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Check out this example file:

http://www.fmforums.com/threads/download.php?Number=118628

It's the "poor man's Clairvoyance" :-) The example is Law Cases and Clients; just put Books instead of Cases.

1. Don't use a repeating field for this application. Use portals.

2. Your solution will need scripts to navigate from the Main Menu layout to the other layouts; scripts to move from layout to layout; optional scripts (or at least buttons) to create new records, revert, delete, find, sort, show all records, etc. We cannot do your programming for you, but we can help with specific questions.

3-4. The three tables would be author, work, and join (author-work). Most users would not have to see the author-work table.

Thanks Transpower for your advice.

You confirm what I thought. And it seems to corresponds with the general layout of the example file that Fenton sent me.

For a novice at designing a database it is quite important to have this confirmation. I will not lose my time to try to imagine a solution without scripting or without portal.

Thanks,

Jules

Hello Fenton,

Thanks a lot for your quick response. The example file that you sent me seems to correspond to my needs. I will study it and probably use it as a template. Let me just add 2 questions:

1. Did you conceived this example file in FileMaker 6 or 7? In the first case, I would ask: would have you conceived it the same way in File Maker 7?

2. Do you think the use of a plugin like EventScript from www.softs4humans.com could help me to keep more the hands on the keyboard?

Thanks in advance,

Jules

1. I built it in 7. You can tell because of the "New Window" step. I've build more or less the same thing in 6, w/out the New Window (which is mostly for the "cute" factor than anything else, since a plain layout would do).

2. I don't think a plug-in would help, as my example uses a portal, not a value list.

You can type into the "filter" field without clicking. You can hit Tab or Enter, or even Return (version 7 feature) to refresh the list.

But at some point you have to click on your choice. To do the keyboard-only thing would require the whole "type ahead" package, with its cost and implementation. There is no way to fake it.

I haven't tried Nightwing's app. But, if that's what you need, his is almost surely the best possible. The guy is brilliant. But, as you say, the cost of the plug-in makes it costly.

Thanks a lot for your help! I feel now I can do my effort learning FMPro on a more solid basis.