Alphabetizing Columnar Style Layouts

[Jarvis]

I have a MAIN SCREEN layout that contains all the usual contact information for a customer.

I produced a second layout which is a columnar style layout.

In this layout I include only the field "CUSTOMER NAME".

I have layed a transparent button over the top of the name field.

When you go to the columnar list layout you click on a name and the transparent button activates the script GO TO MAIN SCREEN LAYOUT.

This works great. It allows me to see a list of customers, click on their name and go to additional information about this customer.

I would like to be able to alphabetize this columnar layout.

Can anybody tell me how to do this?

Thanks,

Jarvis

[Fenton]

You can sort the records. Capture the sort order by creating a script, with the single step Sort, AFTER sorting the way you want manually (or use the Replace button in the closing dialog). But it's a mixed blessing. It can be slow with a lot of records. For this reason it's best to Find the record(s) you want first.

Another fact is that sorting always returns you to the 1st record in the sort order, losing which record you were on.

To "sort 'n stay" capture the unique serial number of the record you're on and put it into a global field (of the same type, text or number).

Create a relationship between this global and the serial number field.

Then, after sorting, go to the related record. Looks like this:

Set Field [ _gSerialID, SerialID ]

Exit Record/request

Sort <-- this stores your custom sort order

Go to related record [ _gSerialID_SerialID relationship ]

Go to Layout [ "List View" ]

View as List <-- not needed if layout is always in List view, but doesn't hurt

Do not check "Show only related records," or you'll end up with only 1 record.