onestopbusiness

good lord....I was hoping for something simple like..if user is member of privilege set X set field (location) to X etc..etc..was thinking it would be as easy as adding some if thens to a startup script?

uh...I don't have anything quite so complex. I have no users table or locations table The users are setup using Filemaker's default Manage Security. And the locations are in a simple value list at the moment.

Hmm...not sure I understand that. sorry to be so obtuse. I have a field in my Db called Location that uses a value list. Denver, New York etc... I'd like to make it so that when a user logs in that is part of say the Denver privilege set...the Location field automatically gets set to Denver when they create a new record...if they're part of the New York set it gets set to New York. is get(privilegesetname) a valid function parameter? I'm not familiar with it.

probably a simple question... but what I'd like to know is how to set a field's value based on the Privilege Set that a user is a member of... For instance, user A is a Member of Privilege Set A..so upon logging in...any new records created automatically set the Location field to A...etc..etc.. Thhnx in advance

well that would certainly be more efficient...my only question becomes how to find a particular serial number for a client when only ranges are stored?

well I offered the interface to illustrate my ideas regarding the processes. I've written a FMP solution for a client that uses the Amazon ECS based on the ISBN or Barcode scan and parses the returning XML. It's pretty straightforward in that you scan a book and Amazon gives you all it's data related to the ISBN. No brainer...this one however has me a little befuddled. In that system, my customer pushes a button, a window pops up with the scan/isbn barcode field waiting to accept input. They scan the book, window closes and of course the amazon scriptruns...tada! Done. I'm thinking of using a similar technique for this card barcode inventory problem. Fulfillment personnel see a pending order on the screen. Maybe flashing little red button, (idk, the details aren't important) they push the button and up pops a window with TWO fields..Beginning serial and Ending serial. They scan the first barcode, system tabs over to the ending field and they scan the second barcode. At this point...the system counts the difference say 100-150...and applies 50 cards to the total needed..now the screen says 200 needed, etc..etc.. and they continue on in that fashion until the count needed reaches 0 and the order is complete. Now my only question is..the process of storing those numbers and assigning them to the client. Should I have the system do a count and make a new record for each serial number? Is there a way to simply store the ranges that were entered for that client and still be able to find an individual serial, etc? I wasn't really looking to delve into philosophical discussions regarding workflow and processes. I started off in printing 18 years ago and I can tell you there are limitations that one must work around. Such as, serialized overages...in an order of say 100,000 cards or printed booklets you'll have 3-5% overages on average. which makes it impossible to reverse feed serial numbers into an imprint machine which would allow you to reverse stack a palette so that everything was in perfect order, etc...I'll not delve too far into the various logistical aspects of it...needless to say...the printer delivers the products the way they can. My task is to deliver a solution that will allow them to assign those numbers as they are pulled off the palettes to specific customers so that customer service and the sales people can look up that number later and know who purchased it. So....how best to input those numbers and assign them. I have only ranges to work with. My thought was to have FMP look at the first and last number that is scanned and do a calculation: First number scanned 100000250 - new record 100000251 - new record 100000252 - new record 100000253 - new record 100000254 - new record 100000255 - new record Last number scanned This seems a rather inelegant solution and with a million cards would bloat the system rather quickly.

ok, don't want to sound too stupid..but how do you "scan into a portal" never tried that before...

ok, so that kind of leads me back to my way of original thinking and what I put in my posts...for every "set" of cards...I should create a new record in the "orders" table for that client? My only concern with that method is that with my client literally selling hundreds of thousands of these cards...how long before my Db becomes too bloated to manage?

hmmm..I had originally envisioned a screen where they pulled up "pending orders" and clicked on a client who's order needed to be filled. At that point it would show how many cards had been purchased. They would grab boxes and scan the first barcode and the last barcode number on each box...then a "handful of cards" to finish up the last amount needed and scan in the first and last of that "handful". Meanwhile in the window, a counter would show how many more was needed to complete the order. Does that make sense?

could you be a little more specific? Sorry I'm just not catching how the table/field structure would resolve my problem.

Agreed, the Search isn't the part that I'm stumbling over. It's how to enter in those different sets of cards and assigning them to the client. Should I create a new record for each set for the client or is there a way to store each set in an array..etc..etc.

I should probably explain it a little better. My client buys these cards by the hundreds of thousands and then resells them. He actually "repacks" each order for the customer. So if a customer calls in and orders 241, his fulfillment people pull 241 cards out of the "bulk" boxes and repack them for the client to be shipped.

The way their process works is that a salesman sells the cards and the back of the house is responsible for filling the order and shipping it. So let's say a client calls in and orders 275 cards. The fulfillment people run over and pick up a box of 250, they scan in the the two barcodes on the box...no problem. Now they have to run over and open up another box and take out 25 to complete the order. They can type in the first serial and the last serial of those 25 into the system. Now the client ends up with two different sets of serial numbered cards. Say #1-250 and another set #750-775. Now at some point in the future my client needs to be able to go back into the system and see who was sold card number 231 for instance. I'm having difficulty in figuring out how I'm going to create a complete order but with a range of different numbers from different boxes and track it effectively.

I appreciate the speedy reply and the very nice example file. The problem that I am having is A) How to assign the cards to a particular client when the order requires more than one box. ie. client orders 1000 so 4 four boxes must be scanned one after the other to complete the order. Do I have my system create a new record in my orders table for that client after each scan? And then B.) what to do when a client orders say 1001 cards. Now I have a leftover box with 249 cards in it and the barcodes on the outside of the box become worthless. I should have specified that the cards won't always be sold in lots of 250... That's just how they arrive from the printer.

I have a client who needs an inventory tracking and CRM system. The CRM part is a no brainer, however his inventory is a bit of an issue. He sells cards that all have individual serial numbers on them. The cards come in blocks of 250 in the boxes with the beginning and ending serial number printed on the outside of the box. Typically, the process is this, a client will call in and order say 1000 cards. They create the invoice, charge the client's credit card and send the "pick ticket" to the back of the house for fulfillment. Problem is the back of the house will grab 5 random boxes to fill the order. My thought was to have them scan the beginning barcode and the ending barcode of each box for that order. My client wants to be able to look up who purchased what by looking up the serial number in the database. My question is...what's the best way to assign all of the serial numbers to a particular customer when I have only the first and ending serial number from each box? A calculation that counts up to 250 for each ending scan and then creates an individual record in that customer's order table, etc..etc? There has to be a cleaner and more efficient way to accomplish this.