Yes, about automatic date entry

[dpendery]

I too am having trouble with an automated date entry in a field, when a nearby field is entered. I am using FileMaker-based ebase (the ebase discussion group has not been able to help). In ebase, there is a field in Payments that auto fills the current date when a nearby field is filled with a certain value. This is exactly what I want to do on another sceen, but the exiting Calc. is a complicated series of lookups and calculations (four or five fields are interrelated). I have tried to reduce to a bare mininum to fill in my date, but to no avail. I have tried some simple calculations that go about like this: If(Field 1 = "Expert", TextToDate(""))

I have tried several variations instead of TextToDate("")), including "Today" "Status(Today)" and the like. The most common error I get when the Calc is checked is "too few separators" (FileMaker highlights the last parenthesis in my formula). I have defined no relationships or lookups for these two fields, which are in the same FileMaker file.

Can anyone help me with what appears to be a simple date entry?

Thanks very much.

[Vaughan]

I am familiar with FMP 4.x, if you are using FMP5 then things may be a bit different.

The only way to automatically enter values is: 1) with an auto-enter, but this only works when the record is first created; using a script, but the script needs to be activated some how; or using a calculation, but in some ways this isn't really an auto-enter.

From what you have written above, and auto-enter won't do because it only works when the record is first created. A script may work, but the challenge is getting it activated at the right time. Perhaps getting the operator to click on a "finish" button or something after the value is entered? I have had success making a field into a button, so every time people click on the field they really run a script.

Regarding the calculation in your above post..

If(Field 1 = "Expert", TextToDate("")) TextToDate("") or Status(Today)"

.. sorry to say that neither of these make sense to me nor appear to be appropriate syntax. I haven't heard of the function "Status[Today]" but "Status[CurrentDate]" is similar and would be valid. Similarly TextToDate("") is meaningless, you are aking FMP to make a date out of nothing.

BTW I tend to avoid the Today function, Status[CurrentDate] works much better.