Same field multiple Tabs problem...

[Matt Klein]

OK, so I have read most of the posts regarding the new tab control panel in FileMaker 8 and I agree that it is currently lacking some of the finer things in development life. Most of those things have work arounds which, though solve the issue, are not the way most developers want to solve any issue.

I seem to have stumbled upon something that hasn't been mentioned yet, at least not that I have seen....

I have a single layout with a tab control panel that has two tabs. On tab one is a single field I will call, "Text1". On tab two is the same field in a portal. In essence, I am giving my users the ability to view single related records(Tab 1) or all related records(Tab 2) at a time.

The problem arises when I have a script that has a Go To Field step in it. If the user is on Tab 1 and runs this script that has Go To Field[Text1], FileMaker does go to the field "Text1", however FileMaker changes the tab to Tab 2. If the user is on Tab 2 and runs that same script, it doesn't change the Tab. So the problem is only when on Tab 1. I imagine this has something to do with the order in which the "Text1" field was placed on each tab.

Does anyone know how I can have FileMaker go to the field without changing the Tab?

[BrentHedden]

Maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but it should work -

Based off a tip that I learned at 24U's website, I create a dummy text field. Then I place it in an obscure part of the tab layout, where noone would think of clicking on. I make this field enterable, make the size as small as possible (1pt font), and make the text color the same as the background color.

Then in my script, I use the Go To Field [dummy] command. Then put an (empty) Go To Field [] afterwards so the cursor isn't in the dummy field.

If you need to go to the other tab(s), create another dummy field and repeat the above process.

[Matt Klein]

Thanks for taking time to respond to my topic Brent!

I am aware of and have implemented what your post suggests. I am not having a problem going to a specific tab. I am having a problem when on a specific tab and I run a script that has a go to field step in it where the field I want to go to appears on the current tab(which is the field I want to go to) and on one or more of the other tabs in the control panel(which is the one that it ends up in).

[comment]

IMHO, your issue has nothing to do with tab control. You have two instances of the same field on a single layout. In such situation, Filemaker will always go to the instance that is farthest back in the layout's stacking order.

The fact that the two instances are in two different tab panels is irrelevant. You would have the same issue in version 7.

You could solve the problem by going to portal row, then tabbing (Go to Next Field) to get to the field in the portal, or - preferably - use two layouts.

[Matt Klein]

OK, I understand about the stack order. I hit on that a little in my initial post. I also understand that the same thing would happen in terms of going to the field in FileMaker 7, though I would be less likely to put the same field on the same layout in FileMaker 7.

Does anyone know, in FileMaker 8, a way to avoid this when using a tab control panel?

[Raybaudi]

Yes !

Give it another name !

(make a new calc field (or better an autoenter calc field): Text2 = Text1 and put that inside the portal)

[Matt Klein]

Daniele - Thanks for replying!!

That would work great if I didn't need to give them the ability to edit the data in both spots. I probably should have stated that in my initial post.

[comment]

I would be less likely to put the same field on the same layout in FileMaker 7.

I am trying to say that the same reasoning applies in 8. Tab control or not, it is still the same layout.

[Matt Klein]

I am trying to say that the same reasoning applies in 8. Tab control or not, it is still the same layout.

Thanks Comment! I understand what you were getting at.

[bruceR]

I make this field enterable, make the size as small as possible

There is no need to make the field enterable. The script the does go to field will still enter the field even if set to non-enterable.

[Raybaudi]

Both editable ?

Read this post! :

(SlimJim gives a solution)

[Matt Klein]

Thanks Daniele! I will give it a try. I was hoping to not have two fields with the exact same data in them, seems like double storage, but in this situation it may be worth the storage hit.

[Matt Klein]

For anyone tracking this topic, I found a good way to accomplish this without creating a duplicate version of the field with auto-enter turned on. I just created another Table Occurence and used one TO to present the field on one tab and another to present it on the other tab. Using the "hidden/dummy" field trick and a naming convention, I can tell which tab I am on so I can tell the Go To Field step to go to the correct version of the field based on the tab I am on.

I thought about the duplicate field option, but would rather have duplicate TOs rather than duplicate storage.

Anyway, that's how it ended up.