VL of time slots

[LaRetta]

I need a popup menu with times. I want them displayed every half hour from 7am to 10pm. I could create custom VL of course, but I want the result to be a real time field (will be triggered to notify User via plugin). Is there a calculation I can use? Or, if I need to enter them all manually, how can I be sure it will be appropriate for a time field. I just have never worked with time fields before.

LaRetta

[LaRetta]

My trials aren't working. I want them to line up properly in the popup something like:

07:30 A.M.

08:00 A.M.

or even 07:30 AM

If I don't enter the leading zero, they line up terribly. Right-justify doesn't apply to popups (or can it?). And when I test a calculation adding a standard time field and this 'time' field, I get a ?

Do I need to use a regular text field and convert it to time in some way?

[Ender]

Hi LaRetta,

Try:

07:00 AM

07:30 AM

...

01:00 PM

01:30 PM

...

This can be used with a time field.

[Ender]

Oh. You can enter your values manually as a Custom Value List, or you could make them a conditional value list using a related table. This might be used if the value list should be different under different conditions.

[LaRetta]

I swear that's what I had and it didn't work! I swear it! I knew it should work as AM because that's how one can display it - but it wouldn't work. Thanks Mike.

Must be time to back off of work for a bit ... do some ... and and then some to clear my head again. Okay ... I'm refusing to work for at least 3 hours!! I don't know what I'll do with that much free time away from FM, but I'll force myself.

L

[LiveOak]

Sounds like you're working waaaay to hard...

I've become a fan of using a table of value lists for the more complex lists (I still use directly entered lists for simpler cases). You could create a table (FM6 read "file") with two fields, a "display time" for the user to see in a drop down list (a format of your choice) and a looked up time field for the actual nuts and bolts of the function you are performing. This would allow you to divorce the format the user sees in making a selection from the time or number you use in calculations. Just an idea.

-bd

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Agreed.

And it's just a lot easier now with v7 to have a TimeTable in which you can include some additional parameters keys for some conditional displays.

[LaRetta]

Hi Brent! I just haven't worked at all with time-based solutions, such as appointment calendars and such. But I will follow your suggestions and start it right ... in a table; because I'm sure it will grow on me.

Hey Ugo! "...additional parameters keys for some conditional displays." I have no idea what some additional parameters for time might be!!? The only time I've ever worked with is straight creation and modification time fields! But I trust all of you and will use a table - then when I find out what other things I'll need, I'll be able to expand properly!

LaRetta

[transpower]

Be sure to format your time field (menu bar | format | time | leading)to display a leading zero for hours and a leading zero for minutes. That way everything will line up nicely.

[Ugo DI LUCA]

Hi there,

What I meant, in my usual gibberish, is that having them stored in a Table/File, you can apply different keys to them from which to base a relationship upon, so that you can even have multiple sub lists displayed.

It's not actually a v7 feature, but with such "parameters", you may have multiple TO's of the Time Table too, and branch a Table to one TO or to another, according to your needs.

For example, you may have hours tied to Days, so that for example, no appointment could be taken on Saturday afternoon, or to Users.

Well you got the idea.