FileMaker made it easy, but you are making it too hard.

Do the first find request, entering name AND date criteria. Don't use separate requests for name and date, as that results in a found set containing all records with the same name, and all records with the same date criteria. Such a search is a boolean OR search, which you don't want.

The find step for the the incompletes is only missing one thing: click the OMIT box.

As to your request for good reading material on this, permit me to use an old Air Force term: RTFM (Read the f*cking manual). It really spells out how to do finds in FileMaker very well.

In my experience, finding and sorting are worth a full day class for those who don't read the manual. And worth it, as it is the bread and butter of reports.

I have never seen anything so complicated. Reports for FileMaker are strange. All I need to do is create a button (got that part)that when the user clicks it, he/she can choose a name, select a date range and it returns a report/layout. Here is what I have:

Find Mode [Pause}

Go to Field [Name]

New Record/Request

Go to Field ["date"]

New Record/Request

Go to Field ["date_completed"]

Insert Text [select, "="]

Here is where I need to somehow Omit records that are not completed.

Perform Find[]

Can FileMaker5 handle more than 2 pieces of criteria during a search b/c I cannot even do it manually: Can omitting records be automated and can anyone recommend a good book for FileMaker5. I have lost my patience with FileMaker. I learned SQL and ASP together faster than FileMaker. Until then, it is back to the Bat cave to decipher some more FileMaker.