PiedPiper

just found other issue she mentioned sorry when i tried using second calc instead. when she changes the global date, the record her cursor is in changes the date in update 2. if cursor isn't in a field it changes the last record - even if changes weren't made. also noted ... if you put field in quotes with evaluate be sure to type field name exactly because filemaker doesn't give you a field warning message like normal.

Please forgive taking your time. i kept thinking unclick do not replace would do same thing but i used your evaluate one Comment anyway. but secretary said it's broken. so i re-read this and saw your adendum and created a demo to try and figure it out. attached 1) when she creates a new record, both Updates insert that gUpdateDate. Not what we want. Only if sales call happens (something put in those special fields. 2) A wonky image of gUpdateDate appears partway in the first record line?? On her system and again now on mine. I can't click into it but it just is a ghost. Does it do that for you also? only when I change the date in the global. 3) Other than that, I see no difference between the update fields. They both seem to act the same. I had originally tried auto-enter replacement on Update. I tried If Call Results <> Call Results etc. that didnt work. I tried using timestamp modification compariosn. I now see i need to trigger. but changing anything in my sales fields - anything - DOES trigger change in auto-enter replace. Your auto-enter (update2) is what i had tried to do. it works also. So i still don't see difference between auto-enter and evaluate. Forgive my ignorance. if anything in refeerenced fields change they both change. this is difficult to understand, I guess. can you help me stop update from filling on new record? And can you give me example between Update and Update2 - i can't see difference between them. this is such an important issue to me understanding this. i feel like a great concept is in front of me and i can't see it clearly. thank you both for helping. Sales.zip

Perfect. I had read about evaluate when Soren answered. And this seems to go against my understandings so i guess now's when to ask i hope. help says: Evaluate(TextField) returns 4 when TextField contains 2 + 2. Evaluate("textfield") returns 2 + 2 when textfield contains 2 + 2. Here's my confusion: 1) Evaluate is a text function but we are applying it to a date field. I see no text to date conversion happen. 2) ok. No conversion because you wrapped the global in quotes FORCING IT TO TEXT just by using the quotes? 3) so you used the second example which says, if i wrap it in quotes, just put what exists in the field in there - regardless of the data type - don't really evaluate it - just do exactly as I say. 4) if 3 is true, then why not just put the field name to begin with? Why evaluate at all? i seem to be in my own perpetual thinking loop here. does evaluate force the issue, kinda like a unstored calculaton? i keep reading help over and over and don't quite grok the concept. am i close? evaluate forces stuff and seems to allow breaking a lot of old rules. oh. thanks both of you. i hadn't really learned vs 6 much before changeing to 7. i feel a bit lost in it.

Thanks for helping . I don't understand tho I'm trying real hard. what is "g_theGrabbingValue" ? Is that the new global I need or my existing one? I kinda see how I must include the fields I want to test for changes as Afield;Bfield;Cfield but how is that going to make UPDATE change if the auto-enter is put on another global? Fields: Update - standard date field (auto-enter replace with :?) gUpdateDate - global date field Another global with : There are four fields that, if they change or were empty and now have text, Update should look at gUpdateDate. those fields are CallResults (text) ProgressNotes (text) SpokeWith (text) MeetingStatus (text popup with completed, rescheduled & cancelled these sheeets come in from traveling reps and secretary enters them. the gUpdateDate idea was so she could type the date the rep placed that days calls (in header, clever huh? love globals) and as she changed the customer info, the Update field would record last activity on the customer. i also liked the fact that it clears when she leaves for the day or she can change to the next reps call date for the next batch of sheets. she works on list view with only these fields showing (plus customer name and rep of course) and a few other fields. sometimes she also changes other fields but the update shouldn't change then because the rep didn't do the work, she did. hope that helps you help me. TIA Pete

Searched on globals - can't find it. As I type stuff in a field on a list, I want it's UPDATE field, a date, to grab a global date which is in header. Auto-enter on this update field is set to calculated with the do not replace unchecked and calculation is just globaldate field. It doesn't put the date in each record as I type stuff in the field. Any time i change a field, i want this date (whatever is in the global) to change in the update field. i thought globals could be seen by all records. I don't want modification date because the date modified may not be today. that's why I'm using the global date. I'm missing something simple i suppose but now I've resorted to staring it down - for an hour - and it still won't answer me. ideas?

Fenton thank you, your explanation makes sense but the concept is elusive to me (but it'll sink in if I stick with it and I will). Comment, you say this can be done in prior version using concentrated keys? I read (I swear) 200 posts here they all said it couldn't (prior versions) without writing lines with script or export! I swear it!! Ugo, you now say, "With 7, it's possible now." Thank you all for demos. I will keep this thread and each demo as a demonstration of the progression of thinking. Quite valuable to me - more than you'll know. For prior versions, is this like noone believing the 3-minute mile was physically possible until someone did it? Then within one year (after it had been proved possible), several people did it? It had to be proven first? I can't even go to sleep on this one and I keep trying things. It should then be possible to adjust it so that all products show, so the 'holes' (unpurchased puroducts) also show but I guess I haven't grasped it enough to adjust it because I can't make it do it. Products must slide before LineItems, right? Wow, to have both methods at my control ... and I assume additional filters can be added easily also by passing additional globals? I know our guys ... they'll want to filter by other things like Customer Type or Territory. Either of these two ideas possible in this situation (all products showing holes and/or filtering further)? Hey! isn't this an example of why/when globals are wonderful? That thread about 'why I use globals?' Ugo, I thought unstored was bad and yours uses two unstored and theyll be in a big file. Can you explain which would be best then yours or Fenton's (since both give me Unique listing)? Not sure which to use. Fenton's looks clearer but I don't understand either enough yet. Forums is best thing existing for help ever. Can't tell you how much I appreciate you all.

Fenton thank you, your explanation makes sense but the concept is elusive to me (but it'll sink in if I stick with it and I will). Comment, you say this can be done in prior version using concentrated keys? I read (I swear) 200 posts here they all said it couldn't (prior versions) without writing lines with script or export! I swear it!! Ugo, you now say, "With 7, it's possible now." Thank you all for demos. I will keep this thread and each demo as a demonstration of the progression of thinking. Quite valuable to me - more than you'll know. For prior versions, is this like noone believing the 3-minute mile was physically possible until someone did it? Then within one year (after it had been proved possible), several people did it? It had to be proven first? I can't even go to sleep on this one and I keep trying things. It should then be possible to adjust it so that all products show, so the 'holes' (unpurchased puroducts) also show but I guess I haven't grasped it enough to adjust it because I can't make it do it. Products must slide before LineItems, right? Wow, to have both methods at my control ... and I assume additional filters can be added easily also by passing additional globals? I know our guys ... they'll want to filter by other things like Customer Type or Territory. Either of these two ideas possible in this situation (all products showing holes and/or filtering further)? Hey! isn't this an example of why/when globals are wonderful? That thread about 'why I use globals?' Ugo, I thought unstored was bad and yours uses two unstored and theyll be in a big file. Can you explain which would be best then yours or Fenton's (since both give me Unique listing)? Not sure which to use. Fenton's looks clearer but I don't understand either enough yet. Forums is best thing existing for help ever. Can't tell you how much I appreciate you all.

Fenton thank you, your explanation makes sense but the concept is elusive to me (but it'll sink in if I stick with it and I will). Comment, you say this can be done in prior version using concentrated keys? I read (I swear) 200 posts here they all said it couldn't (prior versions) without writing lines with script or export! I swear it!! Ugo, you now say, "With 7, it's possible now." Thank you all for demos. I will keep this thread and each demo as a demonstration of the progression of thinking. Quite valuable to me - more than you'll know. For prior versions, is this like noone believing the 3-minute mile was physically possible until someone did it? Then within one year (after it had been proved possible), several people did it? It had to be proven first? I can't even go to sleep on this one and I keep trying things. It should then be possible to adjust it so that all products show, so the 'holes' (unpurchased puroducts) also show but I guess I haven't grasped it enough to adjust it because I can't make it do it. Products must slide before LineItems, right? Wow, to have both methods at my control ... and I assume additional filters can be added easily also by passing additional globals? I know our guys ... they'll want to filter by other things like Customer Type or Territory. Either of these two ideas possible in this situation (all products showing holes and/or filtering further)? Hey! isn't this an example of why/when globals are wonderful? That thread about 'why I use globals?' Ugo, I thought unstored was bad and yours uses two unstored and theyll be in a big file. Can you explain which would be best then yours or Fenton's (since both give me Unique listing)? Not sure which to use. Fenton's looks clearer but I don't understand either enough yet. Forums is best thing existing for help ever. Can't tell you how much I appreciate you all.

Eureka is right! I see how the customerID is passed to products. I couldn't pass it on through. you just used another TO of it! then the SECOND TO of products (and Fenton slid another Lineitems in there) uses that CustomerID. You passed it that way - through - by another TO. That's amazing. yes! sorry . a bit excited. ok. i'll shut up and listen now.

Eureka is right! I see how the customerID is passed to products. I couldn't pass it on through. you just used another TO of it! then the SECOND TO of products (and Fenton slid another Lineitems in there) uses that CustomerID. You passed it that way - through - by another TO. That's amazing. yes! sorry . a bit excited. ok. i'll shut up and listen now.

Eureka is right! I see how the customerID is passed to products. I couldn't pass it on through. you just used another TO of it! then the SECOND TO of products (and Fenton slid another Lineitems in there) uses that CustomerID. You passed it that way - through - by another TO. That's amazing. yes! sorry . a bit excited. ok. i'll shut up and listen now.

double wow. i've played with these relationships for a week. similar (sliding products in between customers and lineitems - duplicating lineitems and attaching this way and that, inserting globals everywhere, passing global calcs and ids like crazy - but didn't understand how to pull it off - still don't. Fenton yours shouldn't work either. If i can understand this concept i can rule the world. Well almost. 7 IS DIFFERENT. this changes everything. everything. Fess up guys. why does this work? Can you walk me through it. Help me understand HOW it works please? I feel like I've just had it proven that gravity falls up. Oh. first message was responding to Comment and second to Fenton. They are so fast together! Pete

double wow. i've played with these relationships for a week. similar (sliding products in between customers and lineitems - duplicating lineitems and attaching this way and that, inserting globals everywhere, passing global calcs and ids like crazy - but didn't understand how to pull it off - still don't. Fenton yours shouldn't work either. If i can understand this concept i can rule the world. Well almost. 7 IS DIFFERENT. this changes everything. everything. Fess up guys. why does this work? Can you walk me through it. Help me understand HOW it works please? I feel like I've just had it proven that gravity falls up. Oh. first message was responding to Comment and second to Fenton. They are so fast together! Pete

double wow. i've played with these relationships for a week. similar (sliding products in between customers and lineitems - duplicating lineitems and attaching this way and that, inserting globals everywhere, passing global calcs and ids like crazy - but didn't understand how to pull it off - still don't. Fenton yours shouldn't work either. If i can understand this concept i can rule the world. Well almost. 7 IS DIFFERENT. this changes everything. everything. Fess up guys. why does this work? Can you walk me through it. Help me understand HOW it works please? I feel like I've just had it proven that gravity falls up. Oh. first message was responding to Comment and second to Fenton. They are so fast together! Pete

wow. one's a form and one's a report. but that graph is confusing and you don't even use a GTRR or find. Please explain your thinking. how did you make this work? Only a body in report not even sub-part or summary or sort or anything. i've tried this and even GTRR couldn't relate to last one. not relating on date or last serial. no custom function and no calculation, no set field calc in script (exept ID, wow). I'm speachless. Please explain how it works! this is a miracle