Go to Related Record

[Colm the Alchemist]

Hi fellow FMPro people!

I've been using FileMaker for over ten years now, but am only just starting to explore the custom web interface.

I have a 14-file (and growing!) database, which I want to be able to interrogate online. So far I've achieved a search, a table, and a form with portals. Simple stuff, but I need to know how to do two things:

1) How to "Go to Related Record"

2) How to use a script that contains "Go to Layout"

I can't find anything in either the FMPro or CHP help about this.

I'm using FMPro 4.

Many thanks.

[Unable]

re: 1)

You need to get the CDML Reference database. Search that string in the CDML forums. You will find at least one active link.

You may also find valuable information somewhere in the Sample Files forum - or not.

re: 2)

While you are searching the CDML Forum you should also look for the many threads about the issues of using ScriptMaker on the web. The issues are serious and already discussed.

re: 3)

Yeah, I know you did not ask, but you would also be well advised to search the Web Companion forum for a couple of threads by CharlieB (chazboi) on Security. You may also choose to see the query by Flanzy this past week on the UFO forum - or not.

Bon chance.

[Garry Claridge]

To "Go to a Related Record" you need to establish what is unique about that record. Is it a one-to-one or one-to-many relationship?

If it is a one-to-many I tend to use a Calculated field which displays the "RecordID" from the Related file. I then use this, in the Portal, as the "-find" criteria.

I often use purpose-built Layouts for my web applications. These Layouts are accessed with the "-lay" tag.

Hope this helps.

Garry

[Steve T.]

Hi, hermes! BTW, FMP4 will let you serve on the web just like FMP-Unlimited, but IMO it's not as stable. I don't think FMP4 had a directory function (trailing slash), either, i.e. if I remember correctly, we could not go/link to http://www.oursite.com/subfolder but instead had to completely list http://www.oursite.com/subfolder/index.html.

If you cannot find the CDML Reference database in the posts, go to the FileMaker, Inc. download pages (it used to be on the 1st page of downloads), but a default installation of FMP4 will have a "Web Tools" folder that includes the CDML reference db, which may be better for you anyway, since there are some things that will not work in 4 (such as inline actions or multiple tokens).

Welcome aboard! It's fun, although a 14-db system isn't the usually recommended starter project (LOL!). Oh, BTW... I have heard of DB corruption problems so try to save some empty shells of your db's when you get a chance. Plus, when you finally upgrade, I would suggest upgrading the empty shells first and then re-importing the data back into them. Good luck!

--ST

[Colm the Alchemist]

Thank you all for your replies.

Yes, I do have "CDML Reference", and the "CDML Tool".

I also have FMPro 5.5, but am using 4 because of the hits-per-day restrictions of 5. (But thanks for your thoughts on that, Steve.)

I've searched the Articles, Sample Files and CDML Forums, but not found anything useful.

Some background:

This is the membership database for Calder Connect Co-operative (www.3-C.CoOp), a local (West Yorkshire, UK) community-based broadband ISP, which we've set up as a co-op (as far as we know, the first in the UK).

The database was originally going to be available online through FileMaker itself, but I found it was so unbearably slow, it was unusable.

So I need to build this web interface. But time is not on my side, as we are already taking orders, and our workers need to use the database. This was not part of the plan!

I'm sure I could find the answers if I had all the time in the world, but I don't. If anyone can tell me *how* to do this, rather than where to look, I would be very, very grateful. And I'm sure it would be useful for other newbies, too.

What I'm trying to do is this:

1) list all members according to search criteria (members.fp3)

2) display details for each member (members.fp3)

3) display all the "problems" for that member (problems.fp3) - not as a portal, because I'll need to go down another level, to "actions.fp3"

NB. "members.fp3" and "problems.fp3" have a one-to-many relationship, using the numeric field "member_key" in members.fp3, and "member_match" in problems.fp3.

I've done (1) and (2), but I'm completely stuck on (3).

There's other stuff I want to do too, but I think the answers to them will be in the Forum. Just not this one!

[Garry Claridge]

To display the "problems" of a member you may wish to use either a "new Window" or "Frames".

The member listing could contain this:

<tr><td>[FMP-Field:mbr_id]</td><td>[FMP-Field:mbr_name]</td><td><a href="FMPro?-db=problems.fp3&-format=problems.html&mbr_id=[FMP-Field:mbr_id]&-find" target="_blank">Problems</a></td></tr>

You could also include "actions" in the Problems Listing or do the same thing with another Window or Frame.

All the best.

Garry

[Colm the Alchemist]

Thanks to everybody for your replies. After some discussion, it has been decided to hive off the payment tracking and support tables into separate databases. This will take me some time, as I'm doing it in my "spare time" (surely an oxymoron?!). As soon as I have, I will try out all your ideas and suggestions. And I'm sure I'll be back here when I do!

I'd like to get a book or two, but my problem is I'm using FMPro 4. Does anyone know of anything suitable?