Calculation Engine (Define Fields)

Hi, I have a business selling lottery tickets by mail order. Usually, when a customer contact me, he will define which draw he'd like to be part of, the package he wants (amount of games in package). From these 2 information, I will invoice my customer and allocate him a set of numbers already generated (I have 100's of sets). I have created a database with 4 tables: 1/Customers - 2/Draws - 3/Packages - 4/Set of numbers. When my invoice is done, it will get the required info from each of tables. First, do you think I have done the right thing? I have really tried to simplify the system by creating 4 tables since all elements are independants. …

Morning All, I've automated just about everything in FM8...but dynamically sorting (on the fly in a nice elegant "parameter-passing script") doesent seem available yet, unless maybe if I set up a detailed alphabetical Value List, to wit...(a...aa...aaa...aaaa...b...bb...bbb...bbbb...c, etc.). Am I missing something, maybe really obvious, that will do this? Or is there a custom function that someone has done? Thanks for the time and for indulging my lack of knowledge. Cheers, Royce (Somebody please pass the coffee....)

I am creating a db that will take an order import file and translate it from one system to another mail order system. I was able to get all the data into the correct layout but I need to figure out how to make the fields only display the order total on the first set of records... Here is an example... The way it works now: Line# Order# ProductID Price ShipAmt Total 11 12345 CE121 14.95 7.5 52.35 12 12345 CE122 14.95 7.5 52.35 13 12345 CE123 14.95 7.5 52.35 14 12357 CE121 14.95 7.5 52.35 15 12357 CE122 14.95 7.5 52.35 16 12357 CE123 14.95 7.5 52.35 What I need the system to do: Line# Order# ProductID Price ShipAmt Total 11 12345 CE121 14…

Since I can't control installation of a client-side plugin, free or not, is there a more graceful way to force affected fields to recalculate (on a field exit, or perhaps when a related field is changed on another window), other than sticking a "refresh" button on the layouts? Whatever I do has to be cross-platform and work from any generic FM85 client.

I know what I want to do... I think. I just don't know where to put it! I have a field called Dimensions. It contains either 2 dimensions or 3, of varying size, e.g. 11 x 10.5625 x 0 or 0 x 0 x 0 or 17.125 x 12 or 1 x 3 etc. I'm sure there are many ways to parse this string. I have figured out I want to remove spaces (to get, for example: 11x10.5625x0), then substitute spaces for the X's (to get 11 10.5625 0), then use WordCount to get the number of "words", and then use Leftwords, Rightwords, and perhaps Middlewords to get the first, last and (if there is one) middle value, and place these 3 values, into three existing (currently empty) fields:…

It seams this is very simple so I know I'm just missing something. I want to check a global date field to check that it is valid. I'm entering it in a message box. Is there a function for this? For example if I enter the date 2/29/2009 it should not allow it instead it just deletes it automatically. Any invalid date like 13/13/2007. I have error capture off.

Hello! I want to make a search box, i dont know if it is possible in filemaker but here is my case. Lets say i have a table, with lets say 5 fields. first_name, last_name, age, sex and id. I will have a layout with a search box, the can write a first name, a last name, and age, or any data that can be found in any field and select in a check box what they want to see about it, if it is the first name, the last name, or the first name and the last name, or whatever they want to see about what they wrote in the search box. I dont know if i explained it well, if i didnt let me know. Thanks!

This has to be easy, but I'm going in circles: how do I calculate a client's age? I have a DOB field; I want another one ("Age") so I can see at a glance how old applicants are. Thanks.

I am trying to re-create a record that I was previously erased. Before attempting to recreate the record I searched for the "catalog number", but did not find the number in that database or any of the other related databases. After re-entering the data into "catalog number", I receive an error message: "Catalog Number:" is defined to contain unique values only. Allow this duplicate value? If I say yes, I can enter the rest of the information in, but I cannot complete the record. To complete the record, I run a script related to "catalog number": Go to field [Catalog Number] Relookup Field Contents [no dialogue; Catalog Number] Whenever I run th…

I got a fairly simple database, 10 fields, two scripts, working great. It moves very fast, importing new records, and processing the records using the script. This was on a test file of about 1200 records. However, I then tried running it on the full set, 61,000 records. It ran, but seemed very slow, which seemed reasonable considering the much larger set. However, I discovered an error in one of the scripts, so deleted all the records, and went back to testing with the test file. Now suddenly, the whole thing is moving like molasses, even though the big set is gone. I then tried saving the file as a clone, figuring maybe there was corruption in the file. No go…

Hi, I'm sure this has been asked before but I can't find the relevant post... In writing school reports teachers are given a fixed size of field to make comments in. The field is set to font size 12 but some teachers exceed their given number of lines. Although the field expands to fill all their comments, when it comes to printing, some of this text is lost. Is there a way of making the font size change (to a smaller size) AS THEY ARE TYPING which would alert them to their excessive use of words?? Thanks for your patience.

Hello, I am trying to find a way to add a checkmark next to a field if that field is not empty, any suggestions on how??? Thank you, Tom

I am try to write a script that creates a new record in my tasks table. task table: taskname tasktype contact I want my contact to be populated with my current record from my contact table current. contact table: name phonenumber i have tried... goto layout ["task"(task)] new record/request set field [task::contact ;contact::name] this doesnt work. I am missing something, just not sure what.

I need to autopopulate a username Field based on 3 different fields, but I want the username to be the first letter of the first name, the last name and the last 4 digits of their social. First Name = John Last Name = Doe Social Security = 111-222-1234 Username = jdoe1234 Stumped!

Has anyone experienced the following.... Start FM8 Advanced, open files, run FM8 help (okay the first time...) do other tasks in FM8 Advanced, go back and use FM8 Help again and FM8Advanced and FM8 help locks up... this is becoming a regular routine... it's consistent....I've reloaded FM8 Advanced twice... Any thoughts are appreciated... Royce

I want to create a database for my contacts. I would like to ad a button to it where the computer would dial the telephone number (tone) over the computer speaker. If I hold my phone in front of it it will dial out. Is this possible in version 6? Alternatively does anybody know of a free template address book (v6) that I could use? Thanks

I have a calculation field that I created that results in a number, let's say "194". I am using this calculated number as the cost for an estimate to send in an email. However, obviously in the email the field data shows exactly as it's calcuated: "194". Since this is actually a dollar amount, I need it to show up as "194.00" in the email. It looks odd because sometimes the number is something like "245.6" and again, I would like it to be "245.60", etc. Since this data will be used in email, I can't use Filemaker's layout mode to tag the field as a number and then set it as currency. When I do that, it looks great in the layout mode within FileMaker, but …

I have a text field that I want to be able to enter data only when I create a new record. After the new record is completed & data is entered I dont want anyone to be able to change the text.Is there a way to do this?

i have a timestamp field....i want it to display as a timestamp...can i take off the seconds with out having to do a bunch of background work and extra calc fields to extract and then put back together??

On a course advising layout each course the student has taken is laid out with some characteristics about each course. One of which is whether or a transferring course is a 4 year institution (SR) or Community College (CC). There are roughly 35 unique fields that capture this info. The user decides for each course whether that course was offered at either a SR or CC by way of a drop-down. I want to be able to count all of the SRs and CCs but am not sure how to go about that since they span a bunch of fields. Ex: SRCCElectives1, SRCCElectives2, SRCCElectives3, etc. (there are 35 of these) Ideally, this calculation would display in Browse Mode but I k…

I have a file where the field in each record holds a sample value, in this case the number of stems in vegetation plots. For example: Record 1 - #stems = 0 Record 2 - # stems = 1 Record 3 - # stems = 0 Record 4 - # stems = 2 etc. As this data accumulates I would like to calculate the sample standard deviation as a running function. For example: Record 1 - #stems = 0 Record 2 - # stems = 1 - s[records 1 to 2] =1.4142 Record 3 - # stems = 1 - s[records 1 to 3] =1.0 Record 4 - # stems = 2 - s[records 1 to 4] =0.8164 etc. Unfortunately, the default standard deviation function in FM is only for all records. It only calculates the function for the…

Hi all. I'm new in here. I'm running FM Pro 8.5. I was hoping if you guys could assist me. How do I insert a text link (the full location of the file) rather than have it displayed just as a filename in the container? Can it be done in a Text Field? The 'Insert File' script does not do the job. Another question, when you have Inserted a File, How do I remove the inserted file only without having to delete the entire record?

I heard that using embedded images will bog down a database and slow it up. Right now I only have about 500 records in my organization's db, but its going to grow, so definitely I am concerned about this. Some people in my industry use a type of database software where you can store the image in a spreadsheet and have the program grab that image. Is something similiar possibly in filemaker and will that save my database from a sluggish fate?

OK, I've worked on this all afternoon and either I'm missing something or it can't be done. (My bet is I'm missing something. I want to have an Icon show on a record layout based on a date field in a related portal. That portal is on the same layout within a tab. Basically, Case( Interview_Date = Get ( CurrentDate);GetRepetition ( g_Interview Today Icon ; 1 ); GetRepetition ( g_Interview Today Icon; 2) ) I set up a calc field and a container field. If I put the Calc field on the portal it works fine. But, if I put it on the contact record it does not. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Al

Howdy folks! Can't seem to get this one to work for me. I need to create a history of record modifications that are accessible to users. I know repeating fields are a bane and with a "Modification date" it just rolls over and I just keep falling over with my script - maybe I've been staring at the screen too long. What I am after is capture of duplicate Modification date entries ( I tried setting a portal but it always rolls over the top entry) and I want to keep atleast 10 of them. I have a unique serial number (calculated not FMP generated) and repeated need to update a record. All thoughts appreciated. thanks in advance Nic

Hi all, Seems to be a simple problem... I want to have a text field in a table that contains a date formatted a certain way. For example, if I enter 01/01/2007 in FieldA (data type:date), I wish to auto enter in FieldB (data type:text) "January 1, 2007". Is there something I'm missing or do I have to break down the date via a calculation into the month name and so on... Thanks for your input. Darryl

I am developing in FM 8.5 Advanced. I have tried to use the "Windownames" function and it perpetually comes up blank. I turned on the "Evaluate If Empty" option but that doesnt seem to help. I used the function in a calc as follows: windownames(get(filename) ). And after all kinds of iterations with options on and off, defining it as a global and then as a minimally indexed calc, etc etc. I STILL get an empty window. When I try the VERY same formula in a new file, it works. What is going on?

Why aren't my table occurrences showing up? I'm trying to generate a Looked-up Value for a particular field and the 'starting with' table occurrence I want and need doesn't appear in the drop down list. I'm 100% sure it there and when I look for it as if I was going to create a Calculated Value it shows up in the drop down list there.

ok, I am sure that question has been asked a billion times and there are probably a billion threads on the subject. I searched, I PROMISE, so please don't slam me too hard if I violated the Thread Rule. I need to know the difference in days only between two dates. I would like to have a positive # regardless if Datefield 1 is older or newer than Datefield 2. Thoughts? And again, I apologize if I should not have posted this question. Thanks

What is the reference data used to search mileage proximities from a given point? I see store and restaurant web sites allowing searches of their business locations within set mileage distances. What is the basis for that search or find capability?

Hi there, It must be simple but I can't figure out how to create a field that will display the computer clock. I made a few attempts but ... Any help?

Hello, I've run up against a snag. I'm working on a database that monitors experiments done in the lab. We run gels with lanes in them and I'm trying to create a counter that automatically enters the lane numbers. There are 2 tables in the database (gel info, samples). The first is general information about the gel (date, employee,...) and a gel#. This gel# is what links the two tables. The second table has the gel# and then lane# and sample name. So when someone enters a new gel record there is a portal on the layout for the "sample" table. I want the lane# field to start with 1 when a new record is created. Then on the next line of the portal, ie sample …

Hello, I must have missed something: Can't FM create new fields on the fly? E.g., I have a field, SWCourses, that displays a "checkbox-able" list of s/w course names. What I'd like FM to do is when a user checks an item, a new field, SWblank(n), where n is the item name, appears next to the item that was checked. THAT field has five values. So it might look like this: X C programming O O O O O C# programming X Java programming O O O O O X PHP programming O O O O O Any help is appreciated. I don't see what I'm missing. Thanks. Steve

Hi all, I am new to FM (ex-Access) and have problem calculating Canadian GST Tax (7% before Aug 01 2006 and 6% after Aug 01 2006), based on the date field "Proposal Date"(formatted as 12/25/2003) . I tried the following 2 ways: If ( Proposal Date < 8/1/2006 ; 1.07 ; 1.06 ) and Case ( Proposal Date < 8/1/2006 ; 1.07 ; Proposal Date > 8/1/2006 ; 1.06 ; 1.06) I am always getting back "1.06", what am I doing wrong? Or is there a totally different way to accomplish this? Any help really appreciated, Emilio

Hi all Can someone help me out how to solve this problem, please?. I have datefield_1 and datefield_2 which contains different dates. What I want is the data of datefield_2 to overwrite the data in datefield_1 if it is newer than the data in datefield_1. Hope my question makes sense : Regards, Lasse

I need help with a summary calculation. I have a summary report for design jobs in progress that totals all the time and expenses to date, minus any invoices against that job. However, the developer of the form did not program it to subtract deposit invoices, which I need to do to be accurate. There are not many deposit invoices made, maybe 10% of jobs, and rarely are there two made against the same job, but I still need that function to have an accurate assessment. Here is calculation for the summary: If(Record Type Code = "B";Quantity;GetAsNumber("")) What the best add the deposits to this summary? I hope this is enough of an explanation; I know very li…

I'm having a little problem completing a graphic interface I have a start time and end time The graphic displays the start and end time I have managed to display the hours ... but want to refine it to the quarter hour. i have managed to work out a way of doing it (by hard coding the results 0 to 4 (x:00=0, x:15=2, x:30=3, x:45=4)... but can not get my calc to work. (notes in calculation) I will further refine it by changing the calc by rounding the minutes to the quarter hour after resolving this. I would also like to put the left and right graphic on either end of the time block ... but will tackle this afterwards Any help would be grea…

I'm trying to calculate a sum with two relationships. This is my database structure: *Database - x --Fields: total activity (calculation: Sum(activity::activity time total) job id staff name ---Relationship: activity, jobid::jobid *Database - activity --Fields: activity time total job id staff name So I have a table in x database that displays: job id, staff name, total activity So far i have the records showing the total time of that job id. I would like it to show the total time where jobid …

I know FMP7 does not have a simple way to format a phone field (North American). Is there a plugin or some EASY to use examples to format these and other fields like SS numbers? I have putting off this project for a long time. Does FMP8 have this functionality?

This seems trivial, but... I am having a little difficulty with a script that is intended to examine the contents of a field, and if it is "A", add 1 to a field in a related record, if it is "B", add 1 to another field in a related record, etc.. Basically I am making a counter script to record the number of times a particular value occurs in a field, that I can run on a found subset of my main table. However, I am having a little trouble creating the calculation. Does anyone know how to do this? Marcel

Hi, I have a table with a large number of records, and a field called "result". Result can have one of 8 different possible values. I would like to create a field that automatically adds up how many records in the table have value1, value2, ... value8 in the field "result". So, I created a global field for each potential value in the field result (g_value1, g_value2, ...g_value8) , created 8 additional instances of the table, and linked them to the original table by relating the "g_valueX" fields to "result" in the original table. I then created fields that count all records, calculated from the perspective of table instance 2, instance 3, ...instance 8. The…

Hello, I have a question about a calculation saved as a container. I have the following calc that works fine on a PC but does nothing on a mac. Any ideal what I need to change for the mac side to work? I have tried smb://, file://, and filemac:// but no luck. If ( Get ( SystemPlatform ) = "-1"; "file://" & uploadlink1 ; "filewin://" & uploadlink1 ) Thanks in advance

Hello, I've searched around, but I haven't found a solution for my problem. I need to be able to find the unknown in an equation when all other variables are known. for example: if A+B=C and I know B and C, I want A to automatically calculate. The tricky part is that I'm hoping to be able to have the A,B, and C fields empty and typing the values into any two will produce a result in the third. For example: Fields A, B, and C are blank. If I type 2 into Field A and 5 into Field C, Field B will show 3. If I delete the 5 from Field C and put a 4 in Field B, I want Field C to automatically show 6. Is this possible? If not, is there a close workaround?…

I have* a flat file, tracking sales, with fields like Date, State, Salesperson, Item, etc. I frequently find myself doing a search on some single criterion (e.g. all sales by a particular salesperson), and sorting on a second criterion, e.g. State (by viewing in Table view and just clicking on the column header). What I want to do is add a summary function that tells me how many "groups" are produced as a result of the Sort. So, for example, if I sort by State, I want to know: how many unique States are in this sorted found set? If I sort by Date, I want to know: how many unique Dates are in this sorted found set? etc. I found an old discussion (about …

Hello everybody, this is my very first post here I've got a container field with an audio file and I'd like to open it with an audio editor. In osx it's not a problem since the send event script allows me to specify the app; in win it's not so easy because the document is opened with the default app. How can I do that without changing the default app? Thank you.

Is there a good way to combine two lists (in the sense of the List function, i.e. a CR-delimited list of text values) and also de-dup them? Order doesn't matter. So if I started with: blue red yellow and green blue red I'd want to end up with blue red yellow green I can combine the two with the List function, but that doesn't remove the duplicates. And no, it wouldn't be super easy to put these into a ValueList, I know that would de-dup. I'm guessing the answer is a custom function. Anyone got one like this? Thanks!

I need to set the content of a field based on a checkbox selection. For example, I have a field with checkboxes from a value list, think seven dwarfs. If Grumpy is checked, alone or in combination with other dwarfs, I need to set the content of a text field to "Put your happy eyes on". I can do that with a Case function, but I either get the text when any dwarf is checked, or when Grumpy is checked alone. I'm looking for a calculation like Case(Dwarf Includes but is not limited to "Grumpy"; "Put your happy eyes on";... Any ideas?

I have a container filed where I store images (referenced) that are located in a folder within the folder that contains the FMP DB. How do I store these images in the container field with a relative path so I can move the main DB folder without disturbing the paths. Right now, if I move the main folder around I loose the referenced connection.

I am using the *send Email* script step in FM 8.5. Here is the situation... I have a file that contains a bunch of reports. As reports get completed, a script makes a PDF file of the report and stores it in a designated folder. I am trying to make a script that will create an email that contains all the pdf's that were made that week. I got the whole thing working except I can't figure out how to attach more than one file to the email... The pdf's are named after a product code in the report, so I need to use a variable in the file path to pick up the files and attach them to the email. So in the *specify file dialogue box* I've got a file path to one of t…

Good morning, can anyone tell me how to save a record as pdf, with the filename being a calculation. I know it has something to do with setting a variable ($$Name), but thats as far as I get. Thanks

I'm sure this is going to be a "duh" when I get the answer, but I'm having total brain lock on this one. I have a summary report of therapist stats subdivided by month, with summary fields totaling how many notes were rejected by supervisor, rejected by QA, were unbillable, etc. There is also a calc field, note_problem, which returns 1 if any of the various possible problems is present in a given note. I want a summary of what percentage of their notes for the month have problems. For example, if a therapist did 50 notes in January, and 12 of them had problems, the Percent_Problems field would return 24%. Fiddling around with summary fields and the Sum f…

Is there any speed differences between using a summary field verses a calculation that uses aggregate functions such as count and sum? What are the pluses and minues of using either way? If I end up using the seperation model I think that summaries are the way to go because its less relationships for the data file because I can just use summary fields with relationships I make with the layout file. Is this your experience?

OK, I am completely mystified... Tables 1 and 2 in my database are related by a field called sampleId (ie, table1::sampleID = Table2::sampleID). Each table also has the text field "patientID", which does not participate in the relationship. In Table1, both sampleID and patientID are entered manually. Problem: In Table2, I would like to have patientID automatically update to be the value of patientID in the related record from Table1. Seems simple. In table2, I defined patientID to be an auto-enter calculation from this field in table1. However, the entry in table 2 stubbornly remains blank despite a non-empty field in table 1. I tested the relationship betwe…

Hello, I am brand new to Filemaker, and am still learning a lot of the basics. I am currently having an issue with something I am sure is very rudimentary. I have Filemaker version 8.5, and the best way I can describe my issue is this: If you go into Filemaker 8.5 and pick the Business-Finance/Purchase Orders template, and then go to the List View Layout, I am trying to recreate that layout. My issue is, unlike the template, when I reach the last field and hit tab, it does not create a second record on the line below...it goes back and writes over the existing line. I have examined as many properties I could think of in the template layout to try and figure out …

I am trying to find a way to lock database record fields in a layout for a work management system I have created so that when a certain field is completed with a YES value (a quality control field in the database), that the other fields in the record layout I am using will not be able to be altered. I guess this is a script function of some kind. I appreciate any help or guidance anyone can give me. Thanks.

I want to remove everything left of @ from email address field. I'm having trouble figuring out the calculation. I want my end result to be @domainname.com.

Hi, How can I validate a field to avoid duplicates. i.e. CompanyID 1 = ABC Company CompanyID 2 = XYZ Company And if ABC Company is entered again, it will link to CompanyID 1, etc. Many thanks for your help, Andre

If you want to call attention to something on a layout for instance?

Hi, have a little problem and can't seem to find the answer. I have three different project report's (column). 1- Enquiry 2- PI 3- Order Each report shows different fields but the most important and repeating field is the Status field (E, PI or O) As soon as I go to layout Enquiry Report I would like Filemaker to only show only the E values in the Status field, without having go through a search mode or button. How can I do this? Dutchy

I’m trying to create custom Field Labels that the user can specify and choose with the category. But I have problems getting a value field from fields or one global field. Maybe there would be a easier option? Please have a look at this sample. Dynamic_Field_Labels.fp7.zip

Hello. I think i will win the prize of the newbie of the year! im encountering other problem. I want to make a photo directory. The photo directory will be a layout with the pictures of all the members, when you click the picture it will link you to a main layout where you will fill the other things of the record. The only part that im missing is how to make the list of pictures, not only vertically but also horizontaly. Can somebody help me with that? thanks!

Hello, i have some icons in the layouts to make it look nicer, i have a question, if i put the picture in a container is it better than if i go to "insert -- picture"? i want to know cause i have the same pictures repeated many times and want to know what would be the best for the performance of the database. Thanks!

Hello, im making a layout that is going to viewed in "list view". I want that when you click the name of the field that appears in the top that group of field will be sorted ascending, and if u click again it will sort descending, like if you were clicking in a "Table view". Thanks!

Hi Anyone know if it is possible to enter and save data using the same field(s)? For example, if you had 100 weather temperatures to record, so in the first field you enter the time of day, in the second field you enter the temperature then click a button to save this information. Then you enter the next figures in the same fields..? Thanks Trevor

I'm trying to use colors held in a container field to colorize large areas on layouts. As shown in the screen image file below, there is a strange effect showing up along the bottom edge of the displayed results. I've tried various combinations of Enlarge settings with no improvement. A sample file is attached. Would anyone know why this is happening? Is it an "undocumented feature" that serves some purpose? Thanks in advance for any help. (I'm running 8.5 Developer under XP) ContainerTest.fp7.ZIP

Hi, I'm working on a work time tracking solution. Currently the work time data consists of begin and end times (timestamps) and four breakdown fields, where the elapsed work time is distributed according to its time slot for calculating corresponding time bonuses (normal hrs 6-18, evening hrs 18-22, night hrs 22-06 and sunday hrs). These all are static fields (they come from a tracking device), which means that when the user wants to edit the length of a work shift (begin or end time), the breakdown values don't change automatically. I've been trying to figure out calculation fields for these breakdown time slots, which would use the begin and end timestamps, an…

Hi I am trying to change the Time Card solution supplied with Filemaker 8.5 to calculate overtime worked in the morning. We officially start at 8:00 AM. That's when we get paid from. If we are asked to do overtime ( Come in early ) we must clock-in before 7:34am before the overtime rate starts. ie: Field "Start Time" = 7:00 am........Field "Morning Overtime" = 1.00 Field "Start Time" = 6:30 am........Field "Morning Overtime" = 1.50 Field "Start Time" = 7:35 am........Field "Morning Overtime" = 0 Can anyone help me with the calculation?

I use fmpro8.5 on macosx. i am trying to duplicate the value of a calculated field in my 'contacts' table into another field in the same table. the field i want to duplicate is the "fullname" which is calculated as "lastname"&", "&"firstname" Because i want to be able to add a new record using the fullname field, i need to have a text field (call it fullnamelookup) that looks up and stores the value in the fullname calculated field. I have been able to create a self-join of the table,using a second occurrence of the 'contacts' table and joining the two table occurrences by the unique contactid. i then made a field fullnamelookup with autoentry lookup of the …

Ok, I'm somewhat new to FM. I run a short-term rental business. I have two tables, one with my inventory, one with rentals. What I want to do, is create a field in my inventory table, letting me know whether that item is in stock, or out on a rental. I have a field in my rental table indicating whether that rental is still out or whether it has been returned. I want to create a calculation that looks at all the rentals I have had for a particular item, and if any of the rental records say that the item is out, then the field in the inventory table will say "Item Out". Any ideas?

I am managing a large inventory database in which each item, jewelry, is photographed and imported into FM 8.5. The imported photo is darker as displayed in FM than when it is viewed in Photoshop or in any other application. We're tried making the photos lighter before import but then we also use the photos to post on a website so we have to make two versions of the same photo. Does anyone know why this is happening?

What's the easiest way to work out the nth "working day" of a month given that a working day is Monday-Friday?

I keep getting an annoying dialog box on entry of a field (defined as check-boxes); The only way to stop this is delete the field and start-over again, re-defining the list values... Frank.

How do I create a Field that will tell me the total of Records there are based on a single field containing certain data. Example: I have a Field where the user can select Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. I would like a Layout from another table (Related) that will populate the Total of Level 3's, Level 2's and Level 1's have been reported. Thank You

I am building a legal database, where we have loan summaries. All the calculations for giving us the totals etc work just fine. The only thing is that the lawyers want details, as well as the totals. So, the total would be outstanding amount for range 06/01/06-12/01/06 is $600.00 ...should read: 06/01/06 - $100.00 07/01/06 - $100.00 etc.. Is there an easy way to do this in filemaker, or do I have to try and incorporate excel in some way? Please let me know if I need to elaborate any more than the above. (working on this for a few weeks leads me to believe that everybody are on the same "page" as me) Thanks!

So, I am trying to recover, and any ideas would be appreciated. I have a database with about 7,000 records in one table. I created a calculation that was supposed to "catenate" two text fields. The calculation was (from memory) something like Let ( [$value1 = field1; $value1 = Trim ($value1); $value1 = $value1 & If (Right ($value1, 1) ≠ "."; "."; ""); $value2 = field2; $value2 = Trim ($value2); $value2 = $value2 & If (Right ($value2, 1) ≠ "."; "."; ""); $value = $value1 & " " $value2 ]; $value; ) So I typed this in, hit return, and suddenly FMPro says that it is taki…

Hi I have a database where i need the total activity time of a staff member but adding only the records where the staff's time allocation equals "stage 1". When the staff member enters in there activity time, they enter in what stage it was aswell. So in another database i want to show the total activity time the staff member has done according what stage field equals. There is a activity database, staff database and management database. Basically how do you calculate a total sum of a field but only where another field = x? Sorry if this is not understandable, i'm a newbie to filemaker. Also this is in FM6.

Hi, I need to change the color of a field (City) base on another field (Country) that contain a value list. EX: My value list is different country; USA , Canada, UK , France , etc. This Way, if I set the country field to USA the city field become Blue. or is I set it to France the city field would become green. Not the text, the actual color of the field . Right now, I am using multiple container field with global storage to get color from a picture wich is a solid color. Then in a calculation field (color_city) resulting in a container, I determine wich color will be use. It work pretty good, except that every time I open the file I need to restore…

In my database I have a couple of fields that are set as drop-down lists. The values set in these fields are the only values that need to be filled in. Meaning I don't want the user to overwrite these value's unless they are added with the edit item. NO other values should be able to be filled into the field. How can I do this? Dutchy

Hi, I need to do a statistical calculation in a table. I need to calculate the selling price variation of the same house over each sells. By example we have a sold table which is related to himself with a field called fullAddress. A house can be sold many times. I want to calculate the price fluctuation from the previous sell of this house. By example: House on 123 Fake street Date Price Fluctuation 2006/12/10 125 000$ 25% 2004/06/06 100 000$ 25% 2000/02/13 80 000$ N/A Need help please... Thank you

Hello; I've tried the Let Function many times, but I always get strange errors, so I end up doing it a harder way. I have read the Filemaker Help, many times, and modeled my calcs after it. My newest one looks like: Let( [ H = Int ( Latitude ); M = Int((get_lat_long3-H)*60); S = Int(( Int((get_lat_long3-H)*60))-(Int((get_lat_long3-H)*60))*60);]; H&" Degrees"&M&" Minutes"&S&" Seconds) I keep getting "List Usage Is Not Allowed in This Calculation" When I remove the "[]" I get an error regarding "M" not bieng a field. Any help would be apperciated.

I have 3 files(Job Type, Count, Price) each with 5 repetitions. I have it to where Price is auto entered using a calculation. The problem im having is this: When I enter the Job Type, and Count in first repetition, it works, Price is good. When I enter the Job Type, and Count in the second repetition, it stays blank. Even if i use the same info from as in the first on. The price field does show "?," while im typing in the Count. But once it matches the right count for the price to show, it goes blank. I even tried making a script, and using SetField. But it only works on the first repetition, not the second one. Any Ideas?

I did do a search on the forums and couldn't find the solution to my problem, so sorry if it has been answered before. In this example I have two tables, with related field Work Order #. The two tables are Work Orders and Invoices. When an order is complete, its Work Order # is added to the invoice table and an invoice is generated based on the Work Order info. An invoice can have multiple Work Orders on it, but these Work Orders MUST have the same PO#... basically how do I validate the entry of the Work Order #s so that only Work Orders of the same PO# can be entered. Heh, I hope that all made sense. Attached is a sample I've made. Thanks in advance …

Hi I want to be able to enter information on one record of "name" and amount" but want to use the same fields over and over as there will be many entries. (Each record represents one month). Is there a way of doing this so that the user types in a name and amount and then hits a "save' button, saving the info so its not over written when you type the next 'name' and 'amount'? Thanks Trevor

Hi, I've been looking on the net for a while now but I can't find an answer. I'm looking for a Custom Function to create an SHA-1 or MD5 hash in FM7. Does anyone know where I can find such a custom function? Or does anyone have such a custom function for me? (I've found some plugins but I want to do it without a plugin!) Thnx for all of your help!!

Is it possible to use a container field as a sort of single radio button? What I mean by this is; I currently have calculated fields to show a 'star' rating - 0 to 5. I use a drop-down for the initial number and this is then translated via a container (6 global) to show a graphic of corresponding 'stars' What would be cool is to just click the container and let the 'stars' advance until you reach the desired 'rating' - any ideas? Thanks in advance! Frank.

Hello, if a record has a "photo" field and a "name" field, is there a way that the "photo" field will be filled with a picture that i name with the same info as the "name" field. Thanks!

I have two tables, one of Event information another for allocation of tickets for the event. In the allocation table, some tickets are gratis and don't count against the total available to the purchaser. I am running a sum of those that do count against the allocated number, but when I try to use that sum it won't instantly recalc., it does at some point after I click around here and there. Is there something I am missing?

Hi people, I started my FM career just about 6 weeks ago - progress started well - but since looking at all the wisdom on this site I have become decidedly less confident in knowing the right way to do something - my question on this occasion is to find out whether there is a correct way to ... to achieve the following: I have an "activities" table that stores, amongst other things inbound telephone call details. I have taken the decision that all activities must belong to a "task" and all tasks must belong to a "project" (and all projects to a company). However our company gets any number of calls where we would not wish to create a project etc f…

Hi I want to move a database from Excel to FileMaker. I have most of the conversion sorted out, but one thing that I want to do is convert a field of up to 5 characters to morse code. I have this working well in Excel using the following formula: =IF(MID(S2,1,1)="","",IF(MID(S2,2,1)="",VLOOKUP(MID(S2,1,1),Code!A:B,2),IF(MID(S2,3,1)="",VLOOKUP(MID(S2,1,1),Code!A:B,2)&" "&VLOOKUP(MID(S2,2,1),Code!A:B,2),IF(MID(S2,4,1)="",VLOOKUP(MID(S2,1,1),Code!A:B,2)&" "&VLOOKUP(MID(S2,2,1),Code!A:B,2)&" "&VLOOKUP(MID(S2,3,1),Code!A:B,2),IF(MID(S2,5,1)="",VLOOKUP(MID(S2,1,1),Code!A:B,2)&" "&VLOOKUP(MID(S2,2,1),Code!A:B,2)&" "&VLOOKUP(…

Hi I made a database for a friend with a container field for photos. Im on a G4 and he's on an Intel, we both run 10.4 He reports that when he drags and drops a photo from his container field to the desktop, it creates a picture clipping file. Same for me. But in his case he cannot open, move or delete (but can rename) the picture clipping file. I can treat it just like any other file including deleting it. Has anyone come accross this before? Phil : B)

Is there a way to insert many pictures into their respective records all at once? My coworker is looking for a shortcut from inserting pictures one by one into their records. I can explain that better, please let me know.

I am new at FM, and can't figure out why when entering a new records in a Portal it keeps scroll from the first-to-last record each time. Any idea that might help me solve the problem. Thanks

Hi, When you have images in your records, what file size and file format do you use? I am wondering because it was pointed out to me that once we start to get a lot of records in the database, it may slow down if the image sizes are too large. TIA!

Hello I wondered if there is anyway through script or plug in to copy and paste the contents of the web viewer into a container field with a script. I noticed I can drag and drop the contents of the web viewer to a container field. I wanted to know if anyone has any info on this problem. Thanks Dave

I have run into a problem developing a solution and i ve kind of hit a brick wall but before i tell you more about my wall let me first say that the Troi File Plugin is truely an amazing product. My Problem: I have created scripts to copy and move image files to a folder on the database drive and I have gotten it to create thumbnails to populate those containers. However, I have found that i need to write the file extension in the save dialog otherwise it wont fill the container. Is there a way for it to read the File extension and append it in the save dialog when i copy the file to my database drive. I have pasted the script steps i have used mb you can see wh…

What is the best way of locking a record so it cannot be modified(text field) that is made on a different date than today. I want to be able to edit and change records made today but not to accidentally modify records made on previous days. This data field is a text field(s) that contain patient data that should be "locked at midnight". thanks, john

I am currently developing a timesheet database that allows employees to time in and out twice each day, as well as manually enter holiday, sick/personal, vacation, and other time off. To make the rows necessary for a six-day week [Monday through Saturday--office is closed Sunday], I have set up a table with repeating fields: TimeIn1 TimeOut1 TimeIn2 TimeOut2 ... as well as other calculation fields designed to take a total for that day's hours. My question is: How do I select a particular range of repetitions in order to calculate overtime? The way my office prints its timesheets, overtime needs to be listed for each day it is earned. For example, …

Hello, I'm new to FMP, and would like guidance on the following: I am working with a database created by someone else, that contains a list of patient names. In browse mode there is a field called "Team," and in setting the value for this field, it has been set up such that when you click on the box, it has two options: "Team A" and "Team B" to which you can set the value. This allows you to assign a team to each patient. I would like to create another field, say "Team A total" in layout mode, that would sum the total number of "Team A" values for all of the patients in the "Team" field, and then another field "Team B total" to do the same for all …

Hi everyone. I am new to filemaker and these forums. I was going to ask a pretty basic question, but after looking around for the answers a bit, I realized that I might benefit by asking some general questions. Here's the situation: I work for a company as the IT coordinator. I do hardware and networking, not database work, but the record-keeping this guy is currently using is staggeringly inefficient. I remembered using FileMaker at another job a long time ago and thought I would take a crack at streamlining the processes in my spare time. The point is, I'm in no rush to set up my database. I downloaded the demo and started tinkering. Well, I have the bas…

I have 2 lists of stocks stocklist1: a,b,c,d stocklist2: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h I want to eliminate the duplicates from list 2. Then I want to sort the stocks that are left e,f,g,h. The lists are actually very long. Any ideas which way to start would be appreciated!!