Simple Portals not allowing creation of new Record

[andy_ski]

Hello all.

I am a frustrated individual. First I'll tell you my initial problem, then where I am going. For background I am a long time software developer using SQLServer and C++/C#. However don't think I dislike FMPro because it is different than what I am used to - I know it is just that I am having a difficult time adjusting my way of thinking.

Problem one - I have two tables Clients and Contacts. Joined by Client::ID == Contacts::ClientID. Both are numbers. When I put a portal on the client form I get nothing. I can't edit, nor can I tab into any fields on the portal record. I am sure I am doing something simple wrong but I am pulling my hair out trying to figure it out.

Real problem. I am not used to not having nested portal type ability. I want to display on the client info page a portal with a list of Contacts. When the user clicks on a contact in the contact portal, the contacts address info is displayed. I have three tables Clients, Contacts, and Addresses. Clients can have one to many Contacts, and clients can have addresses. Contacts also have addresses. How exactly do I make this happen in a layout?

Thanks for the help and please go step by step as everything is pretty tough for me at this point.

Andy

[stanley]

Andy:

Welcome to the Forums.

Portals are pretty easy to screw up on at first, especially if you haven't encountered their like before. Here's a checklist for you:

1. Make sure that the portal is showing the correct relation by double-clicking on it in Layout mode.

2. Make sure the fields in the portal are Related fields. Double-click one and make sure that the pull-down in the dialog box is set to your relationship, rather than to the "current table.

3. Now the portal should work. If you're still not seeing any data, make sure that:

a. There are related records to draw from (where Client::ID = Contacts::ClientID)

b. There is actually data in the fields you're showing in the portal.

I'll leave the rest of the functionality alone for the moment.

-Stanley

[andy_ski]

Thanks Stanley. 1 and 2 are fine. As for 3, according to the help file I can create records by simply editing the "last row" of the portal. I currently have no records in the contacts table. I'll create a new form and generate some just to see if they show up, but I would much rather be able to just click the last row and create a new one. Possible?

Andy

[stanley]

Andy:

Hmm. The help file is wrong in that case. Certainly, just to test it, enter a couple of contacts and see if they show up.

You'll have to create a script to generate a new (empty) portal row - really you'd be generating a new related record.

-Stanley

[Søren Dyhr]

I can't edit, nor can I tab into any fields on the portal record. I am sure I am doing something simple wrong but I am pulling my hair out trying to figure it out.

Just a quick question, is allow creation of related record chosen for the many side??

--sd

[andy_ski]

sd thanks. I knew it was something really simple like that. The help file is correct you then simply click on the last row and create the new record.

Thanks so much. It's always the little things that get you.

Can anyone speak to my second issue?

Thanks again - I am impressed with the speed and thoughtfulness of this forum. Keep up the good work

andy

[Ender]

It sounds like you want to select a Contact in your Contact portal and have that Contact's address show up on the Client layout. You can do this by using a global 'gContactID_Selected' in the Client file to hold the ContactID of the Contact record that is selected in the portal. Have another table occurance of Contact linked to Client by

Client::gContactID_Selected = Contact::ContactID

Now put fields on the Client layout based on this new TO. Finally make a script to set the global when a Contact record is selected in the portal, and a script to clear the global (or set it to the first ContactID,) when the user navigates from record to record, or into the layout for the first time.

[QuinTech]

How exactly do I make this happen in a layout?

You don't. FM7 made many improvements over FM6, but "two-deep" portal functionality is one that is lacking. Your best bet is probably to use a button that calls a Go To Related Record step takes the user to a layout showing the appropriate addresses. (I can give you more detail on that if you need, but i get the feeling you'll be OK with that. )

HTH,

Jerry