need help scripting flipbook through images

[clemson11]

Sorry for the terrible subject line.

I'm totally new to Filemaker, so bear with me if the terminology is a little incorrect. I'm having a great deal of difficulty figuring out the scripting aspect of the program.

Here's what I want to do. I am making a database of plants. I created a layout with a number of fields, some text, the rest containers for images. I have 16 image fields, image1, image2, and so on. I want to display one image at a time for each record and have buttons to loop through the images so you can see them in detail. Every record doesn't have the same number of pictures.

The way I am approaching this now is to have 17 different layouts, which is ridiculous because I can't easily edit them. Layout17 has all the text information on the left side of an 11 x 17 sheet with a grid of thumbnails on the right. If you click on image5, for example, it goes to layout5, which has only one image on the right side.

What I want to do instead, with scripting, is have forward and back buttons and a top button that takes you to the thumbnails, so I would only need 2 layouts. But I can't figure out how to define a variable and then use it to determine which field to display. The scripting language doesn't seem very logical but what do I know.

I don't even know if you can dynamically change what a layout item refers to.... I would appreciate any clarification. Thanks!

I am using version 8. The databse itself isn't important really. Just assume that I have 3 fields, all container fields that I am using to display jpeg images. These are image1, image2, and image3. The main problem I'm having is a script that does this:

• checks to see what field is currently referenced in the layout, say it's image1 for now

• stores "1" in a variable, x

• y=x+1

• takes the value for y, converts it to text and adds it to "image"

• checks if the currently displayed record has an entry in imageY

• if it does, change the reference of the field to imageY

• if not, change it to image1

this is for a next image button. it checks if there is an additional image, because there could be 1, 2, or 3 images. If you're on image2, and there's no image3, it goes back to image1.

maybe there is an easier way to do this?

[janedoe]

hi,

just a thought, but what about putting your images into a portal instead?

cheers,

jd.

[BoomC]

Hi,

I'm trying to do the image trick you are and am having all the same problems. Check out the post "Mutiple images in one container" topic #173100. Fenton has given some great tips and a demo file. It might help you as well.

Fenton has a second table with that contain the images which are cross-refeneced (and related) to your main table. You then bring the images that are related to the main record viewed through a portal (as JD reecommended). It's still tricky but it might do what you want.