Make DB look and act like spreadsheet

[abomb]

Thanks for any help in advance. I'm still pretty new to FM7 so this may be an easy question. I am trying to make a Layout that "looks like" a spreadsheet. We have a program now that runs on a spreadsheet but is way to jumbled from years of entries. I'd like to keep the format similar so it is easy to use, but easily searchable by a unique code we assign. I entered all the fields i want and then tried to "copy" them by using the field drag option in layout view, but all this does is copy the data from the first field. I would like to make it so that each entry is unique. I thought I found an option like that before, but I can't find it anymore. Thanks again for any help.

[Lee Smith]

Have you looked at the [color:"blue"] Menu >> View >> View as a Table?

There is a tip file at http://www.databasepros.com/ called Spreadsheet that you might want to look at too.

You need to go to the [color:"red"] Resources and do a search for[color:"red"] Spreadsheet.

HTH

Lee

[abomb]

First of all, thanks for responding so fast. I checked out the "view as a spreadsheet" and it isn't really what I want. I also looked at the website, but only found how to make reports. I would like to keep it in form view, if I can, to make it look and act like a spread sheet since people here are familiar with the format, but will give them better search options. I guess I could make different fields for each entry, but that would make my table have over 100 different fields and would be very clumsy, not to mention the calculations. Again, any help would be appreciated.

[Ender]

I'd suggest you get away from this idea of a database that acts like a spreadsheet, as a database works differently. For one thing, spreadsheets cannot take advantage of relationships between tables, resulting in flat, bloated spreadsheets, as you have seen.

I think it would be better to give users an interface that looks and acts like a database, even if the users aren't used to working with one. With a good user interface (and maybe a little training,) users will catch on to the database format.

[LiveOak]

First, recognize that a database is NOT a spreadsheet. Beyond some limited things that can be made to look the same, you will not be able to gain much of a spreasheet's functionality. For example, in a spreadsheet "records" can be made to flow up/down or right/left. In a database list view, records flow down the page only. Other work arounds can display records across the page, but these can require one field or related field per data item. Functions such as fill across, fill down, or insert rows or columns are the stuff of spreadsheets, not databases.

In general, be prepared to complete revise the way you think about your data and organize the user interface, if you intend to use a database. If this sort of a change is not acceptable to your users, stick with a spreadsheet program. It would be like trying to turn a tank into an airplane, what's the point?

-bd

[abomb]

Again, Thanks for all the advice. I was beggining to realize that I couldn't get it to work like a spreadsheet. I was hoping it was possible, at least for ease of use, but I'll try to come up with something different.

Thanks again to everyone