Portal Loop?

[nightdesigns]

Each one of my records refers to a specific auction number. When an auction doesn't sell, it is duplicated, and the previous item # is put into an "old item number" field. I'd like an easy way to show how many times an item has been put up. I think i would need to "loop" a portal, but not sure how to do this. Of if you have a better idea, let me know.

Thanks

-j

[Kurt Knippel]

Hmm, how about a simple counter? Each time the item is duplicated for a new auction, the counter gets incremented?

[nightdesigns]

Re: "Hmm, how about a simple counter? Each time the item is duplicated for a new auction, the counter gets incremented? "

The idea is good, unfortunatly there's already 8500+ records. I'd also like to bring up other related data from the other ones like the end date and to see if any data was changed, etc.

[LiveOak]

Build a self relationship based upon auction number. The total records for that auction is then just a calculation field equal to Count(SelfRelationship::SomeField).

-bd

[nightdesigns]

Build a self relationship based upon auction number. The total records for that auction is then just a calculation field equal to Count(SelfRelationship::SomeField).

I have something like that set up, but here's where my problem lies.

Record 10 points to record 7

Record 7 points to record 4

Record 4 is the starting point.

How do i get all of that to show up in the same portal? I can only get record 10 to point to 7. Nothing before that.

Thanks

-j

[LiveOak]

I guess I should have said to have a field called "Original Auction Number". The first and all subsequent auctions derived from the first would have the same number in this field (do this in your duplicate script). The calculation field is in every record, you don't need a portal to see the total number of auctions in a group, just look at the calculation field in any record of the group.

-bd

[nightdesigns]

I guess I should have said to have a field called "Original Auction Number". The first and all subsequent auctions derived from the first would have the same number in this field (do this in your duplicate script). The calculation field is in every record, you don't need a portal to see the total number of auctions in a group, just look at the calculation field in any record of the group.

Unfortunatly that's now how the DB is really set up. I'm suck with existing ways, so i must use them. Each repeated auction is derived from a previous, and a previous before that and so on until essentially the "old auction id" is blank. At no point should 2 auctions ever have the same old ID number (since one is always being built off the other).

Maybe to clarify a little.

I have auction #10 with an old id of #7. I can see auction #7 in the portal no problem (self relationship) and the previous auction is #5. I think i need to "loop" the portal view so that after the 10 to 7 relationship, i need to look with 7 as the starting point and have the 7 to 5 relationship, and loop again for the 5 to whatever relationship. Thanks.

[LiveOak]

What you have is a simple linked list (heard this one before on the forums?). Without a common number to associate all the linked auctions easily, there is no reliable way to use this scheme. You could at some expense inscripting effort add such a field and fill it out for all existing records, otherwise I don't have a good solution. If they were my files, I'd add the field required and script a one time process to fill it out from the old data. All other approaches to finding the total auctions for each item are much less satisfactory. Isn't there anything that is common between the auction records?

-bd