Multiple Payment Options

[Yanster]

I am creating a database where I can take payments as a lump sum or as a down payment and several monthly payments. I need to be able to choose multiple payment types for each record. So, you could choose a bank account (check) for your down payment and a credit card for the monthlies, or one credit card for the down payment and another for the monthlies... or any other combination of payments. What is the best way to implement this?

Thanx in advance

[CobaltSky]

Yanster said:

What is the best way to implement this?

Sounds like a job for a value list attached to a field formatted to provide checkboxes.

[Yanster]

Right, but I also want to include detailed information about each payment type. If it is a credit card then I would want to fill in CC number, exp date, name on card, etc. If it is a bank account then i would need account number, bank name, and routing number.

thanx

yan

[CobaltSky]

Hi Yan,

One way to do that would be to provide an ancillary table (or some extra fields in the current record) and a couple of (conditional/invisible) portals to collect the required info when a particular choice is selected.

You would presumable want a separate table in which to set out the various payments and due dates (against which you'd store the selected method for each payment), but the details to go with that method would be stored centrally against the individual's ID.

[Yanster]

ray,

conditional portals? ok, now i'm lost. any samples you could point me to of this implementation?

thanx

yan

[Michael Myett]

I believe this is what CobaltSky was refering to.

There would be a few more portals and relationships to do what you want, but the principle is the same.

See the attached sample file of a basic implementation of a conditional/invisible portal.

Invisible Portal.zip

[Michael Myett]

My bad. I forgot I was in FMP 5-6 and sent example file from ver 7.

I'll rebuild in ver 6 and resend.

[Yanster]

michael,

i cant seem to find a file attached.

sorry

yan

[Michael Myett]

Here you go.

I needed to rebuild in version 6.

invisibleportal.zip

[Yanster]

michael,

thank you much for the example. i've been trying to deconstruct it and figure out how it works... what i still do not get is how the visisble/invisible relationship is set between the value of the "Show Portal" field. could you please explain

[Michael Myett]

The show/hide portal is based on a relationship between the constant field and the Show Portal? field, which via script toggles between 0 and 1. The constant is always 1.

Set the properties of the portal so it is invisible and place all of the objects you wish to show/hide inside this portal. Since the portal only exists if there is a valid relationship, in this case when Show Portal? = 1, the objects placed inside the portal show/hide when you toggle the show portal? field between 0 and 1.

Hope this clears things up a bit. I am better at doing, not so good at explaining.

Michael Myett

[Yanster]

great!!! did it.

i think i understand this now. another related issue though...

in the example that you made what is the best way to create a new related record from that popup menu, not just select an existing record?

thanx

yan

[Michael Myett]

Navigate to the customer file and just create a new record then go back to original file, or edit the customer relationship to allow creation of related records and create new records through the first name and last name fields in the invisible portal file.