viewing and editing distantly related tables/layout best practices

[enki]

Hello everyone, (the attached picture, makes the questions clearer)

From the layout [color:green]Subjects (based on the table called [color:green]subjects), i would like to modify, view and add to the fields (modality, session_begindate, session_enddate) found in the table [color:orange]Scan_events. [see attached image: Table_diagram.png]

From [color:green]Subjects layout i can already create a unique row in the linking table [color:blue]sub_irb. I would like to select this newly created row[in [color:blue]sub_irb] from the [color:green]Subjects layout, and based on this selection subsequently create and view a row in [color:orange]scan_events, and then modify the fields for that row in [color:orange]scan_events.(see first paragraph)

So i am trying to create/see/choose the matching row within [color:orange]scan_events for which a child row exists in table [color:blue]sub_irb, based on [color:green]subjects [the parent table].

Parent [color:green]subjects

child [color:blue]sub_irb

grandchild : [color:orange]scan_events

future greatgrdchild : [color:purple]mri_scans

8 Questions:

Question 1 - I currently only have one layout for [color:green]subjects; Should i be using a single layout based on the table [color:green]"subjects" to access/edit/create all child tables..however distant? (if "No" what should i do?)

Question 2 -Should i use 1 layout to access child and grandchild and great-grandchild([color:purple]mri_scans) etc tables?

(i am completely new to fmp and am not familiar with fmp best practices. Obviously the tables are related and i understand the concept of relation, but i know nothing of the fmp method for accessing distant tables other than using something called portals- but these only seem to work when a table is 2 links away and i will need to link to tables 4+ links away(see [color:purple]mri_scans in attached image.) Question 3 -Or do i need to create a new table occurrence of [color:green]"subjects" to achieve these goals?

Question 4 - How do i achieve this goal? i don't know how to select [color:green]subject::[color:blue]sub_irb::[color:orange]scan_events..(ultimately i will need to view a greatgrandchild table([color:purple]::mri_scans), and i don't know if i should use the same layout for that view.) I have heard of "globalfields" and "context" but don't know if or how they would be specifically applied to this question. Question 5 -Should they be?

Question 6&7&8- what is this concept of "Context and how does it relate to table occurrence" - is it a view? Under what relational circumstances do i use it?

Thanks for your help,

-enki

Edited March 7, 2007 by Guest