Indented layouts/reports

[RDecker]

Any suggestions for how I might format layouts/reports so that I can produce an indented list? Specifically, if I have a chart of accounts with basically two fields, accountNumber and accountName, can I get the sub-accounts to indent? E.g.,

4500, Utilities

.. 4501, Utilities, Electric

.. 4502, Utilities, Gas

4600, Insurance

.. 4601, Insurance, liability

etc.

(These are just sample numbers--the periods are just to force an indent here; the actual account numbers I'm working with are longer and have up to two [perhaps 3?] levels of sub accounts.)

I've thought of breaking the account numbers apart (e.g., 45 and 01) so I can summarize by each part and then using a calc. field to put the full number back together for use within the system. I think that would work with printed reports, but I'd also like to be able to display such an indented list on a data entry screen in another file.

I've just started thinking about this one--and also just getting back into FM, coming into 7 Dev from work with v. 3 quite a few years ago. This is for a small non-profit system without a lot of complex accounting (mostly a hybrid of a checkbook with account balances).

Thanks,

Decker

FileMaker Version: Dev 7

Platform: Windows XP

[Ender]

Are your fields all in the same part on the layout (like body)? If you had them in separate parts, you could just move the field over for the part with the sub accounts.

[RDecker]

Yes, both are regular fields in a body. Sub-summarizing in a summary part would only collect the accounts by number--but that's not helpful since there is only one of each number. I want FM to handle autoindenting of these accounts based on the account number itself. I.e., if it has, say, 4 zeros on the end, flush left; if 3 zeros, indent one "step," if 2 zeros, indent two "steps," etc. But perhaps that's beyond the capabilities of even FM 7?

[Ender]

Can't you just make a calc:

case(right(account#,3)="000"," ",

right(account#,2)="00"," ") &

account#

Then just show this calc field on the layout instead of the real account#.