Simple product price list lookup

[martoons]

I am a very eager but programming thick beginner.

I have created a very simple file where I enter orders from a client. I have set it up so that I can manually enter the product and then the quantity ordered and then I can add the price which is subtotaled. I was wondering if there was any simple code that would allow me to have the price entered autoatically once the product is selected. In other words: I enter the product field and a popUp menu appears with the list of products I have available. Once I select the product I need the price automatically appears in the item price field and is add to the sub total and total calcualtions.

Can some one help me with this?

Thanks.

Gary

[PatriciaW]

I'm a relatively new FileMaker 7 user, (so what I say may not apply to FM5) but this ought to be achievable by creating a new table which contains the product name and prices. In FM7 you can create a drop-down list using a Value List containing the product names from this table, and then once you have selected the product, the price could be a calculated value based on the value on this price table. The table would need to be related on the product name (or number if you have one.)

[martoons]

Thanks for the response.

When you say 'table' do you mean another filemaker file? I'm not sure what you mean.

Gary

[Inky Phil]

Hi Gary,

Tables are not available to you in 5 so try using a file instead. It should give you the same result

Regards

Phil

[martoons]

Phil,

Thanks, but I don't know how to set this all up.

Is there any way someone could explain it to me?

Gary

[Fenton]

I moved this thread from the Sample Files forum (where it didn't belong) to Define Fields.

Because a price field on an invoice (if that's what you mean by "order") is a looked up value (at least in FileMaker pre-7).* This is an Option in Define Fields for a number (or text) field. It must be static. It is not a calculation, which is dynamic, and will change if you change the price later in the Products file.

A lookup does not change, but is editable. It requires a relationship, based on the product name (or preferably a product ID).

*In 7 it could be an auto-enter by calculation, with "Do not replace existing value" unchecked; but that's not the same as a "calculation."

[PatriciaW]

That is where my FM7 only experience creeps in ... yes ... I believe that in FM7 it requires another file.

[Furball]

Sorry I got into this late, I've been doing an Price List/ Order ntry/ Invoicing APP continuously since FM4 (now in 8 Advanced) Did you get it built? If not, let me know and perhaps I can help. One suggestion, use product numbers or some unique code then lookup the description and price. Better yet, have the program show you a list to select from, click the item you want, and have it entered for you. I have about 10,000 items in my database (with long descriptions) and it's been working well for about 100 users for over 5 years.

[Oldfogey]

There is a major problem with using lookup for prices in pre-V7 DBs. It keeps on looking up whenever the looked up values change. This means that, if you keep history and you change prices, the history can be wrong. One of my clients keeps history for years and I had to go through and change all the auto-enter lookups to auto-enter calculation, where the calculation was just the lookup.