Novice User Question

[djeans]

I am trying to create a database that will help me keep track of the miles that i drive and fuel used as well as fuel efficiency. I have a field labeled 'Current Mileage' and another labeled 'Previous Mileage'. What I would like to have happen is: Each new record created, the 'previous mileage' would automatically populate with the number that was in the 'current mileage' field in the previous record.

Is this possible?

thanks

darron

[DonH]

It is possible, but maybe a better way is to do it by dates. This gives you more flexibility if later you want to calculate the mileage for say a given year.

But to do what you want to do, you make your layout with 1 entry needed, your current mileage. You also have the field PREVIOUS which pulls the mileage currently stored in your db. Then you can have a button that runs a script that makes the calculation for mileage and replaces the mileage with the CURRENT mileage.

I believe tho that using mileage by dates would be best tho. You just need to have 3 fields. DATE, MILEAGE, MPG.

MPG would be a calculated field based on the mileages selected by dates. You could do so much this way. Charts, graphs, comparisons, etc etc.

[Mike D.]

One way to do this is to put the current mileage into a global field before creating the new record, then set the previous mileage field with the value in the global field.

Set Field [gMileage, Current Mileage]

New Record/Request

Set Field [Previous Mileage, gMileage]

HTH, Mike

[Jim McKee]

Mike ...

I'd add a couple of steps before yours:

Show all records

Sort (on Current Mileage, ascending)

Go to Record/Request [Last]

then your steps:

Set Field [gMileage, Current Mileage]

New Record/Request

Set Field [Previous Mileage, gMileage]

and finally

Go To Field ["Current Mileage"]

[Mike D.]

Jim,

Works for me. Hope it works for Darron.

Mike