Indexed or not?

[Matt Klein]

Hi All -

Here is an interesting one that has me scratching my head...I have a field called Specimen_ID. It is a TEXT field that uses Auto-enter:Calculated Result. The calculation for the auto-enter uses a field(Count) that is defined as Count(Specimens::RecordID). That's all well and good.

Here is the quandry, when I bring up the Field Definitions box and look at the Specimen_ID field, it says it is Indexed which I would expect since it is a text field. However, when I try to use the Specimen_ID field in a calculation field, I can't Index the calculation field even though Specimen_ID is showing Indexed.

Normally, I would just concede that an Auto-Enter:Calculated Result field that uses a related field in the calculation can't be used in a calculation field that needs to be Indexed. But, in that case, I would expect that the Auto-Enter...field could not be indexed itself which is why the calculation field that uses it could not be indexed. That is just not the case here. I can even click in the Specimen_ID field and bring up the index for the field. I, also, used just the Specimen_ID field in a calculation field just to be sure it was that field causing the problem and still can't index it.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

[BobWeaver]

Well that doesn't sound right. Are you sure you aren't using some other unindexed field in the calculation field? Maybe a global?

As a test, you could remove the autoenter option from Specimen_ID, and then see if the calculation field can be indexed. If so, then put the autoenter options back again and see if the calculation field remains indexed. I've found that sometimes the order in which you define fields can make a difference.

[Fenton]

I can remember a discussion of this on another list. It does behave as George says. The auto-entered field can be indexed for Finds, etc., but it causes calculation fields depending on it to become unstored. FileMaker seems to use a different level of test when it decides on the indexing of calculations.

I wish I had more specifics. It is easy enough to find out if you have the problem. It may be as Bob says that changing the creation order of the fields will help; but it may not.

[Matt Klein]

I'm with you Bob. It doesn't sound right. I tried your test and the calculation field indexes fine if I remove the Autoenter option. However, when I reapply the autoenter option, the calc field comes up Unstored. It's a big bummer. I LOVE Filemaker and have for sometime, but this is one of several things that cause a lot of extra work and time when it should really be a quick and painless item.

I will just add this to my memory banks. I can solve my problem using scripts, I was trying to avoid that though.

Thanks for your responses guys.

[cjaeger]

Sometimes this can be solved when you save a clone (without data), then re-import the data.