Find Duplicates

[Tim Mahan]

I uploaded the FM v7 trial version about a month ago. In browsing it I saw and actualy used a Menu Item/or Button that was something like Find Dulicates. My boss said he would Buy it if it would do what we want. So On anothre computer I UL's the trial again. Now No such Menu Item exists. The tech support Knowledge base article all tak about creating scripts.

I know I am NOT crazy, it WAS there, just a standard Menu Item. Where is is now?? Was I using some version with special plug-ins or something.

Please if someone knows what I am talking about, tell me why that itm is gone!

[Ted S]

Hello Tim,

Welcome! It's not really a menu item or button. You simply put yourself in the FIND mode and enter an exclamation point (!) into the field that you want to search for duplicates. It's been in FileMaker at least since version 3.

[stanley]

Tim:

Welcome to the Forums. I don't remember seeing a Find Duplicates menu item in the demo version of FMP7, but then, I didn't see the early developer seed, either. The problem with such a menu item is that it would (theoretically) refer to a record as a whole, and in a properly designed database, there is no such thing as an exact duplicate.

-Stanley

[Tim Mahan]

Thank you for your response. I have seen use the Find/! feature, but I want to select several fields such as address+city+state+zip

Then I want to run it within the same table, then table 2, then table 3

These are currectly in Excel in one bile but sepate tabs, so I also want to be able to import or open them in Filemakek as one file but sepate tables

However I distincly remember having used a pre-existing menue item when I was just browsing the trail version before. I remember because unlike wher you have to go and select uniqe vales it was an exiting menu item and I sao WOW it all built in. After you selected it then it gave a pop-up where you could select the fields you want to compare

[Tim Mahan]

Tim:

Welcome to the Forums. I don't remember seeing a Find Duplicates menu item in the demo version of FMP7, but then, I didn't see the early developer seed, either. The problem with such a menu item is that it would (theoretically) refer to a record as a whole, and in a properly designed database, there is no such thing as an exact duplicate.

I recall after selecting the menue Item it then had a pop-up that let you select the fields you want to use to compare

-Stanley

[stanley]

Tim:

Wow. I don't recall that at all.

-Stanley