want to know if it is possible to do the following. Users may put 10% in "Percent1". I then want "Percent2" to show 90% (100% - 10%) But(!) I then want to allow users to be able to input in "Percent2". If they input 30% in field 2 I want "percent 3" to show 60% (100%-10%-30%) Is there any way to do this? I can validate it so that the total of the fields cannot exceed 100%, but from an aesthetic point of view would like the next field to auto-enter. Does that make sense??!!

How can I create field that can hold up to five digits that automatically puts zeros in front of the number. Example, 5 = 00005 and 14 = 00014 and 200 = 00200. Thanks in advance!

I have an invoice that has both a creation date and a modification date on it. The products on the invoice are in a portal. When I add another item within the portal to the invoice on a new date - the modification date does not change. Is there a way around this? Thanks

I have several databases that are password protected. Fields from these databases are related to a master document that displays them. When opening the document I am promted for the passwords for each of these. Is there any way around this, or is that security? Thanks for your help. Novice Norm

I truly enjoy the flexibility Filemaker offers in terms of layout design - except for one major issue which I hope their is a solution for within Filemaker or a Plug-In is available. All editable fields on a layout will appear as jagged when one is in a field or when one clicks on the screen - this can create a very messy screen - especially with portals with entry fields. I know I can avoid this by making the field boundaries 50% black (grey) but I prefer to use black and other colours. Please help. Thanks [ February 20, 2002, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: Peter Fenner ]

Is there a way I can find out how many times a value is in a field? Ex: Field1= "1" 4 times... Field1= "2" 6 times... How can I get file maker to tell me how many times "1" is in this field? Thanks! ~Addam~

Novice needing help with what I believe should be a case function. Six fields: Photog One, Photog Two, Photog Three, Unit One, Unit Two, Unit Three. If I have a name in Photog One and a name in Photog Two, Unit One should read "A/B" and Unit Two Should Read "B/B". If I have a name in Photog One, Two and Three, Units should read "A/C", "B/C", "C/C". If I only have one photog on the job, Unit one should read "A/A". I've tried working with (not Is Empty) calc but can't make it work. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Afraid not. There's no way to create fields and relationships except manually. Chuck

Hi all, I would like to add some different records(with different data items) to an existing database. I dont want to create a separate file and i've been having doubts if this will work out perfectly. eg. Have 5 types of medication given to patients, these medications are divided into doses,1st,2nd and 3rd. date given and date of next appointment are crucial and need to be entered. what i've been wondering is should i make unigue dates fields for each medication? eg med A_date given med B_date given med A_next date med B_next date Or i should just have two date fields(date given and date of next appointment) that would apply to ev…

Hi, I am not sure what you mean by It works, but sometimes when a birthday comes and goes it doesn't update the new age. in the calculation field storage options check the Do not store calculation results. This will force it to recalculate the age every time you look at the record. See if this works for you.

I have a check box with 5 cities in a value list, for instance Atlanta London Sydney Dhurban Gossas Now if I select the first three cities, How would my script that handles them know what cities are selected. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I can't figure out how to handle check boxes in FileMaker. Thanks for any help Duks

Hi, I was wondering if there is a way to define a field "Calculation" and also allow for user's input at the same time. Thanks

Field is: LastN Suffix (e.g. Jr.), FirstN MiddleN (note comma between Suffix & FirstN The field's data may have only LastN and FirstN or any combination of the above (2 up to 4 words). e.g. Smith, Allen (2 names) or Smith Jr., Allen (3 names) or Smth, Allen Sterling (3 names) or Smith jr., Allen Sterling (4 names) The result needed for each field is - FirstN MiddleN (if any) LastN and Suffix (if any) in one field with out comma I have seen postings about saving a copy as global. Is this a file or field? And using the Position function. All in all I am totally confused. Any help would be appreciated.

I am a newbie. In the process of the creating a technical support database. The database assigns serialized case # automatically. However, there are subcases that I want to serialize per the case # only. For example, I have Case # 2001, under this case #, I would like to have subcases like 2001-1, 2000-2, etc. How can I accomplish this? Anyhelp is greatly appreciated!

My question is pretty simple. How do I define a key field. I keep reading about key fields, but no where have I found HOW to define them.

Hi, 1- I would like to put the same value, let's say "0", in a field (named "reset") in all the records of the entire DB. 2- Is it any way to save the answer of a message(OK or cancel or whatever) in a field, in order to do something like : IF field = "OK" do blah blah..etc. Thanks a lot, in advance for your help.

I have this field "A" with a calculation: Case(IsEmpty(Override), Round(Payment Amount - Programming Billing::Monthly Commission,2),Override=0,TextToNum(""),Round(Override,2)) Sometimes i put a value in "Payment Amount" but i don't want this calculation field "A" to calculate. I only want it to if there is a value in "Monthly Commission" as well. I have an override field over "A" that i can put a "0" in and it becomes blank. The problem is that i use this field in another calculation (which i also want blank) and it doens't recognize the override and use that instead of the calculated amount. Any ideas how i can make my calulation only work if ther…

I'll try to make this as concise as possible - I am trying to produce a "Product Proposal" database by working with a product listing and proposal line item db. Identical products exist with identical manufacturers numbers but are available from many different distributors or sources. In theses case they have identical manuf. numbers but disimilar ditributor numbers. I want to be able to select a product and then pull down from a list of distributors enabling all the associated info to be filled in accordingly. My if statement is finding matches based on Product Number and Distributor, but is only finding the first instance of a match, thereby returning the first dist…

I've searched this forum for a Month calculation but I don't see one that addresses my specific need. I have an employee database with a "startdate" field and I need a calculation for the number of Months each person has worked. I have a year calculation that works fine... Year[Today] - Year[startdate] - If[Today< Date[Month[startdate], Day[startdate], Year[Today]], 1, 0] ...but I can't figure out how to break it down to months. I don't care about +/-30 day increments, just months. So if someone started on the 31st of a month, that could be included as one month.

I am very new to FileMaker (5.5) so please excuse this simple question. I want to create a Key from Surname and PostCode, and make it unique. I have found that using a Calculated Field, the concatenation works, but there is no option to make it a unique value. So, I tried a text field as follows: Define with "Options": Auto-Enter: Calculated Value, Specify: Surname & PostCode Validation: Not Empty, Unique. When entering the data in Browse Mode, View as Form, New Record, only the Surname appears in the Key (calculated text field). Furthermore, the unique option does not work (for me). That is it allows several records with the same Key to be ad…

Hi, I need to monitor all transactions in the database. I already have field that records Modifier Name, and Modified Date/Time. But these apply to whole record. I have a file with > 400 fields, and I wanted to create a log of: Field Name & Modified Date & Modifier Name. I created Transaction log field, text, and set field option = calculation = Status(FieldName) & Status(CurrentDate) & Status(UserName). I tested it, and this field is not updated. I can create a script that will do this and attach it to each field, but there are too many fields. Any better ideas? Thanks

Hi people I have a small problem concerning calculation fields. I have this calc field, Unit Price that calculates by how many the customer is ordering from us. (case(Quantity > 50 and Quantity < 50; 3.00; 4.00) etc. ) The problem occurs when someone wants to put in their own Unit Price regardless of what the calculation result of the Unit Price should be. Anyone know how I might get around such problem? Any nice tips on doing such a thing? Thanxs Steve Griff

Hi people I have two fields - Price (number) and quantity (number) I have a calculation field that does this: - quantity & " @

If(IsOutsideHitter = "Yes", "OH, ", "") & If(IsMiddleHitter="Yes", "MH, ", "") & If(IsSetter="Yes", "Set, ", "") & If(IsDenfense="Yes", "Def", "") All four fields have to be marked "Yes" for the calculation ot work. I am just trying to create a text string that shows what has been selected. The "&"s are acting like "and if". [ February 12, 2002, 07:33 AM: Message edited by: signal ]

I set the text indent in 0.20-inch on both left and right side for two fields. Why one field is printing out correct space and the other one with 0-inch on both side? Please help.

Here's a fun one: - FileMaker 3 server - FileMaker 4.1 clients Each time my users open a FileMaker file, they have to enter LoginID and password into a STAFF_ACCESS.FP3 file that i created. In it, i use a text field to capture Current Date, Current Time, and Current File data to a logfile. One thing I would love to know is what computer did they log in on. I don't want to use the Status(CurrentHostName) function because Host Names are easily changed. I'm more interested in the computer's IP address. Anyone find a way to capture a user's IP address in a calc? I'm trying to avoid external applescripts. [ February 11, 2002, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: min…

I have a calculation problem but the forum won't let me post it up because of a HTML tag: parenthesis in HTML tag. All I've written is my calculations that are in calc fields and it says I'm writing HTML! How do I do it? I never thought I'd write to the forum regarding posting problems to the forum! Thanks

Hello, I've records where the User enter Product Name, Reference, Price, etc.. I've an Administrator who accept or not the record for futur order. I would like to valid the records using a Table. Until now, nothing very difficult, I added a checkbox field in the Table. BUT, I would like to have (in the footnote for instance), the Total price, on the fly, of the validated record. For example, if I check 3 records I would like the total price of the 3, and if I change my mind the total price of 2 or 4 etc.. Thank you for your help

I would like to put a calc field in a subsummary part so that for each subsummary section, the field would calculate the percent difference between the averages of two columns of numbers as calculated by two summary fields which I've set up to take the averages of those two columns of numbers. So far as I can tell, FM summary fields don't allow calculations other then those that can be selected with radio buttons in the "Options for Summary Field..." dialog box. Summary fields that perform formula operations are allowed in Appleworks 6 databases, so I'm surprised that they are not in FM. Thanks for your help!

i'm trying to display a short help text for people who perform data entry using a calc field like this: Case( Status(CurrentFieldName) = "text", "Please enter text", Status(CurrentFieldName) = "date", "Please enter a date", "") but nothing appears in the field. i could script it, but that approach has problems. why does nothing appear in the calc field?

Is there a way to limit the amount of characters that can be entered into a number field? I would like to create a separate 5-digit zip code and zip+4 fields and I want the cursor to automatically jump to the zip+4 field after the user enters the 5-digit zip code. Thanks in advance for any help!!

I need to do a frequency count. I have teachers entering data on 3 student assessments. Each teacher has 24-30 students and must enter a number from 1 to 4 for each student on each of the 3 assessments. (fields are student1_a1, student2_a1, ....) I need calculation fields which count the numbers of 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s for each of the 3 assessments, but don't know how to do this in filemaker. Any help would be appreciated.

Does anyone know if this is possible? For instance, if the container field (photo id) is in the upper left hand corner of the page, is it possible to wrap a continuous body of text around the right and bottom sides of the container field?

Hello, I have 2 repeating fields that repeat 4 times each and the one repeating field needs to look up data for each different repeating line item from a related record (based on the critera from the first repeating record). The only way I can get the whole repeating field to look up for all 4 lines is to script a "relook up" - which works like a charm but gets very time consuming as well as "relooks up" every field for every record in the database. Is there a way to have the repeating field look up each line in the repeating field without having to use the "relook up" option? (I have tried using a calculation but it only looks up for the first line in the repeating…

I want to calculate the value of my non resident fee field. If the student is a resident, the fee should be 0, if he is a non resident, it should be the non resident fee for the class. I do it like this: NonResidentFee = If(Student::Resident = "yes",0,Classes :: NonResidentFee) where classes is the name of a relationship between Student and Classes. Student is the current file. This does not return anything, but if I put the same line in a script using SetField and create a button that performs the script, it works fine when I click the button. Can someone help me here, what am I doing wrong with the calculated field? Thank you

Newbie question.. I'm lookin at the time billing template that comes with FMPro5.5 and I would like to validate each record so that the combination of Employee ID and Week Beginning Date is unique i.e. Each employee can only have 1 timesheet for each week - no duplicates. I tried creating a new field (calculation) that was the combo of both of these - but I don't seem to be able to make it unique. Any suggestions, a better way perhaps? Cheers Jase

how can I create a formula to calculate the number of days between 2 dates. I'm new to FM and don't see anything like days360 from Excel. Thanks for the help. Bart

Hi, I am trying to write a timing system which will allow the timekeepers to enter the times in Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Hundredths Of Seconds. It all works fine except for the "Hundredths of Seconds" part which I cannot work out how to include. Any ideas/experiences appreciated. Thanks Roger

Ok folks, bear with me here. I'm having trouble clarifying my own thoughts, so they're not going to be great in writing. I've got 2 databases - projects and progress_reports. Project outlines go in the project database and progress reports on said project go in the progress_reports db. Makes sense. I want to email people if the project that they proposed has not had a progress report added in the past two weeks. I'm using the record ID in the projects db as a project ID. The project ID is entered in the progress reports db and all relevant information is pulled in based on the relationship between the project id in each db. So, the most recent progress re…

Hello. My donor database is used to record and track donors and their donations. How should I set up the donation fields so that have just one record for a donor with multiple entries over the years? I am not sure how to set up the fields which hold the "donation amount" and the "donation date", etc. so that I don't need to use a new field each time someone donates. Serial entries? Thanks for any advice!

Hi, Am reasonable new to Filemaker, running 5.5 on Mac OS 9. I have a contacts database with a list layout and a card index layout. In the card index layout there is a comments field. In the list layout I have a comments? field, which is a calcultion comments?= If(IsEmpty(comments); "no"; "yes") what I'd really like to do is change the colour of the comments? field, so say if its yes then it'll appear in red bold, so its really easy to scan down the list and see whos got an entry. Hope thats clear - basically, can you control the font colour / style in a calculation? thanks in advance James

Morning, I'm trying to reference the value of a pop-up menu in an If or Case statement. When I'm doing it though I'm being told there is no field! If my pop-up window is named "popup" and the value in the pop-up window chosen is "first," how can I write a statement saying "if popup equals first, then 15, otherwise 200." Thanks!!! Ben

I have created a field based on a calculation to come up with a date. Then I format that field to make it look like a long date format. My problem is when I'm trying to pull this information using CDML it will only pull the short format? Is there a way to make the long format stay long? Thank you Kent

Is there a way of converting a dollar amount such as $1285.73 into text by definition or script as one thousand two hundred eighty-five and 73/100 dollars?

Hi, I need to know if its possible to create a caculation field that compares mutiple of number fields and copies the greatest number to itself. Example, I have "5" on "field_1", "10" on "field_2" and "15" on "field_3" last calculation field identifies which field contains highest number and copies into itself. Please give me some idea how this caculation field can be created. Thanks in advance!

Hi, I am trying to write a timing system which will allow the timekeepers to enter the times in Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Hundredths Of Seconds. It all works fine except for the "Hundredths of Seconds" part which I cannot work out how to include. Any ideas/experiences appreciated. Thanks Roger

These are very basic and dumb questions. 1-How do I get a pop_up list to select an item when I type the first one or two letters. 2- I have two screens in two different files, say one is class and one is students. When I enter the student information (name, number etc...) in the student screen and switch to the class screen, how do I get the class screen to remember the student number and display it instead of me entering it again. Thank you and sorry if this waste your time. Also can someone point me to some online resources where I can research these sorts of things.

I have a layout with 200 buttons numbered 1 thru 200. I want filemaker to make a new record each time I click a button with the number of that button. For instance, if I click on button 120 it will make a record with 120 in it. After I'm done, it will tally the top ten buttons clicked. It is used for a contest and using buttons is much easier than hand typing each number voted on. However, there has to be an easier way than to make a script for each button. I tried status (currentfieldname), but then I have to make 200 fields. I even tried to do a field serialized. I'm pulling my hair out. I did see a post once on how to do a "text on button" script but can't fin…

Sorry that this may be such a newbie question. Several documents and many templates and sample DBs have field name with the preface of Hilite, generally for a calcualtion field. What does hilite signify since it isn't listed as a specific calc funtion? I would like to be able to understand designers intent of their calcs so I can learn but this Hhilite stumps me. Please help, thank you. Mike T

I've spent some time scanning the threads to date on storing images in FM and I think my situation is somewhat common but I've not really seen any good answers yet. Maybe I'm missing something. I work for an art gallery and I've created a FM application for our art inventory. As you might expect we want to store a .jpg image of each work of art in the inventory record along with the data. This will be an open-ended situation in that we want to maintain all the inventory records even after we've sold the work. Thus the images and attached records will just grow in number. So we don't want to store the images inside the database but would prefer to store external 'relative'…

I have a Mac user reporting the following error message with my runtime app, whenever they try to insert an image into a container field. They are running OS 8.6, the message reads: "Error 2804 in the initialization of CLARIS XTND" Any help would be appreciated. [email protected]

Set the field's validation to "not empty".

I am a basic user of filemaker and now wish to automate procedures with data checks in calculations and scripts e.g. if the data in this field is the same as in this field procede to the next record in this set etc. When this hapens I want to increase a counter and do lots of other things too. My dificulty is not understanding how many of those functions listed on the RHS of the calculation window actualy work. Can anyone point me towards a publication which addresses their usages with examples. Or possibly send me examples and the most common ones. Trial and error has got me thus far but now I know I need some assistance. Many thanks

I'm trying to create an image database that will help me print my Photo Portfolio. It's working great BUT. I have PC and Mac Versions. I was tinkering yesterday at home (PC) but want to print from my Mac (Office) as color calibration with the printer has already been set. I've been using the Insert/Picture with "Store only a reference" option as I'd like to be able to manipulate images in Photoshop and have FM reference those files to print. Problem: when I open my file created on the pc (the images are on the PC as well so I can do a tape backup) on the Mac, rather than seeing the images I get. Could not Draw Picture file: ImageName.jpg.... I assume that the ma…

I'm still a Newbie to Filemaker but I did use it a couple of Years ago in my Year 12 IT class. I've made a Database for a Physio Practice. They hire out Items to customers. I remember doing a Video Store Database in Year 12 but I can't seem to remember how to get the Overdue thing working. What I was thinking of doing is to make an Overdue field and for a 'Yes' to come up "IF Date Due is > Current Date and Date Returned Field is Empty." Then I could do a find button to press for a list of all Overdue items (ie. when Overdue Field = Yes)? Thing is I can't remember how to do the Overdue Field to Popup with a 'Yes' if it is Overdue. Should it be a calculati…

Hi everyone. I'm doing a spreadsheet for my friend. I need to know how to get the total of a column. Email me at : [email protected], if you could give me any pointers.

Dear All I am in need of some assistance in getting FileMaker to report the age champions from the school athletics carnival. I have summary fields that total all of each athletes points that they accrue and have got as far as making FileMaker 'highlight' the person who has the most points. That's in one layout. My problem is - I want to have another layout/report that only shows the top 3 age champions in each age group (opens, u17, u16 and so on). This is probably as clear as mud, but I think it's a fairly simple and easy thing to do. Is anyone able to give me some assistance in doing this? I can send the FileMaker file over to anyone who is able to help, it's s…

is there a way to combine the contents of one 3-4 fields into one field for instance, i have a database which stores name, address, state, zip, etc. for vendors... I have another database where I would like to just place it in one field to save space. I can just click on that one field and have all the info pop up without having layout each field separately in this d-base... thanks

I've inherited a fairly complex database with some screwy naming conventions. The main database is named "1.22.98 Design.fm5". I'm working on a new database with a relationship to this one. When I try to set up a calculation field in the new database and incorporate fields from the old database I get the error message "This number cannot be evaluated" and it then highlights the "1.22.98" portion of the database name. Is there any way of getting FM to accept this file name as is or am I going to have to rename it? If so, it will be a nightmare setting up all of the relationships to the old. Thanks for any input. Erik

Upgrade to FMP 5.5?

This is kind of convoluted.... bear with me. I've got a database that essentially has user names and passwords. (They're not real, so the security is not a problem.) Anyway, records will be entered into this database exclusively via the web. This allows me to populate two fields at once. What I want to do is force the password to equal something specific based on the user name, since they're getting submitted at once. I want to prevent people from being able to create a record with X username but Y password. They can only create a record with X username and X password. The username and password values are predefined. For every username that exists, there is one uniq…

I am creating a set of databases to track our clients. Main has the client's contact information. History has a running dialog of past contacts with the client. The only 2 fields that are common between the databases are Cust Name and Cust ID. I want to be able to enter a new client record in Main and have a blank record automatically created in History. I also want the Cust Name and Cust ID field values to be propagated into History from Main. I defined a relationship between the databases using a "dummy" field, which finally got rid of my circular definition problem. I defined both fields as Calculations and tried both the SetField and (when I upgraded to 5.5) GetField …

Our records have a 'district code.' I want each individual code to be 'linked' to a specific Web site address (written out -- not to open). For example: in one record I will have a district code field, e.g. "1234". If I add to that same record a district web address field, it will contain the URL (written out) that is specific to "1234". Further example: District 1234 would be linked to www.sanfrancisco_sd.edu District 1235 would be linked to www.sanbruno_sd.edu How do I do this? thanks, Harry

I am trying to get a client ID field to show up in my line items database from by clients database, with an invoice database inbetween. Within the Invoice Entry the client number is pulled from the client card. Then on the line items card - I am trying to get the client ID to come up again from the invoice card. Essentially - I am trying to do a lookup on a field that is already using a look up to find itself. Is that possible??

Hi, I am new to File Maker Pro 5 and I am doing a production status for the silkcreen shop I am working in. We get our shirts in the shop and when printed they go to the customer. Here is were I need the help. I want to know what formula or how to tell how many days the shirts have been siting on the shelf waiting to print. Please let me know if you can help me in any way. Thanks for reading this. Todd

How would one script to open an exterior msword file with a button within a database. Unfortunately, scipting to a url is not an option, as the msword file has to be located in a specific area.

I am trying to figure out how I can have a word or value enter in a field automatically. However I would like to be able to change this value manually. Can this be done? Example: field1 has the word "active" automatically enter in every record. But If I wanted to change it to "un-active" I would like to change it manually. Thanks, RET

Hi-- I am putting together a workflow database to track audio files that needs to be accessible via the web. I am having trouble making access privileges work the way I want to. I only need two groups, one that can administer the entire db, and another that only has access to specific fields, like when they checked out a CD, when they will bring it back, and notes on its status. I am running FMP 5.5 on a dual G4 running OSX. I tried to set privileges in the overview category, enabling "read-only" for fields like the audio ID and name, and full access for the other stuff I noted above. But, in the password section of access privileges, if I set edit to all, it le…

I have a field call IDENTIFICATION ON FILE, EXPIRED and another called EXPIRY DATE. IDENTIFICATION ON FILE is a text field formated to hold a radio button with options Yes/No. EXPIRY DATE is a date fields. EXPIRED is a calculation = if Expiry Date is > Today then "Expired" What I would like to do is have the IDENTIFICATION ON FILE field automatically changed from Yes to No when the EXPIRED field contains the value "Expired" Any ideas on how to accomplish this??

This is my first posting so please be gentle. I have a layout which requires me to take data from 40 plus fields and merge them. The problem is that as I have to put punctuation between all fields and yet some fields are empty, I end up with multiple punctuation when fields are empty. Is there a way of stopping this?

I need to create (lets say 100)new records in a multiuser database and need them numbered from 1-100. I use to use define fields but that won't work now that I am on Server5. Is there a calculation I can use in conjuction with a script and a couple of new fields?: Thanks in advance. Jeff

In a field with as type calculation i have tried these: Truncate((Ammount_1*Price_1);2) Truncate(Ammount_1*Price_1;2) Round((Ammount_1*Price_1);2) Round(Ammount_1*Price_1;2) The problem is i want 2 decimals and it will give me two if the calculation without truncating/rounding has 2 or more decimals but otherwise it won't. Any help would be very appriciated, Michael

We have created a database which creates unique quotes and orders from a relational product database for customers. What we need to do is have the quotes/orders, which are stored as individual records, lockable so their fields cannot be amended in future. However we would like to be able to duplicate the records, but with a new record ID. Anyone with smart ideas on how any of this could be achieved?? Thanks in advance. Hopefully, SG

Hi all i have this database that shows records that have been input in different days. say mon,tue etc. i have several buttons that take a user to records based on the date. i have succeded in showing todays records(using the insert calculated result(current date) to perform a search and give out the records. One snag though, when it comes to showing records for a particular range of dates ..the thing just fails it only shows records for one date and not all the records that are within the range. is there a way of modifying this: (Day(Status(CurrentDate)-3) & "/" & Month(Status(CurrentDate)-3) & "/" & Year(Status(CurrentDate)-3) so that i…

I am importing graphics into layouts using FileMaker 5.5, and in one file I get a much larger file size than another. For example, I prepare a picture in Photoshop with the following conditions: 8-bit RGB flat JPEG file, 780x580 pixels (10.83x8.06 inches) @ 72.00 pixels/inch, and the JPEG file size is 212k I import this graphic (Insert -> Picture... in layout mode) into a FMP file, lets call File "A", and the file size increases by 204k after the import. This was as expected. I import exactly the same way into another file, the same picture, lets call File "B", and I get an increase in file size from 14MB to 15.6 MB, an increase of about 1.6 MB. This was not expecte…

Hi folks...a bit stumped and I hope you can help. 1. The db keeps stats on various items. It is necessary to compare data for the same day from the previous week, previous month and previous year. Not simply the same date, but the actual day is what's important, ie: Monday, third week of Jan must be compared to Monday of the previous week, to the third Monday of December and to the third Monday of Jan 2001. To keep it simple, consider a db of just four fields to begin with: Date Salary - number field Salary Last Week - calc field? Salary Last Month - calc field? Salary Last Year - calc field? eg: Salary $250 Date 1/25/02 Salary Last week: $350 Date 1…

This must be a really basic question but ... how do I get the continuous text in a field to flow over to the 2nd page? I have a small client database which I use to send individual letters at irregular intervals (2 or 3 a year, if that). So one (actually 15) of my layouts is a letter. Because it is an individual letter (not repeated to many clients) I use a field and type in each letter. I use a topic header and topic footer - no problems. I'm happy with this system and everything works fine until I need more than one page for the content of my letter. I have tried loads of seemingly logical configurations but so far no layout has proved failsafe. Is there a simple com…

I'm learning FM 4.1 on the fly while doing some volunteer work. I have a few fields that are not behaving as I wish. Two number fields, one for annual income, and one for number of dependents, zero out in the first record retrieved whenever I open up my form in browse mode. I'm just testing data so I haven't lost anything of importance. But in my sample of 12 documents my number of entries in those fields gradually get erased as an afternoon goes on. I've looked through the various forums on this site and the tech pages as well but haven't found a similar topic. I feel as if I'm missing a trick or something. I'm familiar with MS Access but FileMaker is new to me. Thanks …

Hello all, Not sure if this is the correct forum to post my question on, but since it deals with fields I'll risk it. Does anyone know if there is a way to find where and how the certain field is used in a database? For example, I am updating an old FM database, where many fields are obsolete, but many are still used. I come upon a calc field, and before deleting it need to know if it's used in a script, relationship, etc. You get my point So if there is a third party tool, or a native tool to do this I'd like to know. Thank you and don't let your bikes rust!

From a newbie, I would like to set an image to load if a certain combination of letters is present in a field. For example, a field in one layout has a CL, DL etc. in it. When I press a button a script is activated. Then, I want an image to load in a container field bases on the letters and show the user the new layout including the image. Could you help me get started with the script? Thanks in advance.

I wish to compare a field called "account" in one DB with an identical field called "account" in another DB (they are both text fields) and return "1" if the two fields match. I have used the Exact function to define a compare field. Mostly this works fine, but then for some unknown reason sometimes (1 in 20) the compare field gives me a zero even though on checking the second DB, there is a perfect match down to the last space. The account fields contain numbers but is set up as a text field. I'm going nuts. Can anyone shed some light or suggest a simpler way to do this? Thanks

I'm working on a manufacturing database. I've got a "Job Status" field which tells where the job is in the workflow (Received, Underway, Shipped, etc.) and I want the field to automatically change when another field (the Date Scheduled field) is changed. In other words, when a manager schedules a job, I want the field to automatically reflect this by changing from Received to Scheduled. To be simpler: How do I make it so that any entry into one field causes another field to have certain data pasted into it? thanks, Stanley

You are using Instant Web Publishing? There may be no way to control it.

Hello all, I have a situation that currently requires me to use about 8 repeating fields each with about 50 repetitions. Each of the repeating fields are arranged vertically, and each row then represents 8 different criteria on a specific item. Using this approach definately has its limitations, but I am not sure how to replace them. I am beginning to need to use serialized numbers as identification but the number have to continue through different records. Additionally I need to have 3 or 4 different series of serialized numbers, qhich will always be at different numbers. Can anyone help? Or point me in the right dierction? Thanks in advance, Matt

Ok... Here's the situation... I have a field that auto serial enters the number 1 and incriments by 1. Let's say I create 5 records. I now have a running tab that goes from 1 to 5. If I delete 5, and then create a new record, the field will continue and go to 6. Is it possible to have it go BACK to 5? If so, how do I tell it to do that? Can anyone help! Thanks!

I'm in the process of changing layouts and final tweeking of field formats etc. I'm finding that sometimes, field that are set to format for leading $ and to 2 decimals, show up as '?' in browse mode. When i focus on the field it goes away. Turning off formating seems to solve the problem but it doesn't make any sense.

Hello, OK, here's what I have: A database where each record lists 10 assignments, each with it's own field. Next to each "assignment" field, there's a 2nd corresponding field with a checkbox "DONE," indicating if that assignment was done. Say I want to search for all assignments that haven't been done. Is there a way to search checkboxes, to only call up the one's that are "on" (checked) or "off?" (not checked). I realize that I could have people manually enter "Y" or "N" and then search all "Ys" or all "Ns," but I think the checkbox solution would be cleaner and leave less room for typos. Thanks!!!!