Weird Calculation Refresh Problem.

[Jon Crain]

Thanks to all who have been helping me with the project I'm working on, I'm nearing the end of the work.

I've got a weird issue though where one of my totals (which is basically a sum calc field of another sum calc field, both on different layouts), only updates when I either go into the originating field setup and open that up, or reopen the project.

Thats a little hard to follow, so here's another try...

I have a table PWGP with a field TotalProfit, which is a calculation for Sum(Royalties::Royalty)

Royalties::Royalty is Sum(Mechanicals::Mechanical)

When I define the database and go to the Mechanicals table and double click on the Mechanical field then just hit ok, ok, the original TotalProfit field refreshes. All fields are set to output numbers, and the original field is a number.

Is there a simple reason why this would be?

jon

[Jon Crain]

Also peculiar is that it will add up the first two amounts perfectly fine with no refresh problem. But when it gets to the third...nothin.

jon

[Søren Dyhr]

Is there a simple reason why this would be?

Unstored values on invisible layout's have no values, there is a flaw in your relational structure, if you expect it to behave as a spreadsheet.

--sd

[Oldfogey]

I have a similar problem with just a single relationship. I haven't yet had time to check this but I plan to add a Commit Record when the child field is updated. I've found it necessary to throw Commit Records around quite a bit with cross-relationship calcs.

Edited June 10, 2006 by Guest

[Søren Dyhr]

Indeed Commit is king, filemaker have made effords to make ACID compliant, this means that you today can stuff a portal with data, without it ever hits the related table, it's the commit command that makes the transaction happen.

Perhaps a reread of Ilyse Kazars chapter on recordlocking can bring you nearer an understanding, what a radical change this really is:

http://www.filemaker.com/downloads/pdf/techbrief_fm8_migrtn_found.pdf

...and perhaps put the loveafaire with the spreadsheetish approach in perspective.

--sd