Limit Portal Print Length

[Therber]

I need to print the items in a portal to a pre-printed form. The pre-printed form has 14 rows for information on each page and my portal can have any number of rows. Therefore, I need to find a way to print only 14 rows at a time from the portal.

The information to be printed will be entered via a portal. And since each portal of information has a unique ID, could I sequentially number each item when entered and then have items with numbers 1-14 show initially to be printed? Or is there a better method?

Thank You

[email protected]

[watergeek]

I have always found that it is better to print/view reports from the actual file displayed in the portal. Use a script to move to the other file, use a sub script to do the find, go to layout, print, etc. then have the original script move back to the original file.

The report that you need will be a subset of all the records in the related file. Get this subset by doing a find or through a relationship.

When you make the report make it all blank and formatted to fit your pre-printed form except for the body which would have the fields that you need to represent. Set the body preferences in layout mode- part set up to page break after 14 occurrences. This will provide as many pages as necessary.

[Therber]

Thanks. Got it to work. The only thing now is I need to have a total for each page of 14 items rather than an overall total for all items. Can I create subsummary part which will do this? Can't get it to work.

[watergeek]

I found sub-summaries and summary fields one of the hardest things to figure out when learning filemaker.

However, it is not too bad once you get the hang of it. First create a new field of the summary type. In the option dialoge select total for: [whatever field your adding up].

Now you need to to create a sub-summary in the layout mode. Then put the summary field that you created in the sub-summary area. I often make two matching sub summaries one above and one below the body. This allows the upper sub-summary have a description or the total or whatever, and the lower matching sub-summary can be selected to have a new page after every 1 occurance. This way the pages break when they are supposed to. The lower one can also hold the total if needed.

Make the sub-summary sort by the same field that is being totaled. View in preview mode, with all the records of the found set sorted by the same field as the sub-summary is sorted. You can add other sort criterea as needed.

Put the find, sort, layout selection, and enter preview mode into a script and there you go.

[harryk]

Yesterday I posted an answer to a rather similar question. Section 'Outputting Issues' Thread: 'print after a given number of occurances'. Hope it brings you furtheron.

Harryk

[CobaltSky]

In order to create a Sub-summary part which will produce a total for each page of 14 items rather than an overall total for all items, you will need to create a 'BreakField' field to determine the break-up of your records into groups of fourteen.

The formula for such a field would be:

Int((Status(CurrentRecordNumber)-1)/14) + 1

---

After creating your 'BreakField' calculation field (preferably unstored with result type = number), then set your Sub-summary part to operate when sorted by 'BreakField', with a page break after every 1 occurrence(s).

That should give you a fourteen records and a sub-summary on each page.