EasyEdE

Did another archive search and found Shadow's response using the Choose function to display proper fractions - I'll give that a try. My question re the Evaluate function still stands. Thanks, Ed

Am I correct in that the Evaluate function is new in FM7? I'm using FM6 and can't find it. Also is there a straight forward way to display a decimal as a fraction, ie 1.625 as 1 5/8? I'm converting fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions but the code involved is tedious at best. I originally had my work set up in Excel and it handles fractions and decimals in the same field without a hitch. I've converted the file over to FM so I can do MUCH more with the info EXCEPT the decimal/fraction issue. TIA for any feedback. Ed

Capt Kurt you saved the day. Seriously I'd been hammering away at the problem for most of yesterday with no success. I'd gotten very close by putting the calculation in the parent BUT I DID NOT use the Sum function, I was using Total Of. An added benefit is that your solution lets me clean up my layouts a bit - ie Portals 2, 4 and 5 are no longer needed. There are 6 instances of this concept in the overall database so with your help I am able to clear out a number of "gremlins" While it has been a few years since I've been in the Santa Clara area you are in line for a good meal with appropriate beverages should my travels take to your area. THANK YOU - I can now get on with cleaning up the db and start exploring the implementation of a web interface. Ed DiTomas

Simplifying my situation as much as possible here is my dilemma: Two databases A and B. A is linked to B with 3 different links: Link Z relates to a subset of all the records in db B, Link X relates to a subset of the records related to Link Z and Link Y relates to another subset of the records related to Link Z. Together the records related to links X and Y equal the total records related to Z. The layout in db A has 5 portals: Portal 1 is related to db B via Link X and shows 8 rows with a scroll bar. Portal 2 is related to db B via Link X and contains the total of the records displayed in Portal 1. Portal 3 is related to db B via Link Y and shows 8 rows with a scroll bar. Portal 4 is related to db B via Link Y and contains the total of the records displayed in Portal 3. Portal 5 is related to db B via Link Z and contains the sum of Portals 2 and 4 (or indirectly Portals 1 and 3). The dilemma is that the totals "bounce all over the place" - click on a field in Portal 1 and the total for that field in Portal 2 changes, sometimes it's correct, sometimes it equals only one of the several records in Portal 1, sometimes it's 0. Ditto for Portals 3 and 4. Portal 5 never contains the proper totals - sometimes it's 0, sometimes it's the total for Portal 2 and sometimes it's the total for Portal 4 but never the sum of Portals 2 and 4. Click on various portals in the layout and the numbers change!?!?!?!? One thing that's really driving me nuts (yes - a very short drive) is that I have a very similar setup elsewhere in the 19 different db's related to on another and it works fine (albeit a minor refresh problem once in a while - meaning a portal needs to be clicked on in order for the correct total to appear, but once it is there it is correct and it does not "bounce around"). I've managed to fix some of the refresh problems by adding "Refresh window" in the GoToLayout script step going to the errant layout. A couple of layouts are proving to be stubborn and won't refresh. This is very minor compared to the problem outlined above. I'm using FM Unlimited 6.0 on a G4 Mac running OS 10.2. Any help will be greatly appreciated, including prayers, incantations, a hardy toast at the local pub - whatever it takes to get the gremlins (a nice name for MY mistakes) out of the db.

Thanks for the post and the links. I took a quick look at the rest of your site - quite interesting - I'll return as soon as time allows. I took the liberty of downloading a couple of other demos as well and will give them a good inspection. Your suggestion to use OS 9 is quite valid - I do a lot of traveling and use a Dell laptop on the road. It has FM 5.5 on it and all the features I'm "missing" work fine there, albeit the 6.0 features are missing. As to my Mac - I'm one program away from eliminating 9 altogether, although I am having second thoughts as I may find a need to access some legacy document that I'd forgotten about. Actually the "problems" are really quite small- more of an annoyance than a real problem. Hopefully there will be an update in the near future that will fix the small stuff. Thanks for you input, demos and URL's (including the links on your site. Ed DiTomas

Bob, Thanks for the insight on the "G" key - to be honest I've never seen it used in the Find again mode - not that it isn't in some programs I use, just that I never used/noticed it. the idea of focusing on the user rather than the developer certainly makes sense. Yes, I'm running OS 10.2, but the "problem" did not exist with FM 5.5 in OS 10.1. I'm not sure if it occurs with 5.5 in 10.2 - I'll try that later since I have both versions on my Mac. OT - we had a very close family friend who passed away about a year ago - a doctor well known in the US in his area of expertise. His name was Maurice Victor. Maurice told wonderful stories of his childhood and his father (also a doctor) in Saskatoon. I judge this would have been back in the 1920's. I don't recall if he still had family in Saskatoon. I've been "surfin" since 1981 or so via Compuserve and others and still wonder at how it brings people from so many distant places and different cultures together. Maybe the politicians should surf more often and we'd have less trouble in the world!!!!

Am I off track or is the "upgrade" to 6.0 a step back in some areas? For an example: Grouping and Ungrouping now uses "R" with modifier keys instead of "G" like virtually every other program, including FM5.5. Can't tell you how much time I spent trying to figure out why my key combo's weren't working. I can no longer Option-click-drag to create a copy of an object. I can no longer click on an object to select it then Shift-drag-click to add other objects to the selection. You can do the selection of multiple objects first then Shift click for an additional item. Still no tool bar for Mac users. While these are only working tools and do not impact the performance of FM it sure impacts MY performance! Now that I'm done bitchin' here are a couple of questions: Does the upgrade to FMPro 6.0 also apply to the "FM" part of FMPro Unlimited 6.0? While I'm sure I know the answer to this I'll ask anyway - can the size of the font used for the Layout Menu dropdown be increased? Yeah, I know - change the resolution of my monitor. but I need all the real estate I can get. Just the same my old eyes have to work extra hard to read the small print - just changing the Layout Menu font size would help a lot.

Vaughan, Many thanks - it works like a charm. It is both challenging and frustrating to find that you are so close to a solution is yet so far!! Regards, Ed

I took a nice refreshing shower and thought I had the answer as outlined below, but it doesn't work! I have two related databases - A and B. For general use A is linked to B (A is one, B is many) using a field named Link in both A and B. A layout in A has two portals (X and Y) to B. I want the records in B to appear in one or the other of portals X and Y based on the contents of Field K (a Yes/No value list) in B. I have created 2 new links FROM A TO B. The key for the portal where the records from B with Field K = "No" are to appear is equal to [Link & "No"] - brackets not included - and is called LinkNo. The key for the portal where the records from B with Field K = "Yes" are to appear is equal to [Link & "Yes"] and is call LinkYes. I also created a new key in B that is equal to [Link & Field K] called LinkYesNo. While the links in A are "constant" the value of LinkYesNo will vary depending on the selection of "Yes" or "No" in the value list from Field K. The relationships are For Portal X (where Field K = "No" ) Db A LinkNo = :LinkYesNo Db B For Portal Y (where Field K = "Yes") Db A LinkYes = :LinkYesNo Db B Both portals are defined with their respective relationship and all all fields in each portal match the portal's relationship. Bottom line - it does not work!?!?!? All records in B show up in BOTH portals even though Db B Field K equals "Yes" in some cases and "No" in others. TIA for any feedback.

Thanks for the fast response. I've been working on the "two links" approach for a little while this PM but don't quite have it working right. I'll give it a rest, take a nice shower and hope an insight as to the glitch comes to me. I suspect the problem may be in the way I set up the two additional links between A and B. At least you confirmed that I'm headed in the right direction. Thanks, Ed

I have two related databases - A and B. A layout in A has two portals (X and Y) to B based on the same relationship link. I want the records in B to appear in one or the other of portals X and Y base on the contents of Field K (a Yes/No value list) in B. I tried to create different links for Protals X and Y by concatenating the basic link between the two files with the result of Field K but that isn't working. Any suggestion on how this might be done will be greatly appreciated.

I have a layout with 6 buttons. Each button's script contains a conditional statement that if not met displays a message with a specified duration that varies from 3 to 10 seconds. The message is displayed in a text field, not as a dialog box. It works just fine EXCEPT if someone is finger happy and clicks on one of the other buttons before the specified duration for the first click is completed the script hangs up and requires the user's intervention by clicking on the script "Continue" button which is unacceptable since the status area will not be accessible to the user. Freezing the window when the script starts doesn't help and I don't want to use a "Click here to proceed" button in lieu of a preset pause duration. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Try going to http://127.0.0.1 This is an internal "loop back" address on ANY machine and is independent of the OS you are using. EasyEdE (with help from my consultant AKA son.)

I am looking for a way to either tab to different fields depending on the value of a given field, ie if Field A is "x" then go to Field B, if it is "y" go to Field C, but I do not want the user to have to click on a button. Field A will be a set group of selections from a value list. If this can't be done then is it possible to have one field (or set of fields) appear in lieu of another based on the value of Field A? As before, I'd like this to be "automatic" without the need to click a button. TIA for any feedback. EasyEdE

Grazie, Dj for your suggestions. Unfortunately I still can't get the script to work. I did take an indirect suggestion from your comments and will use it from now on - I have been putting multiple portals on some layouts and set up a field named "Empty" for each file the portals link to. Then I would use a Go To Field command to "enter" the portal so I would be sure the correct portal was being addressed. I have revised all that and now put a single portal on an otherwise unused layout and use Go To Layout to address the necessary portal. I've checked all relationships to be sure adding records is allowed. All key fields are properly matched - all are text and no calculated fields are used. The script works fine when it is inserting the first related record, but merely goes to the last existing related record when trying to add another related record. The full script is as follows: Go to Layout ("PortalA") Go to Portal Row (Last) Set Field ("FileB::FieldX", "FieldY") .... [i have used both key and non-key fields for X and Y.] Go to Layout ("Welcome") ..... [This is the layout the script starts in and the move here is only for aesthetics] Go to Related Record (Show, "FileB") Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Ed DiTomas