n00b help with serial values

[graycom]

Somehow I volunteered to build a contact list and integrated production order database for my company...wise idea...

I've managed to build and integrate almost everything, from existing templates included with FMP 6, but have one problem.

In the contact database, I have two fields that I would like to work together. When someone enters a company name for a contact, I would like that company name if not yet entered into the database to recieve a customer number in the form of a 3 digit serial #, such as 001, 002, 003, and so on. But for instance if a contact is entered, and the company has already been entered for a previous contact, I would like that company's corresponding customer number to be automatically entered.

I've played with making a field use serial numbers, but as you can see, I don't need a new serial number for each new contact, only for new company field within the contacts.

Anyone?

[Mike D.]

Graycom,

First, Welcome to the forums.

For your situation, you want a Customer file and a Contact file. You will need to have a field for the Customer number in both files. Create a relationship from the Customer file to the Contact file based on the Customer number field and allow the creation (and deletion) of related records in the Contact file.

Next, on a Customer file layout, add a portal to the contact file. Keep in mind that you create a customer/company before creating the contact. Whenever you need to add a contact, you enter that info via the portal on the customer file layout.

HTH, Mike