In practicing with portals I created a small DB where I would enter a brand name and I wanted to see in the portal below, all the items previously entered with that brand name. I did a self join on the field brand. I can get the related records to show but only after I exit the layout and then come back to the same record.

In MS Access they had a trigger that could be applied when one exited a field.

How can I get to see immediate information in the portal when I exit the brand field?

What would be the "trigger" for the DB to do what ever it does when I exit and come back?

Thanks all and have a safe holiday

This is more or less a "refresh" issue. If you are not actually setting data in the record to that brand name, then using a global field (hence unstored) on that left side of the relationship will help the refresh. Often all you need is to hit the Enter key.

One way to force a portal to refresh is to set the field on the left side to itself (no real change to the data, just a "kick in the pants" to FileMaker), then Exit Record (Commit Record).

Another way is to toggle the "mode." Switch to Preview mode, then back to Browse mode. Forces the portal to redraw.

FileMaker now has the ability to run a script upon changing a field. It can be done with a plug-in, which is included with FileMaker Developer 7; but is also available at this web site:

http://www.databasepros.com

Look in Resources, Tips, click the New graphic. Lots of good files at that site, but here's the direct links (either):

http://www.filemakerpros.com/PLUGINEX.sit

http://www.filemakerpros.com/PLUGINEX.zip

Kind of overkill for refreshing a portal perhaps.

There's one more possibility in v.7, which is to set a field to auto-enter, by calculation, itself, with "Do not replace existing value" unchecked. I don't know that it would help a portal refresh or not. It would be nice if it did, as it's the easiest to implement; so please tell us.

Well being a little new to FM from Access (and FM wins out hands down) I will "try" your suggestions. Not sure that I understand completely, but will give it a go tomorrow and let you know.

Thanks

Found my problem. I, unknowingly, set the self join relationship incorrectly. Corrections have been made and all works well.

Thanks again