Guidance needed

[sanborn]

I am accustomed to working w/ FileMaker 5.5 using a Mac and have been forced to switch to FileMaker 9 for PC. The learning curve is so steep - it doesn't seem to even be the same program. Different terms (tables? portals?), different everything. I have so many questions I don't know where to begin. I attempted to register for training with 2 different companies and they both refused me, saying the differences were to great. What??? That's why I need training! Anyway, can anyone recommend some good self-training books or sites that will help me learn how to set up my school's database using FileMaker 9?

One question - when I create a record (unique Student ID) in one table, how do I set it up so that record is automatically created in the related tables? I clicked the box that says "allow creation of records" but no record is created.

[Inky Phil]

Re your one question:

Ticking the 'allow creation' box merely means that you will have an empty row in the bottom of your portals where you can create related records. Until you enter data into this row no new related record will be created via this tool.

To create a related record at the same time as the parent record,

Create your parent,

freeze the window,

swap to a layout that shows records from the related table and create a new record,

use a setfield instruction to set the key field in the related record

Go back to the original layout.

Re: the steep learning curve. I like you am not a professional developer and I too struggled with all that you are now finding strange. All that I can tell you is that it is well worth the effort.

What the training companies perhaps should have said is that they have no current courses that cover this change. I managed it through this forum. The people here are unbelievably helpful so I suggest that you just start firing the questions and slowly (but not that slowly) things will start to slot into place.

HTH

Phil

[Hammerton]

This business of having to enter some bit of data in a field in the related database in order to create a record in the related databaseis a pain in the ass. I have no idea why they cannot create an option that automatically makes a new record in a related database

[Lee Smith]

The major changes from 5.5, came with the release of v7. Since then, v8, 8.5 and 9 have improved upon the goodies found in v7.

I don't know what Training classes you were looking at, but you might find videos, and a couple of after market books helpful.

To start with, I can [color:blue]recommend these [color:blue]videos sites:

http://www.filemakermagazine.com/

http://movielibrary.lynda.com/html/modListing.asp?pid=45

and these [color:blue]books

Special Edition Using FileMaker 8

by Steve Lane, Scott Love, and Bob Bowers

FileMaker 8 Functions and Scripts Desk Reference

by Steve Lane, Scott Love, and Bob Bowers

HTH

Lee

[comment]

I have no idea why they cannot create an option that automatically makes a new record in a related database

Because a record with no data is redundant.

[Fred V2]

Allright,

my problem is similar yet I don't really understand how to go about it. Quite the newbie here!

Anyway I'm creating this databases to track models who work with us. At first I did three tables in one file and now for some reason it seemed simpler to have 3 files with a single table each.

Table 1 is basic model's info such as name, contacts and such

Table 2 is Ids and contracts info to see which sites they're registered with and keep their passwords and all easily accesible. It also includes pictures of two pictures.

Table 3 would be a follow up informations. Depending if they are active or not, why, when they were last called, by who, etc...

Table 1 and 2 already exist in paper files but the number is growing and it sure is not efficient. But that means that models already have an code assigned to them comprised of a letter and three numbers.

Now what I'd wish to do is that when I create a record in table 1 and fill the model# field, that it should create a related record in ID&contracts with the same number in the field model# and also automatically enter the first name in every related record....

It seems to me this should be easy, I must be missing something!

Any help appreciated, hoping this was clear enough!