Posting Messages on Records?? How?

[fundidor]

I am trying to build a small Filemaker Pro data base where I can interact with my co-workers. For example: Each record is a task for the co-worker. Eg. A salesman called John. I ask him to visit my customers "william". I need to post messages on the record, and "talk" to my c-worker as the task develops.

I am new to FileMaker, and can create the records with each field. But how do I post messages on the record? I mean, How do I make a button that will make new fields or entries on the records?

May be someone has already built something similar. But I guess I am typing the wrong words when I search.

What I want to build is very similar to this forum. But it should run on Filemaker.

Thanks for any help!

[QuinTech]

Hi Bernardo, the easiest way to do this is to make the Comment/Posted Message field a repeating field. The user can just click into the first unused repetition to post a message.

An alternative is to have two related files, Tasks.fp5 and Messages.fp5, with "Allow creation of related records" selected, and ask users to enter comments into the portal.

Jerry

[fundidor]

Hi QuinTech!

Thanks for posting.

I have now two databases as you sugested (your second option), Messages.fp5 only has one field. Tasks.fp5 has a portal where I type the message, and a new record is created on Messages.fp5.

After typing the message on the record at task.fp5, the portal becomes empty. And the message is not seen on the record at tasks.fp5.

Please:

1) How do I get the record at tasks.fp5 to display the messages that were stored on messages.fp5?

2) How does Filemaker "know" which messages belong to which record?

Thanks again!

[QuinTech]

Bernardo, could you post clones of your files here? This would probably be much easier.

J

[fundidor]

Hi QuinTech!

I have done some progress. I figured out I needed to have IDs in both files so they could relate...

Here are the clones...

[fundidor]

here

[-Queue-]

You need to zip or stuff the files.

[fundidor]

You can find them here:

http://homepage.mac.com/fundidor/Messages.fp5

http://homepage.mac.com/fundidor/Tarefas.fp5

Thanks!

[QuinTech]

Bernardo, you solved your problem, right? Because i'm not getting the misbehavior you described. When i type a message into the portal, it stays there.

[fundidor]

Hi Quin Tech!

Thanks for the interest. Could you help me further?

I can't figure out how to stop one user from editing another user's messages.

Also I would like to place a small picture of the user close to each post.

Any ideas how I could accomplish this?

[fundidor]

I have uploaded the current versions of my files, to the same location. In case you would like to view them as they are now.

Thanks!

[fundidor]

I have uploaded new files to the same location. In case you want take a look at my files as they are now. Thanks!

[QuinTech]

Taking a step back:

You now want to do two things that are specific to a user: 1. Allow editing of messages; 2. Display a picture. Now might be a good time to introduce a third file, Usuarios (thank you babelfish.altavista.com).

Give Usuarios three fields (at least) UserID (auto-generated serial number), Name (text field) and Picture (container field). For each user/record, you can just paste their picture right into the field; fool around with Format>Graphic to get it to look right.

As for the other question, i would do this: Create a password for each user which is equal to their user name (File>Access Privileges>Passwords). This password should be the same for all three files. In Users, create a calc text field called CurrentUserName which is equal to ( Status ( CurrentPassword ) ). Also create a calc number field called U1 which is always equal to 1.

Now in Messages, create a global number field called U1g and in Browse mode set it equal to 1. Make a relationship between U1g and U1 from Users. Now through this relationship you are able to see the current user name from Users.

Still in Messages, make a field called UserName, auto-enter looked-up value Users::CurrentUserName. Any time a new record is created in Messages, it will be tied to the currently-logged in user.

Now go to Access Privileges>Passwords in Messages. Set Edit Records: Limited: UserName = Users::CurrentUserName. Now no user will be able to edit a message created by another user.

HTH,

J

[fundidor]

Hello Quin Tech!

I had a few problems and it seems not to work.

When you said

[QuinTech]

I am sorry, Bernardo, i wasn't paying much attention to what i was writing... what i told you was complete bunk. (It was actually applicable to another program, but that doesn't help you, does it?)

What you should do is create a password for each user, and in the Access Privileges menu associate each password with a different group (give the group the same name as the password). Now set CurrentUserName = ( Status ( CurrentGroups ) ). That is what i should have wrote the first time.

[fundidor]

Now it sounds better!

Thanks!