Unique concatenated text fields

[peterdengland]

I am very new to FileMaker (5.5) so please excuse this simple question.

I want to create a Key from Surname and PostCode, and make it unique.

I have found that using a Calculated Field, the concatenation works, but there is no option to make it a unique value.

So, I tried a text field as follows:

Define with "Options":

Auto-Enter: Calculated Value, Specify:

Surname & PostCode

Validation: Not Empty, Unique.

When entering the data in Browse Mode, View as Form, New Record, only the Surname appears in the Key (calculated text field).

Furthermore, the unique option does not work (for me). That is it allows several records with the same Key to be added.

I am sure that this must have been answered before, but I cannot find it. I expect it is something really simple that I have missed.

I am stuck at the moment, and hoping for a reply,

Thanks, Peter.

[signal]

You are going to have a tough time making that work. The chances that two people have the same surname and zip code are pretty high. I don't think the "unique value" will work with a calculation.

You could run script to test for duplication but that won't solve your problem. People aren't going to change their surname or zip code.

What are you trying to accomplish?

[Vaughan]

See the TechInfo Article Number 104191, it deals with a rechnique for validating calculation fields.

http://www.filemaker.com/support/techinfo.html