color text and format question

[brucepensyl]

Constructing an inventory database. Along with all the fields that define the inventory item I have two fields to be used should the item be placed out of service. They are the "date" the item was placed out of service and the other is a comment area.

Question 1

The fields in question are: Item Name and DateOOS (out of service).

I wish to have the item name be set to "proper" AND change to the text to the color red IF the DateOOS is not empty.

I can have the item name perform the Proper function and I can get the text color to change. I cannot get both of them to function at the same time.

I am doing this all through the Auto-enter calculate window.

Question 2

The item that is marked out of service by having the dateOOS field filled, must not be visible when I use the "item" field as a lookup for service reports. How do I hide these items when using the look-up?

Suggestions please.

Thanks

[Søren Dyhr]

Question 1 goes:

Case ( not IsEmpty ( DateOOS );TextColor ( Proper ( ItemName ) ; RGB ( 255 ; 0 ; 0) );ItemName)

Question 2 goes:

Linking betwen tables, should be using keys not real data! But make a similar autoenter that makes a dupe of the key...blanking it will obviously work the first time around, but how would you regin it's present value??

--sd

[brucepensyl]

Thank you for the quick reply, I did try the Case function and it worked one place bet not another. I will be looking at that.

Looking at the Case example you gave me, I basically understand its context. Where would I go to find out that the Proper function should go between TextColor and RGB. I was not doing it that way and trying to keep "related" items together. Where do I go for further reading on this type of thing?

Thanks