I have 2 questions about date automation

[mentairia]

First Question is this.

Ok I have an imported list of dates from the previous program we were using here. In our new program I do not use date ranges I use check boxes. I need a way to assign date ranges to check boxes. Example

( )January 2005 = [color:red]1-1-05 to 1-31-05

( )February 2005 = [color:red]2-1-05 to 2-28-05

( )March 2005 = [color:red]3-1-05 to 3-31-05

Question two is this.

How can I tell the software which one is first in sequence and last in a sequence so I can set up alerts for accounts who has a contract coming to an end. Example

(x)jan (x)may ( )sep

(x)feb (x)jun ( )oct

(x)mar ( )jul ( )nov

(x)apr ( )aug ( )dec

[color:red]I need a way to tell the software that june is the last month for this contract and to start doing warnings for 60days, 30days and 10 days.

Thanks in advance Tony D.

[sbg2]

First Question is this.

Ok I have an imported list of dates from the previous program we were using here. In our new program I do not use date ranges I use check boxes. I need a way to assign date ranges to check boxes. Example

( )January 2005 = [color:red]1-1-05 to 1-31-05

( )February 2005 = [color:red]2-1-05 to 2-28-05

( )March 2005 = [color:red]3-1-05 to 3-31-05

Is the data from a simple Date field (ex. "1-3-2005")?

A simple date field could be converted with a simple calculation: Left(MonthName(MyMonthField);3). This will return the first three letters of the name of the month stored in the date field.

I somehow doubt this is the answer you are looking for though. Any chance you could produce a mock up database containing examples of the old data and the interface for the new way you would like to display/enter it?

[mentairia]

OK here is a mock of what I want to do. I need to atuofill out the check boxes from the start date to the end date from the info in those fields. Then I need a way to make all these check boxes have a value so the program knows the last month of the contract to issue warnings at 60 days, 30 days and 10 days.

SAFcust.zip

[-Queue-]

You only need one value list for months. Each field can use the same value list without effecting the others. Also, you only need one field for each year, with an auto-enter calculation that determines how much of the value list should be entered. Once you have this in place (see attachment for modified sample), a calculation of Substitute( RightValues( YearField; 1 );

SAFcust_Copy.zip

[mentairia]

I am understanding most eveything about this except dates and working with them. So can you tel me what you want me to do exactly with amore step 1 step 2 type of explanation LOL sorry man I do not need definitions just like you said I only need one group of months if I knew how to do that I would have so a little explanation would kick but hehe.

Thanks Que

[-Queue-]

Did you download the attachment?

[mentairia]

OK got what you did! I like it though now you need to know why I had done it the other way. Every checkbox sends info to a billing sheet when the final script is run. But that is not where the problem arises. The problem arises because we are a publishing company with 6 zones and some not all of our customers will run 1 zone one month, 2 zones the next month, all six zones the next month. ANd any other combination you can imagine. So what has to happen is I need a way to seperate the months so I can tell the program which zones this client is using ecah month as they are not always the same. This information is then sent to a billing sheet for the graphics dept to know who is running with us that month and what zones to include the ad in. I am using a seperate field per month so I can do an evaluation of what billing sheets to send the data to. BY using the not(is empty mjan05). BUt if there is a way to evaluate your sample would love it.

So if this can all be done with one value list just tell me how I will surely do it.

Thanks

Tony D.

[-Queue-]

I am not sure I understand your situation. How are the zones defined? Where are they defined? How do you select the zones which are applicable each month per customer? If a customer does not run for a particular month, then should you add an extra month to his contract?

Could you possibly attach a sample of the relevant parts of the system or a pdf that explains it more thoroughly?

[mentairia]

OK Here you go this is a clone of 1% of the program. The first question you were answering for me was to import all our old data into our new program. See the old data is all in a date format from start date to end date!

Thanks Again Que

Tony D.

Send_it_Clone.zip

[mentairia]

Que or anyone got any news hehe!

I really need to figure this out now crunch time is coming.

[-Queue-]

How are zones linked to months? What are the business rules for when a particular zone runs, etc.? I cannot deduce how any of it is supposed to work just from investigating the clone.

[mentairia]

Que Thanks for all your help!

Ok here is the information you requested. Right now I have all the zones as portals on the billing sheet so as you filled them out here they are filled out there. However I have to get rid of this approach as almost no one runs same zones whole time they are advertising. And there are no rules anything you can think of to make this work is great. Ok here is exactly what we need to do. I need a way to dynamicly create a months list that knows what month and year it is now and what month year it will be through out the whole contract so the information will be sent to the right billing sheet. Ok beside each month we need a field to hold a value list containing A B C D E F as check boxes. We need this field to refrence the month year field it is next to, So it knows what zones per month the client is running. I have included a sample of what I would like.

[-Queue-]

You need to Zip the file before you attach it.

How can you know what month/year it will be throughout a contract if there are no rules on which zones run during which months?

Perhaps you could take this file to the FMPug near you and spell it out for them. We seem to be going around in circles on this thread, and I am not sure if there is any way to make it work without a viable set of business rules.

[mentairia]

Here you GO :(

Send_it.zip