Schedule calcs

[merkaba22]

I have a scheduling_table::Instructors,

scheduling_table::time and

scheduling_table::date_calc (dayoftheweek)

scheduling_table::time is 26 time slots from 8:00 am to 8:30 pm in 30 minute increments for each day of the week.

Not all instructors are available for each time slot for any given day of the week.

I would like to create a limited value list for scheduling_table::Instructors defined by a particular time value in scheduling_table::time and scheduling::date_calc (dayoftheweek), so that at say 8:30 on Tuesday, Bill is available, but not at 9:00 on Tuesday because Bill indicated this in instructors_table:: ....

I know I can use calc fields to combine scheduling_table::time and scheduling::date_calc as unique values with which I can create relationships for similar calc fields in instructors_table:: ....

My question is of creating a simple design .... if I create 26 fields by 7 days and create a grid for the Instructor to select his availablility stored in a related table, instructors_data_table, and create those calcs off of that data creating a record of each timeslot/day, for example, along with the time slots + (dayoftheweek)calcs,I am pretty sure it will work.

Is there a simpler design where I do not have to create 26 x 7 fields in addition to the calcs I will need for each for this approach to work?

Is there a simple way to use check boxes to create a grid for the Instructors to indicate availability?

Thanks in advance:)

[aldipalo]

Ray Cologon of Night Wing Enterprises has some pretty neat stuff that may help you. Take a look at this:

http://www.nightwing.com.au/FileMaker/demos7/demo705.html

HTH

[merkaba22]

That's pretty interesting -- I am not so familiar with that technique, especially using globals like that.

Can you give me a couple of pointers so when I sit with it, I can get it more easily?

Thanks:)

[comment]

You can use two repeating fields for this. One repeating number field, with 182 repetitions, to mark the availibilty (busy = 1 ; available = 0 or empty). The second repeating field, with the same number of repetitions, is a calculation (result is number, evaluate always) =

Case ( not Busy ; Get ( CalculationRepetitionNumber ) )

Number your slots from 1 to 182 and define a relationship from the slot number to the repeating calc.

On the Layout, place 7 instances of the Busy field, each one starting from the corresponding repetition (1-26; 27-52; etc...).

[Fenton]

I think this whole thing can work relationally, without the "multitudinous fields" business. You could create a table with a record for each Instructor, for each time slot, refreshed when they change their schedule. You'd present the choices some way (depends on how fixed your schedules are), then build the records via script. Then you have records which can be matched by a date-time slot. It could be used to filter a value list or portal, showing "instructors available". It could be used to validate a choice or edit.

In my solutions the Time-Grid file is ONLY times, with a global date(s).You can show multiple days, in columns, via self-relationships, by gDate+1, gDate+2, etc.. It has NO data about the appointments themselves. It has multiple relationships to Appointments, based on those global dates (at least one per) & time slot.

Apppointments is a separate simple table: what, who, who with (by ID), date, time. What you see in a "calendar" or "time-grid" is more like a reflection of the appt. data, within a fixed visual frame. It shows the appt. data because it's matched on date-times; start time to (end time - 1 interval). You could delete all the times, then recreate them, and it would all be the same.

You have a decision to make about whether to use <> to match your relationships, or use calculated time slots. If the times are always 1/2 hour, I'd use calculations. Much faster. And speed is an issue with Time-Grids, somewhat over a LAN, critical over WAN.

[merkaba22]

Hi Fenton,

I think I want to use a checkbox interface that creates a record in a separate data table whenever selected, so that each Instructor would have up to corresponding 182 records that create a calc for the day_timeslot.

It would be ideal to use 7 checkbox value lists, one for each day of the week, as an interface for creating these records but I don't think that is possible off hand -- I think I still need to create 128 fields related to the data table (each with a checkbox) that when selected creates the corresponding record and a calc.

That way there could be a way to filter a value list from the data table based on timeslot and instructor.

What I have no experience with is globals and so I don't really comprehend what you are saying to improve this idea...

Is there a way to show a simple example of your design -- especially if the above is fairly well-conceived?

[merkaba22]

Well, I would like to beg some help, ha ha!

I got most of it worked out:

Instructors has a data entry method for 25 times for each day that creates in instructors_data two fields for any day: mon_time, say 830, and monday_time where "day of week" creates 2830.

I have a pair for each day, 14 fields in each record along with the instructors_name, etc.

In schedules_data there is a field for a time slot: if the day is monday and the choice is 830, the field becomes 2830.

Accordingly, there is a relationship:

instructor-data::monday_time to schedules_data::time_choice

and all is well.

When I try to add instructor-data::tuesday_time to the relationship, it fails.

Soooo .... is there a handy way to get all the 7 days data for any one record:

instructor-data::monday_time

instructor-data::tuesday_time

instructor-data::wendsday_time

instructor-data::thursday_time

instructor-data::friday_time

instructor-data::saturday_time

instructor-data::sunnday_time

to relate to time_slot in schedule data?

Or is the data needing to be further broken down so that, instructor-data::monday_time, for instance in in one record and instructor-data::tuesday_time in another record

where each is renamed, instructor-data::anyday_time, for instance,that will singly relate to time_slot in schedule data?

I hope that is not too confusing ....

Thanks in adance again:)