Find current record?

[Jeff Mao]

It seems to me I must be too sleep deprived,....but I'm stuck on what seems to be a simple issue,...

I have a database where each record is in one of seven categories. Depending on the category, I've got a layout to enter the details related to that category. I've got a layout that is a simple list view so I can see some of the common elements about all the fields, and I want a button that jumps back to the appropriate detail layout for that record.

I know I can simply do a series of If-thens to determine the type and direct myself to the right layout, but since I was just viewing all of the records, I can now flip back and forth between all the records on this particular detail view. I want to reduce confusion for my users so that whenever you are on the detail view, you only see that type of record. In the rest of the database, this is already scripted with simple finds and go to layout commands as I've taken these layouts off of the popup menu above the rolodex (does that have an official name?!). But for this particular need, I'm stumped,...

Is there an easy way to do this? Or do I need to use some sort of field as a flag, and find the flag? Then I'd need to add more lines to each navigation script to strip out this flag later, etc,...

Thanks

Jeff

FileMaker Version: Dev 6

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

[MoonShadow]

Jeff said...I want to reduce confusion for my users so that whenever you are on the detail view, you only see that type of record.

You could create a self-join on Category and attach a Go To Related [show]. The resultant set would only be those Categories. However, if Users were allowed to search from those filtered layouts, you'd be back at square one. I think you'd need some tight controls.

[Jeff Mao]

Thanks for the idea. Being able to display only one type of record isn't too hard in general, but when I go from a list of, for example, 20 records of varying types, how would one have a user click a button that displays that particular record on a different layout that is displayed as a form AND have it be among a found set of only it's type? If I use my "find" method or a self-join/related record method, that captures the right group of records, but always then displays the first among those records as opposed to the one from which I clicked the button to view the "detail" view.

[Jeff Mao]

Figured out a usable method,...if anyone has a more elegant solution, please share.

Thanks

Jeff

[Fenton]

Use 2 Go To Related Record [""] statements.

Assuming SerialID is a unique ID, and _gSerialID is a global field, with a self-relationship from _gSerialID to SerialID.

Set Field ["_gSerialID", "SerialID"]

Exit Record/Request

Go To Related Record [ Show, "self_Category"]

Go To Related Record ["self__gSerialID"]

You could add a check that there IS a category. Notice the 1st Go To Related Record has Show, the 2nd doesn't.

You would of course lose the original Found set, as you would with any method showing just the Category. If it matters, you can capture the Founds set, using the Copy All Records technique. Then restore it upon switching back to the list. They wouldn't need to know this was happening if you scripted it well; but it might seem odd to them. It's also breakable on huge found sets (over 64,000 characters in the multi-line key, in pre-v.7).

Perhaps a better method would be to show the category records in a portal, with the selected record having a mark or background color to show it (using the self-relationships above).

I don't know how many records are in these found sets. Too many and the portal method is no good.

test2.zip

[Fenton]

My example is a little misleading. You would either use the double Go To Related Record steps, or, if you're using the portal with the highlighted row, you'd just go to the details layout, leaving the found set as is. I attached my Go To Related Record script to the button; but in reality you'd either use one method or the other, not both.