find script that adds content

[Lee Smith]

Hi dave, and welcome to the Forum.

There isn't a script in what I posted, only a relationship.

Why not just post a sample of your files, and explain to us what you are wanting to happen that isn't, we will see what we can do.

HTH

Lee

[cognitdiss]

Hey Lee, thanks for the offer, I'll be very curious to see what happens...

Sorry for the long post but I hope it will forstall many questions:

Basically, I'm a (somwhat) self taught filemaker person, i.e., an amateur. Lately I have been responsible for marketing at the small company I work at, where we need to keep track of our prospects and what we've communicated to them. This has led to heavy use of the "notes" field, a large text field where we take our minutes of each phone call in a professionally created database, one that predates my employment at this company by several years. I have attached a sample of the DB minus all but a ten records for all the usual reasons.

My ideal process so far has been concieved as thus:

-Find for emails (can do no problem)

-sort for duplicates (still trying to find the best way to do that, not too many so not a big deal yet)

-export the first and surnames and associated addresses to the mailmerge and sending program (have a good tested solution for that part, MaxBulkMailerX)

-turn back to the FM database after the mailing goes out, and mark all the previously found exported records in the notes field as "7/11/05 E-Blast1, Batch 1", preferably at the top, as we put all our most recent contact entries into the top of the notes field, rather than the bottom (this is where the Forum comes in).

Once I figure out how to append the field I might even get fancy and take all the bounces and re-import them to the DB, marking the notes field as "email bounced" or like that....

viola, I can now go through the contact list recursively as I have time, know that the new contacts haven't revcieved the blast, talk directly to those that have, and when I'm ready for E-Blast 2 I just have to find for "E-Blast1" in the notes field, find omitted, then find for "@" and then will be ready to do it all over again!

But to modify the notes field without replacing the entire contents I have been stumped- I've tried every approach I can think of. I am now studying the original converstion of this thread, I will post back when I have followed it as far as I can.

Thanks again Lee + co for your enthusiasm!

- - Dave

marketingexampleDB.fp5.zip

[cognitdiss]

and here is the file that was supposed to be attached please let me know if it compressed over the 'net ok...

- - d

[cognitdiss]

Post deleted by cognitdiss

[cognitdiss]

Thanks Queue, didn't realize I could still edit after the initial post, this is a new type of board for me.

I thought I was good to go because I could open the archive and the file within no problem, but yes, it was saved in an open state, so I am now posting the re-archived file.

And, update umpteen- file still will not download from the forum w/ same "parse error", but it unarchives and opens fine for me on my own machine, so rather than belabor the nuances of uploading to the forum I will be happy to email directly to anyone who is still interested, you may contact me at [email protected] and I will reply with the file.

error log (response when trying to download file) reads:

Warning: Unexpected character in input: '' (ASCII=6) state=1 in /home/fmforums/public_html/files/167312-exampleDB.sitx on line 428

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_STRING in /home/fmforums/public_html/files/167312-exampleDB.sitx on line 428

old post:

Ok, sorry to be cluttering the board, but it looks like I get some kind of "parse" error when trying to check the upload success by downloading my example file. Any hints?

OSX, Safari, PBG4, using Dropstuff in Stuffit Standard 9.0.

Thanks again!

- - d

[-Queue-]

Make sure the file is closed before you compress it.

You don't have to create a new post for each attempt, by the way. Just Edit one of your original posts and change/add the attachment.

[comment]

This forum is allergic to .sitx files. Use either .sit, or preferably .zip format.

[chlowden]

More confusion. I presume You are suggesting I keep to the old system of 2 files and a portal.

[LaRetta]

You are suggesting I keep to the old system

Not at all. What I gave you back is your file with it working perfectly. It wouldn't matter whether you use the same table, a different table or even a different file. It's actually easier within the same table.

Create the relationship, change your Bad Emails layout to this relationship, change the BadEmail field to a global text and fire the script from button on Bad Emails layout - very important it be fired from there only. That's the power of GTRR but that also means you must adhere to the rules, ie, only matching records in THAT table occurrence will be found (or in your case your bad emails in COMMERCIALS).

LaRetta

[chlowden]

I think I am going to sign up for FM lessons as I don't get it. I have redownloaded the "COMMERCIALS PRODS CONTACTS Copy 1.fp7.zip" file, used the graph to link the "bademails" text field to the main "Emails" field. I made "bademails" a Global. I even managed to link a button to the script.

Result:

With the BAD EMAILS layout empty, the script finds all the bad emails

With a list of emails in the BAD EMAILS layout, it adds BAD to all the entries (& there is no way back!)

I feel very bad to seem to be going around in circles and inpotent in my lack of knowledge, so I feel like throwing the towel.

I attach my work in the hope that it is only something really dumb

Thanks

Christopher

COMMERCIALSPRODSCONTACTSrevbademails.fp7.zip

[LaRetta]

Your Bad Emails table occurrence is the same name as your original (it just added a 2 after). That really isn't a problem but ...

Because the name is so long, you can't tell one from the other in your popups when specifying both the field and the layout. Did you wonder which one you were using when you selected from the layout popup? There was no way of telling and you had the wrong one selected. Always name your TOs to match their purpose and make them different enough that you can easily tell them apart in popups. BTW, THIS error I've also done ... once. The first time I couldn't tell one TO from another in a popup (because of similar long names) was also the last time.

First, go into your graph and rename that new TO and call it Bad Email. Then go to your Bad Emails layout. You will notice that 1) Your layout is STILL based on your original COMMERCIALS and 2) The field placed on that layout (bademails) is also STILL based on COMMERCIALS. Change both layout and field to the BadEmails table occurrence. You will then again be matching your file I attached above.

I have not presented you with a convoluted, unusual, complex process. The purpose of my stepping in originally with a script was to provide you with an easy solution with minimal effort. If I thought it would have been complex, I wouldn't have suggested it. I'm sorry that you are having a difficult time. I've stepped many people through GTRR and it usually is quick and easy.

Think of it this way: There is no doubt that once you *get it*, using GTRR will be a piece of cake for you because you'll understand it and know the importance of using the right relationships for the layouts and fields. This problem only took me 2 minutes to identify and fix, so no problem there.

I think you're in business now.

[chlowden]

My apologies all round. I redownloaded a file & discovered that we were talking at cross purposes. It does work.(In the mean time I have learnt stack on how this all works. Slowly it is staring to sink in! Slowly) Question. what is layout #8? It seems to be an archive of bad emails.

[LaRetta]

I always create a table layout to view a process when testing it. You can delete it.

In this case, it was only to provide quick access to an email to copy (into bademails) for the test. Then I used it to test running the script to see what happens, ie, is it inserting BAD at the beginning and is it isolating the correct group of records.

I'm tickled you have it working.

LaRetta

[LaRetta]

Update: I used that file to run tests.

That data (the emails) may have BAD in front of them when they aren't bad. Either re-import your good data (or emails) into it or move that process to your good file.

[chlowden]

Le Retta,

As we say in my home town of London, "All is well that end well". I have learnt stacks. I will now try to do this all by myself with a different word. Shouldn't be that difficult. (Hmmmmm)

Thank you very much, you people on this forum are far too generous for the likes of me.

Thanks again.

Christopher

[chlowden]

Woops, sorry for the spelling mistake in the name

[cognitdiss]

Aha, ok, thanks for that tip, I was kind of surprised to find .sitx to be on the aproved list of upload types anyways.

Attached is a .zip. And it works, even!

- - Dave

marketingexampleDB.fp5.zip

[chlowden]

Laretta

Well it has not taken me long to get back to you. I am trying your idea of the gAppend file but I am struggling to get it to work. I thought it would be quite straight forward. Any way I added a global text field called gAppend in a new ADD WORD layout. This is basically a dup of your original layout. I added to the script the line below but FM does not seem to link this it. Any ideas?

gAppend & " " & PMWORLD COMMERCIALS CONTACTS::Email