Finding before Entering

[michaelzap]

I'm sure that this is something many of you have done many times, but for me it's a first so I'd appreciate some feedback/advice.

I want to script a Find before allowing users to creat a new record (to be sure that it's not a duplicate). What I have in mind is:

1. Create a button that adds a new contact.

2. Have this button perform a Find that checks for matches of first name, last name, partner's first name, partner's last name, and street address.

3. Display all possible matches in a layout that lets the user either choose one of the existing records (if it's the same person) or create a new one.

Does this seem like a good way to do what I need done? The previous database had tons of duplicates, so I need to go the extra mile to prevent them in the new one. However, it's gotta be simple and easy-to-use as well.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[slbr549]

I've done this before, and your logic seems to be good. When the user enters the name, I would have FM copy the field first before performing the find. This way, the user doesn't have to retype the name if they decide to create a new record. If the user decides to create a new record, have FM Paste the name field. Of course, if the name field is split into multiple fields (first/last name), this won't work (although you could create a full name field and set the first/last names fields with a script).

Hope this was helpful.