I'm at a design crossroads here. I need some insight.

I am making a system to a company the prints various graphics on many different types of clothes (to T-shirts to sweat pants to hats to even umbrellas.)

One of the requirements is to make to be able to be able to visually choose the which graphic goes where on a particular piece of clothing. I have a graphics database for all the graphics as well as a inventory, invoice with lineitems.

From this I made a mock up for a generic T-Shirt. In the lineitems I've made it so for said T-Shirt you have select the graphic for each printable region for a T-Shirt, then I have 6 related container fields that show the related graphic from the graphic database for each printable region (ie front center, left&right shoulder, middle back etc).

That works out just fine, but since there is about 20+ different items all with different printable areas and there can be new clothing types added, I have design problem.

Do have about 80+ container fields per lineitem for every possible item type?

It's not the most efficient way, and I'll have to have 20+ layouts (one for every type) as well and a boat load of wasted fields.

Or could I make a clothing type database with a one-to-many with a printable area database and choose areas that are printable for every clothing type?

This way the users can add new types after its done and it is far smoother. I would like to do this but how would I go about defining how and printable area is shown to the user in the lineitems? Make a 10x10 grid of container fields and have every area have a coordinate?

Ideas anyone?

I'm using the grid methode but instead of simple containers I put the portals (with related containers inside).

I know this mean 100 rels but you would have all of flexibility for doing what ever you want.

BTW the largest grid I've ever use (12*12 -->144 relationships)

However I'm usually working with only 3*3 or 5*5 grid.

It depends on how many hot spots you have to handle.

Also, for some implementation is acceptable use of multi row portals so the number of rel will drastically decrease.

HTH

Dj