Selectively Populating Pop-Up Menus/Lists

[Teutonic_Night]

I'm drawing a blank on how to accomplish the following:

Table A contains two fields, call them customer & job number. Each customer can have multiple job numbers, so the data looks like something like this:

Acme 12345

Acme 12346

Acme 12347

Beta Inc 88899

Beta Inc 88900

Table B contains more information about a given job, and there can be multiple records in Table B for any given client and job number set. I'd like to set the main layout in Table B to have a pop-up menu for the user to select a client, and a pop-up menu for the user to select the job number. I'd like the job number pop-up menu to display only job numbers applicable to the chosen client. So if the user selected "Beta Inc" as the client, the only job numbers shown in the pop-up menu for job number would be 88899 and 88900. If no client was selected, there would be no job numbers available to be selected. I know there's a way to do this, but I'm having a brain fart and haven't been able to remember how. The FileMaker version in use is FileMaker Pro 4 (don't ask- it wasn't my choice!) Thanks in advance!

Edited August 12, 2005 by Guest

[sbg2]

"I'd like the job number pop-up menu to display only job numbers applicable to the chosen client."

Well then relate TableB::client to TableA::client, and show only related records starting from TableB for the job number Value List. If no client is chosen there will be no related records. Once a client is chosen only the related Job Numbers should be available.

If your client name may not be unique you will want to relate the files on Client_ID = Client_ID. You may also want to add a Job_Closed field to your TableA and a constant global field c_Job_Closed in TableB (that equals "N" or 0 depending on how you mark a Job_Closed in TableA). Then relate the two tables by Client_ID = Client_ID and c_Job_Closed = Job_Closed, thus only showing open jobs.

[VICH]

you could always do conditional value lists..thats atleast what your problem sound like and i learned from the great people one here and if you wish i can tell you

[email protected]

[Teutonic_Night]

Ok, I must have either forgotten how to do this, or I'm just blind and don't it. The only place I'm able to see anything for showing related records only is via scripting. This particular database that I'm working on is an old FMP 4 db that I kind of inherited. I'm planning on eventually upgrading it to FMP 7, but the end users need a few changes *now*.

Anyway, I have the relationship in place, but I'm not seeing a method for a Value List to show related records only. COuld you go into detail on how this works? Thanks again!

[Teutonic_Night]

I'd love to get that info from you. My future seems to involve a whole bunch of work w/ FM, and I've been kind out of the loop for the last year and half or so regarding working with FMP. Thanks!

[comment]

Basing a value list off related records only is not possible in version 4. Some work-arounds can be found at http://www.databasepros.com/resources.html

[VICH]

if thats the case if and when you upgrade then i could help you