Can't get portal relationship to work?

[mikeytt]

I have having real trouble getting my head around a certain aspect of creating a particular relationship. I have tried to describe the problem below, but i fear not very well so i have attached the file itself which should help make sense of what i have written below

The first table (MAIN) is a series of records which contains three fields - SECTION, PAGE and NAME.

So for example each record runs as follows:

1, 1, a

[RalphL]

I get the following when I tried to download your file: Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_STRING in /home/fmforums/public_html/uploads/1122649170-test.fp7 on line 7

[mikeytt]

I see what you mean!

I will re-post the file - will have to be on monday because it is on my work computer and i don't have it here at home!

Thanks for the heads up.

[comment]

Your file has to be zipped/stuffed, otherwise it won't work.

[mikeytt]

FILE WITH WORKING LINK POSTED HERE

FILE WITH WORKING LINK POSTED HERE

FILE WITH WORKING LINK POSTED HERE

thanks for the heads up!

TEST2.fp7.zip

[comment]

I have no idea what you're doing, but try this.

BTW, I wouldn't call a related table MAIN.

TEST2.fp7.zip

[mikeytt]

Many many thanks, your solution was exactly what i was looking for. I never thought to look at working the relationship the 'opposite' way.

The database is actually to allow the presentation of a flatplan (a visual layout of the pages in a printed book/magazine). Each book is made up of sections. Each section contains 32 pages. For example, section 1 is made up of pages 1-32, section 2 is made up of pages 33-64 etc.

So the visual representation of section 1 consists of a 32 boxes, one for each page from 1-32, containing information about that page - such as the page name, if the client has OK'd the page, if the page has been proofed - all of this information about each page is kept in single records in the current database.

At the moment, to create the flatplan, we have export the data from filemaker and import it into a QuarkXpress layout whch has 32 boxes on each page representing a section.

However, to keep the information up-to-date on the flatplan, it requires constant exports from the database.

By having the flatplan available to see within Filemaker means it is always up-to-date.

As you saw, I was creating the relationship the wrong way around!

Once again many thanks for setting me on the right path!

[comment]

I never thought to look at working the relationship the 'opposite' way.

Normally I would take that as a compliment, but in this case it is totally undeserved. If each section has 32 pages, than clearly Sections are the Chiefs, and Pages are the Indians. The hierarchy that you describe is Clients -> Books -> Sections -> Pages. That is how I would build the file.

I am puzzled why you need 3 global fields to hold 3 sections. If you need some kind of grid to hold the 32 pages of a particular section, that can achieved quite easily by multiple portals based on the same single relationship.

[mikeytt]

How would I be able to make each portal hold only a single page (which corresponded to that page number) -page 1 in box 1, page 2 in box 2 etc, if there was only one relationship?

I was using the global field (s1, s2, s3) to use as a match field for the page number, so in the example you sent me back, to the MAIN1, MAIN2 and MAIN3 relationships i also added the fSECTION to SECTION link. This way, for the section 1 record, it showed a in box1, b in box2 and c in box 3. Then when i go to the next record section 2, it shows d, e and f in the relevant boxes.

What this does mean is that i need 32 global fields to represnt the 32 page number, but these are not actually filled with 1,2,3,4 but a calculation (page number / 32).

[comment]

How would I be able to make each portal hold only a single page

A portal will hold a single record, if it has only one row. Which row it will be can be specified in the portal definition (initial row).

Actually, each portal should hold a column. You only need a portal per column. For example, for a 3x4 grid, there would be 3 portals of 4 rows each, the middle portal's inital row being 5. All with a single relationship.

If you want your pages to be displayed in row order, you can calculate the display order in the pages table, then sort the relationship (or the portals) by it.