Deleting field DATA from multiple fields at once

[LindaTF]

I hope someone can help me with this! I use an old iMac running system 8.6 and FileMaker Pro 4.1v1.

I have created a layout for keeping track of client's name, address, phone, fax, email, etc. and all of their payment information for any given year. At the end of the year, I just duplicate the entire group all at once so I will have a set of records to enter payment info for the upcoming year. Then, I go into Layout mode and change the heading to the new year, i.e. "2005". It's seems easier to do that than to recreate each person's record all over again, since I have at least 100 clients at any given time.

The problem is that when I duplicate the record, obviously ALL of the payment information is duplicated as well and I have to go through all the columns and delete the information from the previous year so I have a clean record to enter the info for the new year. This is VERY time consuming!

My question is this... is there a way to "protect" certain fields from modification so it will not be removed and then just do a mass deletion of the old payment information in the new group of records so I don't have to delete each bit of information individually? I would assume this mass deletion would have to be done in layout mode. I don't know. I'm quite a novice at FileMaker, but it seems like there should be a better way of doing this. I've had to spend hours at the end of every year to prepare my client statements for the following year and it's a huge waste of time if I can do it an easier way.

Thanks so much for your help!

Linda

[Laser Saver]

Not sure if this will apply to what you need, but give it a read. Here's how we do it. See if this would work for you.

At the beginning of a new year, we create a new file (called invoices 2004, 2005 etc). This is a CLONE of the previous file. Use "Save As" then choose Clone. This makes a copy of just the fields, calculations, etc, but no data.

Then you import the data from your old files into the new file. Using Import, you can pick and choose what information you want carried over.

[Fitch]

A couple of points about the clone/import idea:

First, you don't have to import into a clone(empty) file. I'm not sure if that is your goal or not, so I wanted to point out that you can import into your existing file as well.

Second, if you save a copy of the existing file, then open the copy, you can search for just the records you want. Then when you import from the copy into the original, you'll get only the found records from the copy. And as Laser Saver pointed out, you can choose only the fields you want to import, so you can leave out the payment info.

Another option is to make a script that clears out the payment fields. I'm not sure what method you're using to "duplicate the entire group" so I can't really elaborate on that.

All that being said, I suggest you consider a radical change: keep your contacts in one file, and your payments in another. That way you won't have to go through the duplication process at all, you won't have so much duplication of data, you'll be able to track your info much more flexibly etc. You're really not taking advantage of the power of FileMaker.

[carlyle]

Yup to Tom Fitch...the best way to do this is read up on the section in your users manual on "related files"...I know, I know, reading a users manual seems like ultimate geekdom, but reading this section is SUPER helpful and will probably solve many of your other problems as well...