Creating records through relationships

[Ricardo]

Hello,

I am recording job cycle times.

Each job is represented by 1 record.

Each job (record) could be done more than once.

Each time i need to record the seperate times.

iam going to do this by having another db which will have recordings of job cycle times. This will be related to my Job database.

Is it possible that every time a time is recorded for one job (record) it creates a new record in the Time db?

E.g. 1 job (record) is carried out 5 seperate times and so has 5 seperate time results, so creates 5 records in the Time db.

i'm not sure if this is possible by using the 'allow creation of related records' feature under relationships?

Hope you can understand this!

Your help is appreciated.

Thanks,

ricardo.

[Geeksharka]

Turning the allow creation of related records feature on allows you to create child records from the parent table. Which means you'll be able to create Time records from the Job table.

You could also create child records from the parent table via scripts. Simply start in the parent table and set up a script that copies its key entity field (unique ID#), goes to the child table, Adds New Record, pastes the parent ID into the appropriate field - and presto, your newly created child record is related to the parent one you started out in.

There are endless variations on this, but the advantage of scripting the process is that, well, it's a script -- so you can have the system do a whole slew of other things at the same time (error-checking, setting fields, going to layouts, etc. etc.)

[Ricardo]

Cheers Sharka.

I see you've been face painting!!

Thanks again,

ricardo.

[Ricardo]

More problems!....

The problem is that the parent record (1 record) can be worked on more than once so therefore i need to show each individual timed event as a seperate record in the child database.

so the unique id for the parent record will always be the same.

i would prefer to have this through a relationship as i don't want to rely on manual intervention to trigger a script every time a timed event is finished .

i need to go from 1 record in the parent database to create possibly many records in the child database.

any help would be appreciated.

ricardo.

[Geeksharka]

I may be missing the point here, but you can create endless amounts of Child records from the one Parent record, at any time. All at once, once a day, once an hour, whenever you feel like it, all of the above, etc. etc.

As for 'triggering' it, it's just a matter of scripting.

i would prefer to have this through a relationship as i don't want to rely on manual intervention to trigger a script every time a timed event is finished .

I suggest having a script to mark when an event is finished, and at that point it creates a new Time (child) record, and in the course of that script, timestamps the new child record. You could also create that child record when the timed event commences, either way will work. You just need to make sure to also enter the alternate time easily (via a script).

[Ricardo]

what i have doen so far is created the relationship from the master db to the child db. ::UNIQUE ID - ::unique id.

when the job is finished a button is presses and a script creates a new record in the child db and inputs the Unique id number from the master file in to the child file.

The fields in the child db i have selected as lookup fields which lookup the times for each stage of the first job (1 record) in the Master db.

Then if this is required to be done again (same record) the script creates a new record in the child db when this event is finished as before.

Hope i have expalined this ok!

This looks like it works but i wondered if there is any better ways of doing this?

Thanks,

ricardo.

[Geeksharka]

Sorry Ricardo, now I am confused too.

I think I semi-understand your quagmire, but not entirely, which usually results in me explaining an issue altogether unimportant to you.

So, perhaps this will help. I hope so.

You can create numerous Time records for any Job, each one with their own time settings. If this is indeed what you need to do, then we're in business.

It seems as if the first time data for a job somehow remains in the original parent/job record, which if you keep using it, will of course not be correct for all subsequent Time records.

So, scrap the original setting in the parent record (it should already have been entered into the first child/time record anyway). Basically, it's a holding field, and once its data has been transferred to the child record, you might as well erase it from the parent record -- so it can be utilized again when the next time/child record needs to be created.

- - -

I could of course be entirely off plan here, in which case my apologies.

[Ricardo]

That sounds right!!!...

...Parent db - Job started (1 record). Record time when start - record time when finish. This then creates a record in the child db.

This is done when a Finish Script is run in the Parent db which generates a New record in the child db. The Unique ID is entered in the relationship field in the Child db. The other fields in the child db then lookup the specified fields in the parent db.

Parent db - Same job (same record) required to be done again. So same as above. Record Start time and record finish time. Finish script again creates a new record in Child db. so now have 2 records in Child db. The same unique id is entered in to the relationship field in the second record Child db. Then the lookup fileds look in to the specified fields in the parent db, this time there will be different time results in the fields in the Parent db.

So now have 2 records in child db, showing that 1 job (1 record) in the Parent db has been run twice and so therfore have two Recordings (2 records) in Child db.

If you understand this is this what you had in mind or do you have a better way of doing this?

Thanks for all your help Sharka very much appreciated,

Ricardo.

[Geeksharka]

That's how it's supposed to work. It may seem repetitive, but that's why some scripting comes in handy. It's alway better to have multiple (related) records than multiple fields. Faster and more flexible. Once you've got the whole parent/child creation script set up, just tweak it in both layout and script until its workings fit your needs.

I see it's as cloudy as ever in Hull.

[Ricardo]

What do you mean 'its cloudy in Hull' it's a lovely sunny day today

.

So what i have done is basically what you would do?

Thanks for all your help, very much appriciated.

Ricardo.

[Geeksharka]

So what i have done is basically what you would do?

If it works, then that's the way I would do it.

(I've been to Hull several times, but all in the '80s -- so if it's sunny there now, then that rumor about global warming must be true).

[Ricardo]

what country does Marthas Vineyard reside in?

Next stage in this project will be to get all of the time results and put them in to a graphical format e.g. bar, line charts etc this needs to in ht echild db.

It's all fun!!

[Geeksharka]

what country does Marthas Vineyard reside in?

It's a small island off the east coast of the US (where they filmed Jaws).