B. Keith

I have 5 separate and reasonably identical databases for 5 separate departments. Its easier to give each departmetn only the data they need but occasionaly it would be nice to use one 'super-database' (catalogues, web updates etc.) without having to export from each individual database. Is there anyway to set up a relations ship in which the super-database FIELD1 contains the data from all 5 external FIELD1's? Any other solutions? Thanks, Bruce

Thanks for the advice... the politics are most evident when I explain that the bedding plant manger has to deal with all 5000 perennials in his searches etc. I guess I will try to design some scripts for the searches and not let them use the find command... Any other suggestions would received gratefully. Bruce P.S. What were you doing for the large nursery? Anything I can use/steal/buy? I'm pretty much trying to reinvent the wheel here because plant people (and their plants!) are unlike anything else I know...

What I have is a standard set of databases...a many-to-one relationship between product.fm5 and plantdesc.fm5. People can open up the rose database and see how many different pot sizes and plants we have for each variety. This works great for the various departments (perennials, roses, bedding plants etc.) as they each have their own database with custom value lists etc. Last year I only uses one non-related database and was able to do administrative functions (clean-up, global changes etc.) and post it on our web site as a price list via cdml. This year I have 7 different databases and am at a loss to figure out a structure which will allow me to access all the records in the various files... I was trying for some sort of master related databse but so far it doesn't seem possible. Any ideas on the basic structure this should take? Nuts and Bolts product.fm5 each plant has an plant number 10000, 10001 each product has a suffix 10000-01, 10000-02, 10001-01, 10001-02 Plantdesc.fm5 plant descriptions are related to products via the plant number What I want to be able to do is A) post a single, searchable database on the website, while maintaining a smaller more managable database for each of the Dept. Heads that they can revise add and delete to without being bothered by other department's inventory B)Be able to do global searches, updates and reports based on all the records as well as (if possible) be able to do imports and exports to interface with the accountant's PO system. help? Bruce

I am trying to publish (in book form) data I have collected in three related databases. db1. list of 17 bulbs db2. the 40 divisions of the above 17 bulbs db3. the varieties in each of the above 40 divisions The database works great for etering and searching but I am now trying to export and merge the data. What is happening is that I can't figure out a way to export the related fields in the the approptiate order Dahlia Div 1 Art Deco van Gogh Div 2 Big Red Big Blue etc. What I am getting is the first related variety in each division and the rest of them at the end like: Dahlia Div 1 Art Deco Div 2 Big Red van Gogh Big Blue etc. I am struggling with the methodology here. I essentially want to export all the contents of a portal with the related record before moving onto the next record. The long term goal is to be able to do merges in Word or Pagemaker and create catalogues with text styles and image links automatically in place. Any ideas or hints? Bruce

Hi... please take into consideration that I am in no way a html programmer or FM expert... I have a database that I've posted to the web using cdml culled from the help files. Essential it is an online searchable database of plant information open to the public. What I'm confused about is how I implement security so that people can't change the data at all. When I try to add passwords to limit write access the browsers demand a password from casual visitors. While I figure that 99.9% of people will be unable to write code to access the parts of the databse I want to keep safe, it looks like it could be done with the proper CDML commands. The other question I have is that I would like to move the database off the PC it is on (which other people use all the time) and onto my server (running Appleshare IP 6.3) so that &^^%* people would quit turning it off. Is it possible to host the database on a machine with another web server on it? This is an experimental project that I'm hoping can take the burdens off the phones but not cost big$$ to keep implemented. I'll have to invest in Unlimited if it works out. As it is it works fine for the few hits we get but I'm always striving to improve. Any advice, hints, easy-to-use self-help references would be appreciated. Bruce check it out at http://www2.holesonline.com:591/

Thanks ! Okay, so I wrote a script: New record/Request Set field (Section, "perennial") Set Field (Product ID, "P" & (Max(To Itself::Product ID)+1) Now when I trigger the script it sets the Product ID to P1. I wrote a script for several product lines and it works great. I now have my Product ID as B1 etc. for Bedding Plants and P1 etc. for perennials. So now how do I trigger the scripts? I currently have 8 buttons lined up the side of the layout and you hit the appropriate one for a new product. This seems less than elegant. Can I put them in a value list and have different scripts trigger depending on the selection? THis will work better when I go to include the entire product line (about 40 different ones -- which will be unwieldy as buttons) The end result is a customized method of entering new products with descriptions and additional info with specific fields that can be exported to tab delimited files with a unique product ID so that Accounting can get them for their inventory modul without all the extra stuff. I'm halfway there, but this multiple product line stuff keeps making me think I should have 40 different DBs. Thanks again

Thanks ! Okay, so I wrote a script: New record/Request Set field (Section, "perennial") Set Field (Product ID, "P" & (Max(To Itself::Product ID)+1) Now when I trigger the script it sets the Product ID to P1. I wrote a script for several product lines and it works great. I now have my Product ID as B1 etc. for Bedding Plants and P1 etc. for perennials. So now how do I trigger the scripts? I currently have 8 buttons lined up the side of the layout and you hit the appropriate one for a new product. This seems less than elegant. Can I put them in a value list and have different scripts trigger depending on the selection? THis will work better when I go to include the entire product line (about 40 different ones -- which will be unwieldy as buttons) The end result is a customized method of entering new products with descriptions and additional info with specific fields that can be exported to tab delimited files with a unique product ID so that Accounting can get them for their inventory modul without all the extra stuff. I'm halfway there, but this multiple product line stuff keeps making me think I should have 40 different DBs. Thanks again

I need to have a data base which hooks up to the accountants inventory module. They need to have unique product ID numbers for each product line. I would like to be able to generate multiple serial ID numbers i.e. B1 through B1000, P1 through P1000 etc. I figured out how to use many small files to generate a serial numberand then suck it back intot he main database but the solution isn't very elegant and doesn't allow me to apply the 'unique' option. Is there a way to just write a calculation that performs the serial function rather than using the built in one which only allows me one stream? Bruce BestCalculator001.zip BestCalculator001.zip

duh... You know, I really don't like the learning from the manuals/learning tools with software these days... It was so much easier when you started with the first version and grew along witht he various versions of the program! >No, you can't format individual parts of a calculation field. Nope, but you can format individual parts of a text merge field... So, if I add another calculated field Height=If(IsEmpty(Heightfield),"","Height") and merge <<Height>> <<Heightfield>> then I can format the two fields differently on the layout and voila! Thanks for the kick int he right direction... Bruce

I've mastered (sort of) teh art of displaying my data on a webs site. I use 'if' statements to display data if the field is populated and to leave a blank if it is not. Now I want to do the same thing on a report and I can't figure out how to attach a script to text on a page... is this possible? I have made a plant database with name height width etc. for tracking our inventory. I made a sign (8.5 x 11") with the name at the top (big bold font), a picture and Height and Width at the bottom. Push print and out comes the signage. What I want to do though is have Height: <height field> Width: <width field> when both have data in them but only Height: <height field> when Width is empty. How do I do this on a report?

Looks good... can I apply formatiing within the calculated field? i.e. <bold 8 pt times> Height: <italic 12 pt Times> height field I need to reatin a sense of heirarchy in the design if I can... (this is replacing existing, hand-typed signs, Thanks Bruce