Find based upon multiple filter criteria

[cmb917]

I appreciate any help on this long-winded request. I'm very new to Filemaker, but I'm setting up an application that allows a teacher colleague the ability to search and filter State Standards by a number of criteria. The workflow consists of the following:

(Please see attached screen shot)

• teacher selects grade level (drop down value list)
• teacher selects standard type (radio button value list)
• teacher selects domain type (radio button value list)
• teacher selects students proficiency level (radio button value list
• teacher clicks on SEARCH STANDARDS button
• a portal to the right (on the same layout) now shows all related records based upon the multiple filter criteria.

I've researched for the last couple of days, but I can't find anything that shows how to 1) script the SEARCH STANDARDS button to find all records with the search criteria and 2) populate the portal with all found records.

Thanks in advance.

Edited February 10, 2007 by Guest

[jamesducker]

The best way to do this would be not to perform a find at all, but to select and display matching records by means of a relationship.

You'd need to set up a relationship between the table containing the selection fields shown in your screen shot and the table containing the data records you might want to display.

If the records are in the same table as the selection fields, no problem (as long as the selection fields have 'global storage' turned on), you need to do a simple 'self-join' where you relate a table to itself. Look in these forums for more information.

In the definition of the relationship, relate:

'grade level' (selection field) to 'grade level' in the data

AND

'standard type' (selection field) to 'standard type' field in the data

AND

'domain type' (selection field) to 'domain type' field in the data

AND

'proficiency' (selection field) to 'proficiency' field in the data

You'll need to make sure the text of the value list entries used for the selection fields exactly matches the text in the data fields.

You must also define the portal to show records from the newly-defined relationship, and in layout mode make sure that the correct fields from the correct relationship are placed within the portal's top line.

You will also be able to do away with the 'search' button as the results will update 'live' whenever changes are made to the selection fields, on which the relationship is based.

Another way would be to use a script behind your search button to go to the data table, perform the find, get the results then use 'replace' to set a flag in each one, then define a relationship to show in the portal anything matching that flag. But that is an uglier solution which would also not work well in multiple-user conditions.

[cmb917]

Thanks so much for your help. You've helped point me in the right direction.

[jamesducker]

No problem :-)