help for newbie please

[semele]

Hey there....i'm new at all this filemaker stuff and i've been sort of thrown into doing this...well...thing....

ok...i have to make a database that gives me the option of searching under one "serial" number ...and shows me ...two drop down lists of items attached to said "serial". now i think i need to create a portal..but....i guess it would be a portal..within a portal..(so confused)

is there a tutorial somewhere thats a good guideline for beginners?...

[willi]

Hi,

what do you want?

A portal is a "look" to a connected database (like positions from an invoice) to create, change and delete records.

Willi

[semele]

well...maybe it's not a portal then...sniff sniff.. ...ok...

maybe I'm not explaining this fully...

ok...i work for an art publishing company..and they need to be able to quickly look up their files which are right now all on hard copy..which is kind of ridiculous...but i can figure out the best way to come about setting it all up.

what they do know is look up the artists name...then see where that artists files are backed up...could be on 2, 3, or 4 separate tapes.

from there they need to look into each tape to find the specific file that they need.

so i need to figure a way for them to find the artist(then find tape#then title)

AND also be able to search for title (then tape #)

...as a beginner I'm really confused about how to set this up but I'm sure that there has to be a way to do it in filemaker given its POWERS!! heh...

[willi]

Hi,

thats look like some databases: one for the artist, the second related for the tapes and the third for the titles.

In the first you make a portal for the tapes and a small button go to a layout in the title-db.

And theres a portal for the title.

In the title-db you can find and print all you need (make a relation the titles to tapes and titles to artist).

Willi

[semele]

And then there would be light....

Thanks a million...seems to be making more sense now....

and so i go off to tackle the world of portals ....wish me luck!

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Check this sample file.

from attachments section at the entrance

There is a quick example for a Library.

Library section (Geography, History, Art)

Books

Chapters.

[semele]

heya...so i took a look at the example...um....i;'m sort of lost here cause that didnt seem to make sense to me

also....i'm starting to get into circles over here when tryign to get these separate databases going...

yeah ....i know....another newbie who knows jack!...a knightmare....but ive got this much going....i have an archival database going that seems to be working fine...

i can search under artists name OR tape # and i find what i need to find..

tho im not sure making the tape # fields a repeating field was such a good idea...it did give me what i needed being as there are muplitple tape #'s for each artist...

but then again there are multiple titles AND artists attached to each tape # also..

so now im not sure what the other databases are supposed to look like...and when or how to start this portal business....

any advise or links to tutorials(since i have yet to find a good one) would be helpful...

~drowning newbie begging for guidance !

[willi]

Hi,

> but then again there are multiple titles AND artists attached to each tape # also..

you need a cross table for a n:n relation, but i have only descriptions in german, sorry.

Willi

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Hi,

i can search under artists name OR tape # and i find what i need to find..

tho im not sure making the tape # fields a repeating field was such a good idea...it did give me what i needed being as there are muplitple tape #'s for each artist...

The major problem of repeating fields, apart for its unrelational feature is that you need to know by advance how many fields you need or how many repetitions.

so now im not sure what the other databases are supposed to look like...and when or how to start this portal business....

Portals are useful to enter records, view and edit records without having to "open" the related database. By filtering your portals, you can go wherever you want, using whatever field as a filter. When I started File Maker, I also had these separate files, they were linked each other but :

- entries were processed from each database

- search was performed in each database.

The example was intended to show how you could look to a file two relation away, using only one file, but you could use Willy solution with a script that would lead you to the file. Then, another portal would lead you to the third file.

any advise or links to tutorials(since i have yet to find a good one) would be helpful...

The best tutorial I found is really this Forum. Try to have a look at some attachment, then search for subjects that matches your interest. You will find that site awasome, I'm sure.

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Hi Willi, Hi jgt,

Cross table...

Again, make a search for Line Items on the forum and you will really see the sun shine.

[semele]

>but i have only descriptions in german, sorry.

thats ok willi thank you for your help!

and thank you dilucaugo68 for the clarification on portals....i dont believe that a portal is what i need then...

seems that a many-to-many may be the ticket...

>The best tutorial I found is really this Forum.

i'm starting to get that feeling

thank you both for your help!

i'll let you know what i come up with...