Weblike interface

[Andrew Q]

Hi all,

I hope someone might be able to help me out by shedding some light on my problem or even pointing me in the right direction. Please do let me know if I'm posting in the wrong section as this seemed like the most likely place. I'm a newbie at this so hope that you can be patient with me.

Brief history:

"I'm trying to create a simple solution for a database of properties transacted(sold) in my area. In this database, it would contain photos of the houses along with certain general details such as land sizes, the road name and postal number. There would be a table/portal to show the different sales transaction on that particular property."

I have 2 problems that I need to figure out:

(1) Interface

(2) Data importing (I know this is not related to the topic but since I'm talking about the whole solution I hope you all don't mind me putting it here)

Problem (1)

The reason I stated on the subject header 'weblike' is because the best way I can think of presenting this database in a user friendly way would be from a overhead detailed map(sample attached to provide a better idea of what I'm talking about) with the user being able to select whichever property he/she is interested in knowing more details about. I know that there are a few ways to make buttons so that they may select that property such as drawing shapes:circles or squares/retangular or setting the text as a button. However each property comes in different shapes and sizes and thus this is my problem. In other applications, one is able to draw whatever shape they would like and turn that into a button. An example would be on dreamweaver, u can draw any shape n size for a 'hotspot' for users to click on. Is filemaker able to do something like this?

Problem 2:

When I want to import data to update a particular property's transaction/history, I cannot think of any solution because the data I want to import would consist of various properties. I know that as long as there is a unique id, then there would be no problem. My question is would I be able to write a condition when importing the data whereby it would use 2 fields to match with the database so as to point it to the right property to update.

I hope I have explained clearly my problems. Do ask if you need to clarify further. Thank you so much in advance .

[Genx2]

Addressing Problem 1 First:

First Of all you might consider - for both the sake of your user but more importantly your own -simply using the lot no. as the button, i.e. simply draw a standard square around that, they sort of look ugly anyway because they go inverted but it's up to you i suppose - don't waste to much time on it, trust me you'll have much more stuff to waste your time on . This way the user will always know to click on the lot no. to be taken to the record in question.

Secondly

Yes, when importing you can choose various match fields (as many as you want) in your case it would seem a lot no. and perhaps a suburb or estate name would suffice seeing as your getting the data externally from somewhere and don't have a primary key available at the other end (from what i'm guessing).

Anyway, any questions, yell

~Genx

[Andrew Q]

Hi Genx2. Thanks for your quick reply.

In regards to Prob 1, I know that would be the easiest but before I go ahead I wanted to make sure I have explored all posibilities. I would still prefer to have the entire area be filled(customised shaped buttons) because i'm also trying to figure out how to do rollover buttons. Therefore if i can map the region, it would look nicer as well in my opinion. I'm giving myself a few days to figure out and hoping others may help give some ideas before deciding to go for the text button.

As to Prob 2: thanks for confirming my question.

[Genx2]

Back to question 1) I just tried using an external program to create a button of custom shape (can't do this in fm) ... no luck the best you can get is circles but that's about it.

Now you bring up the roll over issue: if you just want tooltips thats fine, if not, you are going to have to look at a cool donation-ware plugin called EventScript by soft4humans. Have a hunt around on these forums for some links to it - theres plenty. This allows execution of scripts on rollover so it might help you out with what your trying to achieve.

~Genx

[Andrew Q]

On (Q1) Yeah, I've been tinkering around but i'm stumped. Even if you can create custom shapes, when imported in, it would still be a square and that would overlap with the other shapes. But thanks for trying out though. I appreciate it.

I've already discovered Eventscript much earlier which I do plan to use but haven't played with it much yet.

[CoZiMan]

One of my pet peeves also, no custom button shapes. Sigh. The only solution, which in my opinion is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE (yes a shout), is creating a bunch of lines to cover an area, grouping them, and making a button of them. What a total P.I.A.

Go to the wants and wishes forum and ask for custom button shapes.

Sigh.

[Genx]

You know, you could use a combination of squares and lines... squares to fill up big spaces and lines to fill the small ones, i just fiddled with it, it seems okay.. ish.

~Genx

[Andrew Q]

True but that would be okay if there were only a few to do. Imagine if I have about 100 of these maps to do :)

[Lee Smith]

I haven't read all of the posts between your first and last, as I think Genx has given you a couple of good ways to go. After reading your latest post, I think I would lean towards his first recommendation of using the numbers as the buttons. Be sure to use the option to change to Hand over button.

As far as having 100 or so to make using the boxes, or lines, this isn't as hard as it might sound.

I only see about 4 or 5 basic shapes, it would only be a matter of duplicating the basic shapes and modifying them to fit.

HTH

Lee

[comment]

I don't think this can be done in Filemaker natively - custom shapes or not. Any button you create has a permanent position on the layout. For 100 maps, you would need 100 layouts, and a mechanism to determine the correct layout for the current map.

Perhaps it could be done by displaying the maps in a web browser, with the image map coded to call the matching record in Filemaker via AppleScript - but I'm afraid I don't know much about that.

[Inky Phil]

In your original post you stated that you were trying to create a simple solution. Perhaps the simplest solution might be not to have the point and click selection but to have the user simply enter the number of the plot that they wish to view.

That way the effort required by you is dramatically reduced but the effort required by the user is negligable

Phil

[Tim W]

Andrew,

Scan each map in and place indivdual transparent buttons over each lot. Use the map as a menu to direct the user to the record about that lot/block address.

I agree that this is more trouble to draw natively than it is worth. Use the overlay approach, with the sub-division plot map as wallpaper. I do this all the time with forms, with excellent results.

Let me know what you think.

HTH

Tim

[Genx]

Come to think of it, you could probably save yourself a lot of trouble by using the map as a key, and having the user enter the block number into a field in order to view more information. It seems sort of logical in this case, especially seeing as your maps may all vary in size and shape and as comment points out your likely to need 100 layouts to match your hundred maps --> with the key, you could just have a container holding the map for each section and store lot info in a related table, linked by a primary key and lot number.

I can almost guarrantee you that your users won't mind - the only person who would mind is you if you tried the buttons - because of the amount of time you would have to spend, only to perhaps shorten your users movements by 1 second. Do a cost / benefit.

Further think about the time it will take you to maintain in the future - you as the developer will have to sit there for hours on end adding new layouts, and maintaining things. And have a look at normal industry sites, they ask you to enter a lot# to enquire about.