I have a really long list of fee codes (+/- 3500), so a "hotlist" is an obvious necessity. I could just allow users to flag the hotlist items in the "Fees" file and display the flagged fees in the "Invoice" file using a conditional menu, but I'd like to give the users a 'professional' interface to create the hotlist, where they can move codes to and from the hotlist....something along the lines of the FM Sort dialogue box.

I've tried a variety of relationships (and even tried writing hotlist entries to another file...) nothing has worked... can a brighter mind suggest a solution?

Thanks

Dave

Here's a possible solution. It uses a constant relationship and a boolean relationship to add/remove items from the hotlist. From a second file you can access it via a constant-to-flag relationship.

Modified to add highlight when code is selected for hotlist.

Hotlist.zip

Thanks for a speedy response...

That's the idea, and I had reached much the same stage. My sticking point is that sending a code to the hotlist doesn't remove it from the main list. Also, when I select a code from halfway down the main list it jumps back to the first entry on the main list.

Regards

Dave

The jumping is a natural problem when using portals. You could probably get around that problem with a static (I can't remember the buzz word for them around here) portal.

The attachment might solve your other problem.

Hotlist.zip

Thanks... that's exactly what I wanted. I'll try to track down the "static portal".

Dave

I fixed the "jumping back" problem by adding a step to script to remember the portal row... it keeps the cursor at the bottom of the portal, which is a lot better than jumping back to the top of the list.

Could I extend the problem a little? In the same data base I have a huge number of parts. Naturally I'd like to continue the concept of a "hotlist", but scrolling through 6500 part numbers to flag approximately 100 is tedious to say the least. The parts are arranged in categories eg: nuts, bolts, washers. Is there a way to populate the main portal by selecting the category first, and then transfer to the "hotlist portal" as per the solution provided by Queue (above)

Thanks

Dave

May be this can help as a start.

With some more settings, you can have as many "leaves" in that tree...

In your case, just another set with your categories...

You can implement a fixed portal too with this tehnique. I'm using this daily in one file. One caveat though. When you'd script a Go To Relate Records from a folder, the grouped records won't be sorted the way the relationship was.

You'd have to first run the GTRR, then use a sub-script to re-sort at wish...

But more than that, once you've made it once, you'd be able to implement it broadly.

HTH

MainAndSecondary.fp5.zip

Thanks Ugo... that's a very elegant solution.

Is it possible to get all the 'leaves' to display in the right-hand portal, instead of below the 'branch' headings? (I don't need to re-classify the 'leaves' once they're on the appropriate 'branch')

Regards

Dave

If I understand, you'd need to have only one category appear at the time. This would get you just to the classic filtered portal then, and would involve a value list.

Ths value list would populate a g_key which would be the Left key for the relationship.

There are plenty of discussion about filtered portal around on this Forum. If you want a fixed filtered portal, search for the "OSX Portal Look" in the Sample section.

Ok, I must have been blind...

Dave E said:

The parts are arranged in categories eg: nuts, bolts, washers. Is there a way to populate the main portal by selecting the category first, and then transfer to the "hotlist portal" as per the solution provided by Queue (above)

To have the whole category be pulled in the hotlist, then set a loop through the related record that would set "preferences" to whatever the key you're using (TopList is ID0001 in my file as for an example)

In a Network situation, you'd need to trap errors though when the record is locked.

Thanks Ugo... I think I've got it right... the 'OSX Look Portal' thread was a great help.

-Dave