Updating a related file

[fl8rmaus]

Hi, I'm brand new here. New to FileMaker also, so I'm looking for your expertise in this field.

I'm trying to set up a relational db where there will be a customer file, a contact person file.. maybe another file too, not sure yet. The plan is for all of these to be related to another file, which will be invoices. I understand how to relate files, have worked with that a little on my own. What I'd really like to be able to do is if someone's working in the invoicing file and they have a NEW contact person that they'd be able to enter the info in the invoice and have that update the contact file.

Sadly, I've hit the end of my skills. I've tried using portals with little success. What's the best way to go about this? Any advice?

Thanks

M

[Lee Smith]

Hi M,

This is probably not what you want to here, But I recommend that you spend $40.00 on a book called "Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro 5." It comes with a CD chuck full of sample, learing and tip files, and the book does an excellent job of explaining how to do this. Also, your FM disk came with some basic templates and sample files, so you should take a look at those too.

HTH

Lee

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Spend some time on the forum and you'll get some experience too.

Not clear what you want to do is CREATING a new customer while in the Invoice file or UPDATE contacts information for an existant customer ?

[fl8rmaus]

That's what I'm hoping. I have learned a lot since I threw myself into this, and I expect a lot more growth in the future. Finding people who are willing to drop a little knowledge on me is nice. Maybe some day I'll be able to take a real class. Until then...

I would like to be able to create a new record. I was playing with this before and thought that you could set up a pull down list and allow users to edit the customer info from there, but it looks to me like you could only add the new customer's name and not all his contact info - that the "edit" would only allow you to add to that particular field in the other file.

The only thing I can come up with is many pull down lists for many fields in the invoice with the ability to edit the related customer file, but how would FileMaker know which new customer phone went with which new customer name? That can't be the right way to do this. Do you use a portal to do this?

[And I've had a devil of a time getting portals to work. I'm not comprehending them entirely, I suspect.]

Thanks

M

[Ugo DI LUCA]

The best startpoint for you is to view the construction of an invoicing system. You will catch the basic rules here.

Click here.

One very important point. All operations are "centralized" in a Line Item File. This file will be the crossroad of your system. Any records from customer, product should go into it. Any records from Invoice should come from it...

[jasonwood]

Don't make the mistake of using related fields in invoices. If you do this, and the client information changes, then all of the invoices change. Normally you want your invoices to be constant from the invoice date, otherwise you never really know which address you shipped to for a particular invoice if the client has changed addresses (for example).

I have never found a need to change information from an invoice. Normally you find the client file first, then click an "Invoice Client" button to create the invoice. If you later realize you need to change some information, you can make the changes in the client file, and then simply force the invoice to relookup the information (one way to do this would be to re-enter the client number on the invoice).