Hi! I have a Traffic db that lists all jobs (roughly 3,000). I have a script that finds and only shows all open jobs (rougly 150) when you switch to the Traffic Schedule layout.

When I click "Find" within that layout, obviously it searches all records in the db. What is the command to say, "Only search for <user input> within the open jobs"? The criteria of the find will change each time depending on what the user needs to see, but she doesn't want to see every job ever created, only the ones that apply within the open jobs.

Am I rambling?

Thanks!!

If I'm reading this question right, you do know that you can do "And" finds? That is putting criteria for the find in different fields on the same request. This means that you can put a critera in the field for "open jobs", and a find criteria in field for "user input"

HTH

Lee

Thanks for your response - I do understand the "and" and the "New Request" option in the finds. The issue is this:

User logs on and hits "Traffic Schedule" button on the menu. It automatically does a find to only show open jobs when it switches to this layout. User wants to search at that point for a specific job or client but when she does so, it searches all records in the database, not just the open jobs.

Does that dilemma make any more sense? Thanks so much for any insight. I'm on coffee #2 so I should be making more sense by the minute!

- disallow manual find

- include "job open?" fieldin find layout (can be 1x1 pixels wide)

- when user clicks find button, "open" will be entered into "job open?" field, then find script

So far we're assuming that an open job is determined by a text field that has the word "open" in it. If that is in fact the case, then Christian's idea is good, but FYI you don't even need the field on the find layout if you use Set Field. Yes, it works in Find mode.

You could make a button that either puts you in Find mode and sets the field, or a button that you click to set the field and perform the Find, or if you use Status(CurrentMode) you can have one button that does both.

If you have FileMaker 6, you could use a button and/or show your users how to use the Constrain Find feature, which does what you originally asked.

THANKS SO MUCH BOTH OF YOU! I told the "Find" button to enter find mode and set the field. Now the user can be free to type any search she wants in the find mode and it will automatically rule out closed jobs without her even knowing what's going on!

So simple... sometimes I do not have a marvelous grasp on the obvious, I swear.

Still on FM5 here