Moving a found set to another file

[raymanj]

How do I get a found set from one file to another?

Files:

I have created three files, one file holds the date, second file holds the interface (layouts for data entry), and the last file contains my report layouts (printable ones).

Problem:

A user does a search in the "Interface" file and a found set in listed. Now the user wants to print the list if records. I need to move the found set over to the "Reports" file to be printed out on one of the layouts.

Is this setup possible with FIlemake 7? Do I need to move all the layouts back into the "Interface" file, where the searches are performed? Or should I move the search and list layouts into the "Reports" file and only have the data entry layouts in the "Interface" file?

[Computer Geek]

If it were me, I would move the interfaces and reports into the same file. In a database that I developed, I have all the scripts & layouts in one file and the tables in another. It works pretty nice. If there are layouts that you don't want some people to see or use, you can script around that with privledges and the privledge set.

Another key advantage is that I am able to use a clone of the interface to develop the database and when I am ready, I replace the interface on the server with the developmental copy.

[LiveOak]

Another option is to mirror the process that created the found set in your Interface file in your Reports file. By "replaying" this process you should end up with the same found set.

-bd

[raymanj]

I thought about mirroing the search process into the other file, but one problem accurs. I don't know what the user may do to get to that found set. They may do a first search with few extra found requests and omits, then do a another search on that found set to norrow down the results. If this happens I have know way of replicating or recording the process.

I think my only choice is to move the printable layouts (reports) into the Interface file and scrap the Reports file. It is a shame. It would have been nice to have printable layouts separate from the all other layouts. Easier on updates but not too much more effort. Hey at least it is not like filemaker 6 and below. a nightmare for updates.

One more strike against the interface and data separation in Filemaker. Filemaker should make this one of their top priorities to fix.

[LiveOak]

The only easy way to know the user's sequence of find requests is to take control of that process in the UI by having the user enter find requests into globals and keeping a record of the operations

performed.

You cound perhaps capture the found set with a copy all of the record ID's, paste these to a global in the Reports file and then build a relationship in the reports file to use in a GTRR to isolate these records in the Reports file.

-bd

[raymanj]

I will look into the copy all records in the found set and put them into a global to be researched in the reports file. But I can already see two strikes against this method.

1. Using the copy records step will overwrite anything the user has saved in the clipboard. Any I don't think this is good user interface practice.

2. Replicating the search in another file would only work if the research was fast or done on few records. It would not work if the search took a while or is being done on a million records or more. This would make the report printing very slow.