Multiple finds from multiple fields help

[wingwalker]

Hi Hugo,

I've been getting use to your files today and I'm having some trouble. I entered my name and address info, entered a new car and service dates the same as you used and entered the same purchase date you used. But I cannot get my name to come up in the "List of appointments to be scheduled"!

What am I doing wrong?

Carl

[Lee Smith]

His name is Ugo not Hugo

[wingwalker]

Hi Lee and thank's for letting me know. I looked through the post and I used Ugo at the beginning and why I changed it to Hugo and don't know. But I'm glad you brought it to my attention. Sorry Ugo!

BTW, did you download Ugo's solution and did you try to make the schedule work and did it work for you?

Thank's again Lee,

Carl

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Hi,

Sorry for that. While setting the Customer Ids, I had to go back as I hadn't set the Ids correctly. I thought it was fixed, while it's not. The next ID in the File will be ID0010, but Mr VELOCE already has it. So if you don't mind, either delete Mr VELOCE, or create a new one and your name will appear.

[wingwalker]

Good Morning Ugo,

I deleted Mr. Veloce, but my name still did not come up. I double checked to make sure the purchase date was the same as you used on one of the other vehicles (MERCEDES 350 SL 2002) shown on the "List of appointments to be scheduled" and it was.

What do you think?

Carl

[Ugo DI LUCA]

I think I may have to repost a new one...

What ID have been attributed for your new Customer ? Check that it isn't a duplicate. Sorry for that, it sticks but the way I set the Ids was quite a fantasy.

Where doesn't he come up. Through the Lookup in the Main Layout of the Contracts File, or in the Portals for either the Model, the Contract, the scheduler ?

Try the following in the meanwhile. Delete all records from the Scheduler the Contracts file, and the Customer File. Import from your sample file all customers you had created. Checks that the Ids are OK.

Then, goes in the Contract File and affiliate the Customers and the Cars, giving a Purchase Date that would be from March 2003 to April 2003 (so that you'd got something to see within the next 5 weeks, as the minimum interval was set to 6 months in nearly all models specs).

Then, hit the "Launch Scheduler" button for each contract.

I'll check back your answer prior to investigate in the File itself. In my opinion, it's all ID Problem.

[wingwalker]

Hi Ugo,

I still could not get it to work. I did a total delete of the three files you noted above and re-entered my data including a purchase date of March 22, 2003 and ran the "Launch Scheduler" but the "List of appointments to be scheduled" is still empty.

Sorry to keep bothering you,

Carl

[Ugo DI LUCA]

So I tried again and it works fine. Your mail box does'nt

I think you were waiting for DATES to be scheduled just when the Purchase was submitted, while I opted for a schedule of WEEKS.

This gives the user the ability to planify ulteriorly any services with a Customer.

That's why, at opening, the file drives you to a portal with thos services to be done within a range of 5 weeks. Now, you'd be able to plan a Date of appointment, with the customer using the "Appointment" button.

You'd get a list of those opened days, excluding week-ends and Holiday.

If what you want is to instantly schedule a day at submission of a purchase, then it would be even more easy. But there are chances that planning a date 18 months in advance will lead to a lot of cancellation, while scheduling it 4-5 weeks before is rather the way we usually go.

[wingwalker]

Hi Ugo,

I have tried every way I know to get it to work, but to no avail. If it is working on your end, then there is some logic I've overlooked that is keeping it from working for me.

""RE: But there are chances that planning a date 18 months in advance will lead to a lot of cancellation, while scheduling it 4-5 weeks before is rather the way we usually go.""

I do not want to make a schedule 18 months out. What I want to do is on the 18th month from the date the engine was purchased, send the customer a reminder notice the engine is due for service and again on the 24th month etc. The customer would then call in to schedule an appointment.

But as I said, this database will not be used to schedule appointments. It is used as a "reminder" only! So, if an engine is purchased January 18, 2003 and the first reminder is set for 6 months. A reminder would come up July 18, 2003 to contact that customer.

I tried my eMail earlier and it worked fine. I'm sorry you had trouble.

I worked for four hours today trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong with your solution. I mean, if it works for you it should work for me right! But I never got it to work! Computing can be frustrating at times.

Thanks for all your help Ugo,

Carl

[wingwalker]

I just found out yesterday what some of you have most likely already figured out. It was in fact the ID's that kept the solution from working. Once I went in and made all the ID numbers the same in each file, everything worked great.

Now I need to figure out how to work it into my solution and the world will be a beautiful thing.

Ugo you're the best, thanks for everything!

Carl

[Ocean West]

While I have not had the luxury to read this entire thread I understand that your end goal

is to show you a list of customers you need to conatct at some future date.

When ever I deal with customers and it involves dates I strongly recommend a plugin or you can use this solution HERE This will also allow you to prepend and postpend data to the keys so when you want to find a customers via a range you can.

Instead of marking literal 3/6 or 12 months you should specify an actual date. Then every day when you run a script you will find the necessary records based upon start date and end date and any other data that you append.

This also is much faster than performing finds, especially in a large file. Even if you enter number for "months to contact in" you can easily calculate the actual date, and extend it round the day up or down to the nearest work day.

[wingwalker]

Hi Stephen,

I appreciate your reply. I went to the site you showed on the post "HERE" and downloaded the pdf file on Smart Ranges. A little heddy reading for a novice but I get the idea. You made mention of a sample file for Smart Ranges but I could not find where to go for the download. Can you help me with this?

Thanks Stephen,

Carl

[Lee Smith]

At the bottom of this Article,

http://www.onegasoft.com/tools/smartranges/index.shtml

It says:

It's a long article, so if you'd like to have it printed get the PDF version with FileMaker samples (206K).

HTH

Lee

[wingwalker]

Hi Lee,

I had downloaded the PDF file. What I'm after is the "Sample file". You will note when you click on Stephen's HERE link, at the bottom of that post is another link that says "Here is the instructins and file samples". I took that to mean that there is a sample files that goes along the the PDF file.

That's what I'd like to have if there is one, is the sample file.

Carl

[Lee Smith]

Hi Carl,

This is crazy.

I downloaded these files a long time ago (the site was different then), but by the way it is written, it sure sounded like there would be both.

There is a contact link there, why not write them and see what they have to say.

HTH

Lee

[Mike D.]

Here's the file. I had downloaded it about a year ago.

HTH, Mike

SmartRanges2.zip

[wingwalker]

Thanks Mike I appreciate the post. I should have realized when I read the PDF file that the sample file would be way over my head and I wasn't wrong. But I sure thank you for sending it my way.

Carl