origamijason

You know, this post and an earlier post about omitting field names as column headers and hand-coding the first record to act as column headers solved this problem. Thanks! Jason Tempestini

I have a system which requires me to export packing slips in an unusual way. Each shipment is a row, with the last "x" number of columns representing the packages (or line items) in the packing slip. For example, if I am shipping three items, I will have columns for job number, address, csz and then three additional columns, one for each item. I may have two items or I may have 20 items. Currently, I control this by adding and removing fields from the export database so that each item gets its own column. The actual data is the number of items going to each location. This works great if I am the one creating each shipment, but I would like to be able to take a vacation. How do I script either the creation (or deletion) or fields, or, alternatively, script the creation of columns in the excel export? Thanks for any help! Jason Tempestini

Perhaps this is a bit big hammer, but you could store the words in the field and use the choose() function to pull numeric values from the list of text values. Alternatively, you may wish to revisit why they need to be numeric at all.

Wow. I have no idea what lit off this stream of responses more than a year after the original post, but I couldn't be more appreciative. At a time when I was seriously slowing my own moves toward my company (I'm too busy at my day job, my life is too much, my new baby will eat up all my time) these notes have me thinking again about my approach. Thank you all for your input. More specific feedback on elements to come.

I am starting my own FileMaker developement business, after years of doing solutions in house and for friends. As I begin the process of writing my business plan, I'm trying to get an idea of the size of the market, and what barriers to entry those of you who have been making your living as FileMaker developers see for the next up-and-coming developer. I fully intend to make FileMaker development my sole career and leave my current job in printing behind, so any advice or thoughts you might have would be welcome! Jason Tempestini Curly Media