calculation of multiple fields and validation

[kcjones76]

Bear with me peoples.

About a year and a half ago, I started messing around with our software and hardware filemaker database. I tweaked the look and made changes to the value lists contained within. Simple stuff. Well, my new project is to rebuild it from scratch and I want to set things up properly using calculations, relationships, scripts, etc.

Does anyone out currently have a similarly built database? I manage about 20 Macs, maintaining, upgrading, updating, etc. I have all the info within an Excel workbook and I want to transfer that info, logically into a FM database. I'm using 5.5 right now.

Here is the first question:

I've set up a few fields labeled for RAM modules (512,256,128,64). I've set up result field that totals the value of these fields (each is defined as their value x the # of chips (512x1, 256x1, 128x1 = 896 in the resulting field). I want to indicate in another field how many slots are available in that model and I don't want the total RAM modules to surpass the slots available. Can I set this up, and have a validation dialog come up letting me know to make the changes?

Sorry about the garble, I'm being rushed.

[victorkhugo]

It sounds like, if I've got this correct, that you'll need a separate related DB that is just the models of computers and how many available slots they have. (And any other specs you want to include about the computer.)

The validation check would be a calculation field based on the memory wanted in the main DB and the available slots in the related DB.

The calculation could be

if (how_much_ram < Computer_DB:Slots_Available, "You have " & Computer_DB:Slots_Available - how_much_ram & ", left after you install the ram.", "There aren't that many slots available."

Where:

how_much_ram = how many ram chips they want to put into the machine

Slots_Available = the field from the related DB that says how many slots are available

Computer_DB = the related DB where the relation is based on Computer Model in both DBs.

Now that you're completely confused.