Checkbox to Portal-linking?

[Saucepan]

hopefully this is posted in the right forum, anyhow here goes:

ive got two diffrent problems:

1. ive got a checkbox list which is linked to a portal. when i check the boxes the result shows up in the portal all good and well, but everything goes into the same field! i want the different checks to end up in diffrent fields, how do i do that?

2. if i want to add checkboxes to my list by manually entering values into a field in a different table, how do i do that? preferably i would like to have a button next to the new value that said "add", which in turn added the new value, is this possible?

Edited June 21, 2006 by Guest

[Lee Smith]

Hi Sauce, welcome to the Forum.

Although FileMaker is an easy database application to learn and use, it still has a learning curve. You sould start by reading the FileMaker Manual. There are some excellent after market books about FileMaker available, for some receommendations from the members, take a look at the Resource Topic Area. In addtion, there some videos, and classes listed there.

If I'm understanding your questions,

1. Each portal row is a record in the related record. What ever selection you make in it, will be what shows in the field for the portal.

2. Read the section about Value List using a Field.

HTH

Lee

[Saucepan]

1. true, the problem is that all the selections show up in the same portal-field. i want them to list, one check = one field. this because im later on going to link each specific field to yeat another table, so i need the individual value. (havent defined value_id yeat, thats the next step).

2. will do!

[Lee Smith]

attach a copy of your file and I'll have a look.

[Saucepan]

this is as far as i got... its very basic but i figured ill get in to all the other stuff later on, start with fixing the small things...

checkboxes.zip

[Lee Smith]

checkboxes are just a way of looking at the data. what you want is a separate record for each entry for the realationship.

I changed your relation ship, and the field. See revised file.

checkboxes.fp7.zip

[Saucepan]

thanks for the help, but its still not really what im looking for.

maybe i cant be done, i dont know, but what i want is a list that fills individual positions for every new entry in the checkbox list. sort of the way you did but, the other way around...

[Tricky]

I cannot view the example files at this time, but I am confused about the way you want to use the check boxes.

-do you use them for data entry, and the data entered then to show up in a related field from another table?

-and if so, do you want the data in the checklist to show up separately? In other words: you enter green, and a related field of a new record then appears, saying 'green'? And will 'green' then be part of the check box list after that?

Check boxes are different from radio buttons because they can contain multiple values. It is not a matter of either the one or the other value. This IS the case with radio buttons (although there is a way to work around that...). So, if you wish to direct data entry in the remote file that is shown in the portal via check boxes, I am curious to know why you approach it this way.

What is the purpose of the action?

[Saucepan]

the purpose i simple: i want to be able to enter different interest for a person by checking checkboxes. these interests/values then get listed in a different table (if by using a portal, then ok, thats they way ive been aprroaching it).

the point is to have the values listed induvidually in the second table (labled notes) is because im going to put a button right next to the interest linking to more info about the interest. why i do it this way is because, simply it saves space, since no info on the interest is loaded without first having to interest. if i hade all the info linked directly to the person i would have to load that info at the same time as i load the person, no regards to if the person has that particulat interest. this is all to optimize the database, and reduce the time it takes to seach and organize it.

hopefully this explain a little.

[Lee Smith]

By formatting the portal field with a drop down list (see the modified file I posted back to you), you well be creating a list by entering into the next (blank) portal row, and selecting the value from the drop down list.

Do you follow what I mean?

Lee

Edited June 22, 2006 by Guest

[Saucepan]

yeah, got that. i just need it to got the other way around. i want to enter into the checkbox list and then fill in the portalrows. thats not really a problem. the thing is that i want a new portal row for each new check in the checkboxlist, thats the thing i don quite get...

[Tricky]

Nils, I think you should let go of the idea of data entry from the check boxes in the field. You can SHOW the entry in check boxes, indivually per person, or in a portal, whichever suits you most. But I believe you would be better off with a global text field. Attach the value list with possible interest choices to it as a pop up list. Put a button next to it with 'confirm' or something on it. Attach a script to the button that puts the value the user has selected into a new record in the remote table and then empties the global for the next entry. It will then show up in the portal and/or in the check boxes. I will make a quick example in fmp6. Not sure if this is what you want to have, but it is at least a workable solution.

[Saucepan]

thanks! ive been into that idea myself, but i never really developed it fully, i guess i dwelled to deep with my checkboxes... whould have been nice if i got it to work...

awaiting your example file!!!

[Tricky]

The name checkboxes is a lie... I do not think you should use them. Instead I have made two different approaches via portal. One lets the user enter the values in the portal and that is it. In the other, the results are shown in a portal, but created through scripting. Of course this is Filemaker 6. In FM8 you would use the variables instead of the globals and also the goto related gives different results I believe. I think that if there are no related records, the found set will be 'show all'. So you will have to check via IsValid. Some other people might be able to help you with converting this to FM8. It will be a lot simpler and shorter in FM8.

Have fun with this. Sorry for the delay: work work work!

CheckBox.zip