subsets of value fields etc

[Olga]

We have recently upgraded from Filemaker 2.1 to Filemakerpro 5 using Macs.

I am trying to convert old databases to make use of some the functions of the upgraded programmes.

In particular I have been struggling without success to 'create values dynamically from a subset of values in another field'.

Has anyone come across a fully worked example of how to do this? One of those with screengrabs of the screens that you need to work through?

I have tried following the instructions in the Users Guide and the help files but get stuck each time. I have looked at some of the postings here but can't find one that works for me

What I am trying to do is:

I have a field called Category which has ten different values in it.

As I understand it one should be able to create a second field which displays different value lists depending on which value is selected in the first field.

But I am completely stuck on this one, and not sure where exactly I am going wrong.

Any help much appreciated

Joanna

[LiveOak]

You need a second file and a relationship. As an example, say we have two field in the first file:

ProductID (number)

Color (text)

The list of colors available depends upon ProductID. Create a second file that also has these fields. A list of records in this second file will look like:

ProductID Color

1 Red

1 White

1 Blue

2 Yellow

2 Green

2 Orange

Create a relations in the first file to the second file based upon ProductID matching ProductID. Create a Value List in the first file based upon a FIELD in the second file AND using a relationship (the one you just created) AND displaying the field "Color" from the second file.

-bd

[Olga]

Thanks for the reply. I have done this and it half works in that when I select one value in the first field, the second field displays the sub set of values, but they don't seem to 'stick' so there is something wrong in what I have done. Also I can not perform a Find on the second field, that is why I wondered if there was an example of two actual files somewhere that I could look at and figure out where I am going wrong. Or maybe one cannot use the second field to perform a find. Maybe you could let me know.

Regards

Joanna

[onno]

LiveOak's reply sounds very clear to me. It should work. Maybe try it with two simple files first!

If the subsets in the value list don't stick, there must be a problem in the ProdID relationship (the prodID in file A must be unique).

Concerning the find in the second field, what you could do is duplicate the layout and change the field format of the second field (standard instead of "value list").

you could create a Find script that takes the user to this find layout, performs the find and takes the user back to the initial layout in browse mode.

[Olga]

Has anyone got an example of two simple files that actually do this somewhere, I have looked at the one on the filemaker.co.uk website - countries and cities - and it doesn't do what I want it to do.I.e. you can't use the city field in find mode. it just doesn't work.

joanna

[Olga]

Onno

Thank you for the example databases. Maybe I am not making myself clear. My aim is to be able to interrogate the database (i.e. do a Find) on the second field, in your example - the colour of the product -. If I attempt this on your examples, as in the ones I have tried to make, I just get 'no values defined'. say for example I want to find out how many products are red, I can't do this. Have you tried to do this yourself? Maybe I am missing something here......

I wonder if this is because the field is really in another database? Originally when I asked the Filemaker helpline they said to create something called a self-join relationship, is this the way round this? And if so how does one do it?

Joanna

[onno]

I don't think an internal relationship is the solution here.

Open the products file, choose layout mode, then "duplicate layout" in the layout menu.

(this will be layout n