The Left Brain

Hi all, I've dealt with the following situation in different ways in different instances and I was wondering if anyone would like to put their in: A database needs to track Customers, People and Companies. The vast majority of People and Companies are, or can be, Customers. In the past I've solved this in one of two ways. The first method is to create one single table for People and Companies (similar to the way Mac's Address Book works). This is initially fast and easy but can become a bit cumbersome when you want to track how People relate to Companies and vice versa. The second method is to create a Customer table, a People table and a Com…

Hello, I have a summary field with a running total, my database has 3500 plus entries and is growing....is there a better way to have a running count that will show the results faster. Right now the summary (running total) works but lags way behind the data input! Thanks, Tom

Lately I've been working on a Call Log system. Within this database there are two tables. One is the Call Log (where records for each call are recorded, including whether is was a call received or made). The other is a reporting table. This table only has one record. In this database, I wanted to see how many incoming and outgoing calls were made each week. I have a Call Status field in the Call Log that has two values (incoming or outgoing). So I assumed that I would have to make 14 fields (one for each day of the week for incoming another 7 for outgoing). For example: The Monday incoming field would be a case statement that would test if the record was created on…

I have a shared dB that has a few input layouts that need to be limited to one user at a time. Is there a script that will check the server and if that page is in use by another user, will block entry? thanks

Hi, I notice a topic talking about populating repeating field with consecutive serial (Daniele's way) and with the same value. But, what if I want couple of custom values to get in there, like "Door" in rep(1) "Window" in rep(2) "Room" in rep(3) "House" in rep(4) Soren mentioned something about CF, which is not coming to my head as of now. I need this for building relationships (explanation for Soren). I tried repeating global field, but the weirdest thing is that the related data is not showing always (if I open the definitions of the related dbs and confirm them, than I get the related data). Any idea why is that? Thank you

Hi, Are there any plug-ins/scripts for pop-up reminders that I can apply across a module related to due dates, follow-ups, etc.? Basically, I would like to be able to "set" reminders on a record by date to alert me when it is a week out. Thanks. Seattleflo

Can someone else confirm: Version: FMPA9 version 9.0v1 function: WindowNames{(fileName)} platform: mac osX 10.4.10 In a script or in the data viewer no data is returned.

Hello again, I am using mytwain plug-in to insert images into my database. The problem I am having is that the plugin uses the default twain source and I need to chose either my twain scanner or my twain camera. I need to be able to have a popup apear and let me select the source. Any ideas. Am looking at AutoIT, but not being a programmer, it seems a little over my head. Thanks btw; i really don't want to use another plug in such as insideScan as the budget prohibits it.

I am trying to perform a find in a field in which the data is hyphenated. The search seems to be crashing on the hyphen, thinking it is the minus fucntion. Is there a way to make this work? I am looking for all records greater than "K-007652". I have tried using @, #, ?, " " and *, but no go. Here was my first guess: >K-007652 thanks,

I have a table for addresses from all over the world. I frequently create new records by importing the following fields from Excel: Address1, Address2, City, Prov/State, PostCode, Country. I have a calculation field for sorting by postage requirement: CountryCode (Canada=1, US=2, Default=3). The Default is International postage. Most of the Prov/State fields contain either the verbose form or an unofficial abbreviation. I want to create a new field “AbbrProv/State” for the official abbreviated form to use on mailing labels. My question is how do I efficiently populate this field? Should I use a new linked table that contains all known forms of the Prov/Sta…

I'm new to 8.5 and this may be trivial, but I'm trying to initiate a script based upon a value in a text field. Actually I'm using voice input to enter text into multiple fields. If I enter 'new' or 'delete' into a specific field, I want a script to trigger that will either create a new record or delete the existing record. the only solution I've been able to locate is to accomplish this from within another script, which defeats the purpose [for me anyway]. thnx for suggestions. :)

Hi all, can't figure this out no matter what. I have a field that has text inside as either words in one line or every word is in separate line (it won't be both ways, but if I can get solution for one of the ways I can live with that, and adjust my data). Total # of lines or words will be always 7 . I have second field which is starting number for substituting I have third field which is ending number for substituting (this might be an extra, but I have it) Sample data: "John John x x x Simon x" OR "John John x x x Simon x" 2nd field = "5" 3rd field = "6" I need probably a custom recursive function of same kind to replace all "…

I've browsed the boards for a while but haven't found anything specifically regarding my problem. I have a database with multiple text fields which I am now going to have to count regularly. Huge pain to do manually, as there are over 8000 records to sort through. I need a way to create a set of calculation fields that determine repetitions in a particular field with a specific value out of a value list. i.e. let's say that I have one field, "positive blood culture" and it has two possible values "POS" and "NEG", which are defined in a value list. How would I create a calculation field that would count the repetitions of "POS" (but disregard "NEG")and output …

i have two tables named eps & price: 'eps' fields: id company ReportDate eps 'price' fields: id company date ClosePrice in the stock exchange in my country shares closed some days before eps report date and aren't traded to some days after report day, it hasn't any rule how much days a stock was closed, maybe 1 day closed, maybe 2 months closed, i want to know the price of closed stock in the trade day just before closed day for eps reporting and just in the trade day of opening. somebody help me please.

I have a database that has primary keys starting from 1 and serially incrementing by 1. Am trying to change it using Replace field contents How do I do the calculation that the final PK looks like DOC0001, DOC0002 (from 1,2...) "DOC" & (0000+PK) didnt help much

I have a script that searches amazon using values from a field. I had some problems with safari on OS X and removed it. Now the open url scriptstep opens programs like sitecrawler, tomato torrent which I prompty un installed. Now the scriptstep opens the url in Firefox ("Finally"). What setting decides the default program to open a url? Is this set in filemaker or somewhere else? Though I changed the default program to open .htm and .html files in the get info dialog, wasn't helping me much until I removed sitecrawler and tomato torrent.

A database I have has media added with "Store as a reference" checked. How can I create a button which when clicked would launch the file and perform an applescript. In other words, upon clicking the button, if the file opens in "Preview.app", Can I use the perform applescript script step to script "Preview.app" ?

Is there a way to disable tabs in a tab control and enable them if a certain condition is met?

A layout in my database has text fields with scroll bars. I have users who use the layout only to browse records. (They cannot make changes the records). If I uncheck allow field to be entered in browse mode, The scroll bars get disabled too. How can I allow a user scroll through a text field but disable Editing the text in the text field?

Hi, We've been using Filemaker Pro 5.0 invoice templates since 2002 and our business grew out of the limitations of this version. So we finally upgraded this past month to 8.5. Mostly everything went well, I got rid of the repeating fields from the original solution, we got FedEx integrated with FedEx Ship manager using ODBC and a little help from one of their programmers. Importing of orders from our PHP/MySQL shopping cart and more and the old FM db's were upgraded without any real issues. But I'm having a problem getting inventory to work with the company requirements. I'll try to explain. The majority of the products we sell are sold individually, but w…

I need to have a custom dialog box (with specified fields for data entry) pop up when a user enters specific data. Say choices are a, b, c, and d - but if the user chooses "d", a dialog pops up to request additional info. Can someone help?

A Relational Database has records with a Primary Keys as serial numbers from 1, increasing by 1 with each record. I want to have the database modified later so that I can add records between already present records. Say on September 1, 2007 my db has records with serial number 1 to 5. On September 4, 2007 I want to add a record so that it always comes after record 4 in the database. Rather than modifiying the entire column of PKs to accomodate the new record after record 4 how do I calculate a new serial number for the record set so that the set can be sorted based on this calculated serial number. PK RecordName NewSerial 1............…

How can I make all records viewed in a certain layout capture the date they are viewed in that layout. I tried this - Created a Layout "Special" In each record, created a Text Field with an autoenter calculation GetAsText ( Case ( (Get ( LayoutName )="Special") ; Timestamp(Get ( CurrentDate ); Get(CurrentTime) ) ) ) This triggers the script only when a new record is created while in the "Special" Layout How do I trigger a calculation to be done, every time a record goes into a specific layout?

I know there has been many post on something similiar to this, but I haven't found anything current. Here is what I'm dealing with. I have a layout with a month calendar in it. I've already written scripts to show the appropriate day numbers according to the month were veiwing. Here is the problem, I have another table that holds all the call logs. I want to show in the calendar view the total number (the sum) of all the incoming calls on that peticular day in the calendar. For example, the calendar shows all the days of the month of March. In the March 2nd box I want to see an number that represents the total number of incoming calls (from the call logs) on March…

I have a hardisk full of files that I want to use from a database. Like Open a file from the HD when I click a button. (Better yet open it in a program that I specify like .doc in pages, pdf in Acrobat... ) I have a related table that stores info about the linked file. I'd like to insert only a path to the file and not the file itself into the database. As the files located on the HD that I track from my database are HUGE ! What is the filemaker way of doing this? 1. User clicks a button > Shows a choose file dialog. 2. User chooses a file and clicks "OK" > a path to the selected file is stored in a field in the table [color:gray]-- Hope this i…

I want to create a toggle button in FM. The button on the first click should just change color and if the user does not click a second time within say 2 seconds, the button returns to its original state. Would using a repeating container field with 2 repetitions to hold 2 images showing the state of the button work? Click 1 sets the flag to 1 set the repeating field to show the second image if click 2 occurs within 2 seconds, set flag to 0 execute a script else set flag to 0 end if The trouble is how do I time the clicks? Is there a builtin function that can time the clicks? Should I use a timestamp for each click and calcul…

Hi, is the following possible? DB has two numeric fields and one object (or 3rd field). Can one trigger changing the size of the object by changing the values in the num. fields. Exp.1: num field one has value 5, and num. field two hase value 9. I need than the object to start 5" from the edge of the current window, and end 9" from the edge. Exp.2: Field one has value 4 and the object is 4" long, you change value to 2 and the object resizes to 2". Is that something I should put in my FM10 wish list, or there is a magic solution to any of the exp.'s now in FM9 and I can't see it?

I have a value list that may be corrupt. I cannot edit, duplicate or delete it. It is not currently working and the title went blank, and is identified as a custom value list (it was set up as a lookup type list). How can I delete this trouble maker? idee

Hello I am having trouble getting the post from Paypal to add a database record. I can get the post to work fine when done from my site but it won't work from Paypal. Return URL Method POST Silent Post URL enabled Force Silent Post Confirmation is ON I have tried adding :443 to the URL since it is posting back to a secured page. It doesn't work either way. I get this error: "Your transaction was approved! However, a communication error with the merchant's site occured. The transaction has been voided, please contact the merchant." The FMP error message is a generic "unknown error" Any ideas? Thanks Greg

What calculation in a textfield can help avoid user entering duplicate values if the textfield contains a return separated list. Are there any functions that can remove duplicate lines from a return separated list?

Is there a way to do find records in filemaker where by a user can enter find requests on a single window sort of like the OS X mail.app rules dialog. Each row has a dropdown list for symbols, field to serch for per find request and a textfield to enter the string to be found. The row will also have a + and a - button which can add or remove another row of find requests. Thus a user can enter all the criteria for search from a single dialog and click find...

I am not sure if "Referencing" is the word for it. But I have a database for my research notes. I have some notes (Lets say under topic A) repeated exactly the same way elsewhere. rather than re-entering the same question in the context of a different topic (Topic :, can I use a checkbox which if checked will create a reference from the current record to another record within the database. Would this be a situation to use lookups?

Hi, I have a need to select an item in one field (names) from a value list and enter a cost associated with that individual in another field (costs). I need a way to demonstrate projected vs. actual expenditures allocated for an individual's salary according to a particular budget. What I would like to do is be able to make a selection in the names field and enter a cost in the costs field. Then, if I choose another name from the value list, I can enter a cost associated with that individual. For example, if I select "Cynthia" I would like to enter $3,000. If I go back into the names field and select James and enter $2,000, I would like the cost fiel…

How do you modify a date fields month, without modifying the day and year. For example, I have two fields. One with a 9/12/2007 in it. The other field is a numeric field. I want whatever number you type in the numeric field to increase or decrease the month of the date in the date field.

Hello all, I need to add a second autoenter serial number to an existing database. The field will be Barcode and is auto enter serial starting at *1000000* incrementing by one. There are 700+ records that need this field added. I am sure it is a loop function but as usual I am lost as to how to write the script. Thanks for the help.

I have table with several Processes (actions I must time). I store the action times in a Log table. I want to display the average time each process takes. I know how to use summary in Log table but I want to restrict the relationship so it only averages the last 20 Logs (per Process). I want it restricted because 1) we don't care how long it USED to take; we just want an idea of how long it takes now and 2) I want to keep the speed fast. 1) I don't know how to restrict the relationship to only 20 log records. 2) If a Process breaks (indicated by no End Time), then I want it skipped and not counted as part of the 20 good prior actions to average. I've attac…

I have a problem that revolves around needing to build a cross-tab layout for data entry purposes. We are an organization that has projects and staff and those staff are allocated to different projects as a percentage of time, however their allocation may change from month to month across the length of a project. Employee x maybe allocated to project 1 3% in July, and 5% in August, and have a different allocation for project 2 for those two months, but then they might drop down to part time in September, so we need to be able to update their allocation going forward without affecting their current allocation. Right now we have to create a field for each month in an allo…

I have a database that has a field for adding notes.I was using this calculation to add new notes so that each entry is on a new line. Here is the calculation I used [color:blue]MyDatabase::Notes & [color:green]"Email sent [color:green]" &[color:green]"Pending Approval[color:green]" I expected a result like this- [color:orange]Email sent Pending approval However I got a result like this- [color:orange]Email sent Pending approval In other words can I add escaped characters like r in a calculation. How else can I achieve the same result?

I have searched through the forum and couldnt find a related topic to this, so: Is there a way to show a list of all the users currently logged into a Server hosted DB? I know there is a field of Get(AccountName), but how can I expand that to show all users and have it update so if someone logs off, the name goes away, etc? Thanks, blake

I have a layout with 3 radiobuttons for setting priorities. (Urgent, Normal, Low) I would like to change the color of the text in a different field based on the choice a user makes on the radio buttons. Sorry these questions are elementary scripting questions... What is the function that returns the value from a field? AND what is the function that can be used to change the color of a text in a field?

How do I Create a multivalued Field in filemaker. Like a Category field that would also allow to add new categories. Any pointers to any articles in this context? Thanks in advance.

I have a table for patients follow up for chronic condition, that include Patient_ID, visit_date and other fields that monitor the patients’ status. I would like to have a script that can find for me the number of patients who did come 6 times to the outpatient for their follow up visits in the last 6 month (every patient has 1 visit/month) and export that value to an excel sheet.

Forgive me for this very elementary question... Am not sure if filemaker is different from other databases in the context of this question. Whats the advantage of saving media files like swf, mov, jpg, pdf files in container fields? In other words, Whats the disadvantage of storing only the relative filepath in filemaker ( the actual files are saved in a folder separately ). Would filemaker allow an applescript to check if all links to such a saved file are valid every time I open a database? Also, Is it possible to script filemaker open a media file (Let say a pdf file) with adobe acrobat than the system default "Preview" ? Is it done using Applescript or using…

Hi, I am working on a script where I want a Custom order sort based on a list of Values. For this I selected the Custom order and set up a value list. Since the list only has 6 entries I typed in the entries. I also tried setting up a table with the values in the desired order but this didn't work either. The issue is that the data doesn't appear to be sorted based on the order of items in the Custom list. So the short question... Is it possible to sort this way and get the desired result? If so how? The sort is based on two values, the first is a classroom name. This is the custom part. The second is a student name. This is a standard Asc…

What is the recommendation on using Exit Script at the end of all scripts. I have found it useful for passing information back to a calling script, but should it be end of a script the script even when there is no data to pass back? Thanks Sculler

Dear left side brainers! Has anyone implemented a phonetic search algorithm, like the one described here: SoundEx Or is there any other algorithm used and well known? I could need it to clean up a database with 300k+ addresses. Thank you for any help or pointer.

I have a table that has 1,230,000 records in it (avg 8-10 thousand new records a day). It's a fairly simple table but tracks all phone calls from our marketing department(date/time of call, result, brief note, ..) It works fine but, as files get this large it begins to get difficult to do anything with them except run them on the server. (I've also got a National do not call Table with 3.5 millon recs). Does anyone have any experience dealing with tables this large? Are there any "good" ways of dealing with them? Should I be thinking about getting an SQL server to handle these tables? Can I just "juice up" a client with alot of ram for when I need to do anything to i…

I have a file that I need to import into my database on a semi-regular basis. It contains a name field that has a FirstName MiddleInitial LastName There is a period after the Middle initial when there is a middle initial. Sometimes the whole middle name is there and sometimes there is nothing but the first and last name. Soooo what I want to do is create a calculation that will grab the last name. I would like it to grab the entire last name. Sometimes there is a hyphen in the middle and when there is I only get part of the name. I am not very good with calculations so hopefully someone can help. I tried searching for topics but I could not find what …

I have a company that i made a database for they have 25 tables in the single file and one additional file that is linked to the solution, Everytime I make an upgrade to their solution. It requires downtime to get their data ported over to the new version of the file. Is there a way to simplify and even script this process. The simplest I can think of is storing all the exports in a folder on the desktop and calling it upgrade or something. Then having the new file pull from that same folder. Are there any other suggestions here because I maybe missing some easier way to get their data into my upgrade of their file. Thanks very very much This has troubled m…

Is there an easy way to parse the text "August 8 2007" to an actual date for processing? I can think of lots of hard ways, but no easy ones.

Hi, The question is, is it better to add a field to a table that calculates the date for 7 days ago or to just put the calculation in to every field that uses it? Below are the two versions of the same field calculation. In the second version the field Student::cRef_Date_7 does the date calculation. If (Merit Type = "Respect" and Date ≥ (Get(CurrentDate) - 7);1;"") If (Merit Type = "Respect" and Date ≥ Student::cRef_Date_7;1;"") Due to the nature of the database, there will be a number of fields with similar calculations based on the type of merit or demerit. I would like to know which method is best from FM point of view. ie less system cal…

I have a scripting problem that I haven't been able to work out. This is in Version 9 Pro ( Not Advanced). Here is the setup. I have two tables. This first is a list of students and the second is a list of dates when the students are absent. The student table has a great deal of other information as well. Then absence table has two fields, Student name(the Primary key) and the date of the absence. I need to produce a report that shows the number of times each student has been absent in the last 7 days. I have been able to use count(absence::student) to show all of the absences in the file but this doesn't limit it to the last 7 days. I have …

I have a database that prints certificates that are proof of academic status. I have a script that works fine to verify that all the required fields have a value before printing a single certificate. However, if I'm printing multiple certificates at a time, I'd like to still check for empty fields. Some of my ideas to solve this: I created a boolean field with the following calculation: If ( IsEmpty ( BirthDate or Fall_Campus or First_Name or Last_Name or Nationality or Program_Start_Date or Program_End_Date or University) ; 0 ; 1 ) First off, it doesn't work. Is my logic correct? I've purposely deleted data to see if it would show 0, but it…

Hi, Is there a way to create relationships between value lists, so that if I select "1" from the field "expense number" only certain items appear from field "expense type"? If I select "2" other items from the "expense type" value list are able to be selected, etc... I have attached a generic file with these two fields and associated value lists. Basically, I would like for the user to select a number from the "expense number" field and only see the items that are applicable from "expense type." In this case, we could say, "Choosing '1' from "expense number" = only seeing 'rent and gardening' as options for selecting from "expense type." Than…

I am trying to do the following to direct the user to an appropriate layout. If [Get ( PrivilegeSetName ) = "Guest"] Go to layout ["ONE"] Else Go to layout ["TWO"] End If It is not grabbing the privilege set name however. It is just blowing down to the else statement. Any suggestions? thanks, mike

Hi I have a database (see attached) which assesses the condition of a room. There will be a number of categories but for simplicity have only shown two. What I need some sort of weighted average. in the example finishes are given an importance of 5 out of 10. and safety 10 out of 10. I want the weighted value to calculate as follows; 1 rating --calc-->1 5 rating--calc-->5 3-4 rating--calc--->somewhere in between dependant on the importance I think I need a log scale. The idea is if all the categories are rated as 5 then the result average must be 5 (likewise 1 at opposite end). Probably trying to do something mathematically inept but… …

Okay, so we've got them... I have one or two questions though: 1) TableNames - Retrieves the names of all TO's within a file, what is the design function (if one exists) to retrieve the source table of the TO 2) Is there a way to get the fields from a TO vs. those from a layout? Cheers guys.

We have several email accounts on Yahoo mail. You have to put in a password and username and then you get to your email. Has anyone been able to open one of these in a webviewer without a plugin and if so. How did you do it? Thanks very much Dave

Is there a Filemaker equivalent to the MS Access/Excel xlTop10Percent function? I am interested in utilizing this capability to locate the top 10% values in a Find Request. Thank you

Hi, Is there a calculation to make the text red if the number in the field has a minus (-) symbol associated with it? I understand how to do it, if the field has a relationship/calculation to another field (subtracting a number from another, such as for inventory). However, I am wondering how to do it for a standalone value. Thanks. Seattleflo

I need to place each of the values in a list into separate fields so I can do further calculations on them separately. Is there a way of getting each value in a list into separate fields within the same record? Thanks for you help (again) John

I need to strip away a variable number of carriage returns from the end of a field so that it ends with the last true character rather than the carriage return. Removing 1 carriage return is easy enough (just go right(field,length(field)-1) but I cant think how to do it if there are a dfferent number of returns in the feild in different records. They are there because users have pressed enter several times when entering the data. This is REALLY important and so nay help would be really appreciated. Thanks everyone John

Hi, Have a field that uses a checkbox value list. There are nine values listed. I am using the JMO visibility trick to show and hide another field. When I check a box I want the other field to show. Uncheck = no show. Works well when I check one box but not multiple boxes. Value 1 Checked and Other field Visible. Value 1 Checked and any other Value checked Not Visible. I have 9 values in the ValueList and 9 Fields I want to show or hide depending on the check box. If 4 boxes checked = 4 fields visible. I know it has to do with the calc but can’t figure it out. I have tried both the case and if functions. Both work with one box checked but not multiple. …

I know FMP is a live commit database... is there some way to script or otherwise setup a contact record, so that at the end of data entry one is presented with the option to "Save" the record, go back and "Edit" the record, or "Discard" the record - which is like an immediate delete. And when editing an existing contact record options to "Save" or "Discard" changes? (even if it looks like that to end user). Thanks in advance.

I have numerous banana records each with a different date, numerous apple records each with a different date, numerous orange records each with a different date, etc. How can I create a quick search that finds the most recent record for each catagory based on the date field, i.e. the most recent banana, most recent apple, etc. Thank you

I opened a huge txt data file with FMP and all the data is in a single field. There are about 50 pieces of data, each separated by a semi-colon. There are way too many records to open this in Excel, where I could use "convert to columns" to extract the data into separate fields. I know I could go through the laborious process of creating calculation fields in FMP that would extract the data, but this would take way too much effort. Is there a quick way to get FMP to recognize that data needs to be extracted during the opening process? The only option I see is whether or not the first record has field names. Thanks in advance for any help with this.

Is there anyway to work with summary fields and/or parts without going into preview mode? I made up a small example of what I am trying to accomplish. I have figured out how to add the total sales of each rep and figured out how to sort those totals, but how do I display just the rep name and total sales without going into preview? The db I am actually working on has dozens of these totals and I would like the information to display on screen in a table so the end user can sort easily. I know just enough about FM to know I have no idea what I am doing. Am I just missing something right in front of my face? Thanks in advance!!!! SortBySummary.fp7.zip

We've come up with a potential solution for tracking who is deleting records and for resurrecting records that were mistakenly deleted. It is simple, here it is: Disable apple E; Make scripts/buttons (with full access priv) for deleting current records and found sets; The scripts export to a Delete table which have the table name, rec id, and all field info; When we realize that a rec has been mistakenly deleted, we can re-import the recs into the appropriate table. Any of you have better/more sophisticated ways to accomplish this data security? As always, thanks for the help! Sara

I need help building a calculation to validate a field. The field "Status" has 3 possible entries (as a set of radio buttons)..."Closed", "Open", "Pending". We are working/enter data on 1 issue of a magazine at a time...the status of that issue would be "Open". Any previous issues would be closed, any future issues "Pending". At the close of an issue, before another issue can be changed to a status of "Open" in the status field, the previous issue would have to be changed to status "Closed". Example: Only 1 Issue can have "Open" as the selected option in field "Status". To open issue 05, you would first have to change Issue 04 to "Closed" then changed …

Creating a value list - field control/setup/dropdown list/define value list/new if it is "custom" the titles all have to be added, but the edit or not (locking out editing) is functional. if it is "use values from field" I don't have to type in the 35 titles, but then I can't lock down the list. Am I missing something here or is there a way around this. I'd prefer to get my list from the existing field entries, but then be able to lock it down and have it controlled. I am starting from an existing list of possible inputs. thanks,

The FM Server will allow the limitation of idle time. Is there anyway to do it without the Server? Is there a script that could do this? thanks,

Hi, Is there a way to script a pop-up from a "Remove Attachment" button, alerting the user that they are about to remove it? This request might sound silly, but I have "user" concern that there will be instances where this button is unintentionally hit, followed by intense moment of freaking out... I would just like a pop-up to warn, "Are you sure you want to remove this attachment?" (= Thanks so much. Seattleflo

I have a layout with fields that are required, using Field Options/validation/not empty with a custom message. (Is there another way to do this?) There are also two buttons on the page, one to delete the new record, the other to go to a different layout. Both the delete and not empty functions work fine. However, if the user selects the move button with empty fields, it "breaks". First the custom dialog appears stating the field is required, that's good. Then there is another error " Go To Layout has been canceled. do you wish to continue with this script? Cancel - Continue" . If they cancel, everything is fine, but if they continue it "breaks the page". Ho…

With Get(HostName) FM pulls up the computer name. FM will also get it's own login id or account name. What I need to pull the computer login id. Is there anyway to do this? Hopefully someone can help. thanks

Hi, Is there a way to calculate the total number of items that are selected from a drop-down (value list)? In the attached jpeg, you can see an example drop-down that contains budget numbers. What I would like to do is create a field that calculates the number of budget numbers that have been selected (highlighted) from the drop-down. If I select one budget number, I would like the field to show "1." If I select two budget numbers, I would like it to show "2." Thanks. Seattleflo

Hello all, I was wondering if there is a way to force the feilds that re based on calculations to calculate AFTER the data is imported. I know about calculating upon importing, but is there a way to refresh that at will without having to go into each feild and replacing the feild contents with a calculation? for example, I have a table with the following columns: [item] [store1 Sales] [store2 Sales] [Total Sales] Total sales is Store1 + Store2. I chose to not perform the calculations during the import, but now I want to perform the calculations. How would I do this. Please keep in mind that I have around 50 calcuation fields. Thanks so…

Hi, Is there a way to create a checkbox on a layout that, when checked, grays-out a set of fields, allowing data to only be entered enter fields associated with that checkbox? Thanks. Seattleflo

I am exploring the possibility for Filemaker to allow the user to perform finds on field names selected from a valuelist with unlimited number of criteria. I'll try to explain further what I mean. We have an order items table with the usual fields. The client wish to not be restricted to predetermined fields when searching, potentially he wants be able to search on anything in the database. For instance, he wants to know which customer has ordered product A, and not product B, etc. That's straightforward enough. In addition he wants to perform finds on many other fields, so he will often end up with 4 or 5 criteria, and some of them would be a…

We have an invoice counter field which is global. It basically just keeps track of the next invoice number to use. We need this to simulate an auto-increment (although it can't actually be an auto-increment for reasons I won't get into here). As it stands, we use a global field, which works great for one person, but of course does not work well for multiple people. I'm trying to figure out how I can setup this invoice counter to stay current across multiple users. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Curt

Hi I would very much like to Map a GPS data file with Google Earth I understand you need to make a kml file to do this. Has anyone successfully made a file from filemaker that would map gps locations on a google earth map. Thanks Dave

Hello I know we can find zip code radius on line but can it be done with a formula in filemaker? Is it that zip codes have to be converted to lat longitude coordinates to find those within a radius? Just wondering if there is a formula to find zip codes within a radius or distance between 2 zip codes. Thanks

Hi Guys, not sure where to post this as i was looking for an open source solution that may have been uploaded!!...so sorry if in wrong area. Anyway...i need to come up with an area within my db that calculates water volume of a tank. i need to be able to calculate the volume of water when items are placed in the water thus displacing the water. e.g. if i add 11kg of rock to a tank that holds 90 litres of water...what will the volume of water be once the rock has displaced the water?? The user may also want to work in pounds, kilos, grams...so rather than specifying they have added 11 kilos of rock they may want to specify 11 pounds of rock etc etc…

I have a problem that I simply ran out of time on last year. It's a solution for the coaches on my daughter's swim team. I think I've got the basic structure completed but I'm having a difficult time understanding how to get the reports I need. I'm not sure about the approach. Should I use a script, a calculation, a sub-summary etc.:? What I have is a record for each swimmer. I have related records for each stroke they may swim and some variables about the stroke. I also have a series of records for their scheduled meets. For each meet, the coaches spend a considerable amount of time seeding relays. In other words, they spend a lot of time trying to find the fastest …

Hi everyone, I've been trying (for some time now) to figure out a way to automate the naming of an exported file from a calculated field, without the user having to paste the information in themselves. Is there a simple way to do this without using external coding ie AppleScript or VB? Cheers all Allan }:(

i've created two tables which relate to each other via a job number record. my question is how can i make it so once im on a selected entry in my schedule table, the same record is already open in my job specs table? currently i have to do a find file to show the same record. any help would be much appreciated. i've attached the file to this post. jobspecs_copy.fp7.zip

Here in an interesting thing I found today. I have attached a sample file. I have used a list () on some let variables in a calc. This behavior could possibly be associated with this recent thread but I dont think directly. http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/186557 List_Test.zip

Hi Guys, im trying to come up with a calculation which will show the amount of time a task takes. The user will click start button and a Stop Button. This will record the start time of the task and the ned time of the task. Problem i have is that these tasks will be done on a 24 hour working shift. so therfore if a task starts at 23:00 and ends at 00:30...simply adding these togetehr will give a negative number. So therfore im trying to come up with the 'best' calculation for this! Any help would be apprciated. Thanks in advance.

im getting a valid value error (This field cannont be modified until "field" is given a valid value) only after I make the field relational to another table. Cant find any errors in the validation tab so im lost. anyone?

Hey all- Two months ago I implemented a sales tracking system in FM 8.5 Windows, running on a 6 person network, hosted by FileMaker Server. Without any orders the file was about 30MB. Two months later, with about 700 orders, the file size is 60MB. I'm pretty sure this is largely due to attaching PDFs and faxes to the orders as container files. My question: is this type of growth going to present a problem? When does file size start to have negative side effects? I chose to store the actual file as opposed to a reference to avoid having to manage storing the files on a network directory, but is this going to become unsustainable? Or is it no problem? If in a year the fil…

This is the first time I participate to this forum. English is not my own language (I am Italian) but I'll try to do my best. Is there anybody with some experience on scheduling with FMP? I need to make a program to control the workflow in a manufacturer factory. I have a long experience on developing solutions with FMP but never faced to planning or scheduling + showing the workflow on a Gannt graphic table. Practically, I need to control all the steps from Order to Shipment, passing through all the production units. My problem is to decide which system to use, to plan all the Task Phases taking in consideration all the other previously planned. I alre…

Hi, I was reading FMForums for quite a while now, but never needed to register - now it's a time. I have this mind buggling problem with my scheduling script, but let me explain how it works first: there is an event table that contains following fields: date, starttime, endtime, tutor, classroom now - if you have an event in the database and you want to create a new one it should go and check if there is a record that already uses the resources in the same time - if it does, there is a conflict... so my script does the following job in simple words: # setting variables first > set variable [color:green]$$date_new > set variable [color:gr…

Hi all, I have a simple database that tracks Inventory of unique items (IOW quantity is either 1 or 0), and Sales of these items (in line items of invoices). When an item is sold, it's inventory level is set to zero, and that's the end of that. No returns of items ever occur. I thought it would be a piece of cake to report inventory levels at any given time because of the simplicity of the inventory (dealing with unique items, one transaction per item, all transactions final, that is) but I keep hitting dead ends. Any suggestions? Also, this issue has got me wondering how this could be solved in a more conventional inventory that has quantities great…

At work we are going to be receiving XML files from a supplier via FTP (Push to our server) I need to think about best practice here... I need this received XML file to be accessible to remote databases in order to pull into filemaker. I was thinking about applescripting a remote mac to pull down the xml then instruct FileMaker to import it but I'm still a little unsure of the exact/best process to do this.

Hi, I'm working on a "highlight search terms" feature and need to figure out the best way to parse the user-inputted search string into a list of separate values. A sample search string might look like: dog tree "bank robber" pole "bell hop" I need to break that down into: dog tree bank robber pole bell hop (with carriage returns after each, i.e. a list of values.) I was thinking of doing this with a looping script & use of Substitute(), but am wondering if anyone can suggest a faster and more direct approach via a custom function. Is it even possible to do that within a custom function? --- On a related subject, …

Sometimes when i close Filemaker and go to open it again it will not open. When i check the processes in Windows task manager, it shows Filemaker running as a process. when i stop it as a process i can than open it with no problem. Any Ideas?

Hi: I am working on a Purchase Order db (fmp 8.5 advanced, w-xp) and I want to limit the text description to 30 characters, no more. I put max length on the field setup but it doesn't flag users that they have exceeded thirty characters until they leave the field. Optimally, I would like the system to pop up a window that tells them when Character limit has been reached while typing in the field, not once they leave. Any suggestions? Thanks David R SW Florida

How can I write a script to automatically check the check box for the "Billed" field in all of the records in a found set? Thank you

Hello! I'm creating a database for my business that will have an opening screen welcoming users (fellow employees and laborers). I want to have a button on that screen reading "Espanol" and when my user clicks on it, all the text on the screen switches to Spanish. I don't need it to translate for me, I can do that easily and have the text waiting in the wings for the button to be pushed. In short, I guess I need a script to make text disappear (or be covered up by) different text at the click of a button AND have the new text in the exact same place as the old text, not below it. Questions? Please ask. I did.

Your help would be greatly appreciated! I have a typical invoice db (CUSTOMER,INVOICE,INVENTORY,LINEITEM,PAYMENT and CONTACTS db's)and all is well except i need to track over paid invoices. So if a customers invoice total is $500.00 and the customer pays $1,000 I need to be able to apply the remaining $500 towards next purchase. I tried but just can get it to work. If anybody can give me a sample db structure or ideas that would be great! Thanks

I have a follow up date on our DB of when we need to follow up with a customer. I would like it that when I turn on FM it instantly goes to all the people that I have to follow up with on that date. Any help?