Question on nested value lists using CDML

[lzeng]

Hi there:

Two problems make me headache:

1. I have four items, say, A,B,C,D listed in the chechboxes. When the user choose item A, he will continue to choose a set of radiobuttons, say, a,b,c,d. If the user choose B, he will continue to choose another set of radiobuttons, like e,f,g,h. How can I organize this in the database and also how to use CDML to show all the checked items one by one in the response page?

2. I have another set of radiobuttons, the items and their exact values are shown below:

Items in radiobutton Item Value

20/30 or better 0

30/40 or better 1

50/70 or better 2

When the user click on an item in the radiobutton, I should show the user the relevant item value in the response page, how can I organize this in the database and show the results using CDML?

Thanks a looooot in advance!

Catty

[Vaughan]

Both of these probably will involve the use selecting the option, submitting the form, then Web Companon calculates the next response and displays it.

Both of these look like they rquire conditional value lists. To see how they are done on the web, refer to the TechInfo article number 105336 on the Filemaker Inc web site.

[lzeng]

Hi Vaughan:

Thanks for your reply. I read the article which you suggested but i am still confused on building up relationships with the items in a value list. For my example, how can I create a relationship between value "o" with item "20/30 or better" in the value list? what would the code be when user clicks on "20/30 or better" and I can show him "O" in the result page? Could you show me an example? Thanks a lot!!!

Catty

[Vaughan]

The point of the article is that you don;t use conditional value lists over the web -- they don't work over the wb like they do in FMP on a layout. The trick in the article was to show an initial value list in the master database. Selecting one option performs a find in the related database. The related database records are then used to generate what looks like the conditional value list. The important thing is that it's a two-step process with a submit in between. Withoutn the submit the second value list cannot be generated.

There might be a way to automate the submit with javascript or java, but that second load has to happen somewhere.

[clipper]

I have been working on my portal last months and the problem listed here is the reason I probably will have to junk all my work.

After lot of work in this -my first proyect- all is working as I planned except this thing. Clients can't search the database using conditional lists in dropmenus.

Why filemakers developers don't offer a work around about it? I don't know but I think this is inexcusable. I was reading several postings here about this problem but never a solution like a javascript.

This will probably affect any filemaker web developer becouse is basic to make a search in most of medium complex databases... so please if someone can look for or write a script to solve the problem, please post it here in UPPERCASE!

Thanks

[Garry Claridge]

Is this like what you want to do:

Select a Sport:

a. Sailing

b. Football

c. Atheltics

If "a" then show this list:

a. Small

b. Medium

c. Large

If "b" then show this list:

a. Rugby

c. Soocer

d. Aussie Rules

If so, we did something similar to this earlier last year. I can give examples of this in a couple of days time, when I get a chance to find the documentation.

All the best.

Garry

[Keith M. Davie]

If what Gary suggests is so, then after the first click (Select A Sport) your format file can use the if-conditional to display either of the other two lists.

Also, sometimes it is just as easy to use html code for radio buttons, checkboxes and pup-ups. Send (or search) to a field formatted as standard.

[Vaughan]

The reason why FMI cannot do anything about the problem is because it's indeterminate: how can the web page display the answer before the question is known.

All web pages that have some form of conditional menus have a reload after the option is selected.

Think about how it would be done manually: show the user a form with a list of options; read the option selected; return the appropriate response. It's the "read the option selected" part that proves the sticking point.

Why does everybody blame FMI all the time when stuff is difficult to do?

[Anatoli]

With clever programming of FileMaker and JavaScript it will be possible, I am 99% sure.

[Vaughan]

Oh I agree... but there has to be some sort of "reload" in the middle to generate the next value list. (That's the point I was trying to make -- it cannot be done in one hit.)

[Garry Claridge]

Depends on how many valuelists exist; and how big they are. You can load them all in one go into Javascript arrays.

Garry

[Spacemanspiff]

I've solved a similar problem with a calculation field that generates the code for the valuelist with related values...

Works great!

... and now I've made an example to download, because it's hard to explain in words how to do it...

Maybe it could help you?

Here is the link to the Download page! (.sit and .zip)

[clipper]

to moderators (in general):

Your efforts here are really appreciated for me so don't feel outrage with some comment I can do (this is only product of a frustrating status)... ok?

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to Vaughan:

Of course the question is to make a submitting of the first category to the database and wait for a response to the second value list. This is evident.

I was reading somewhere (probably in some javascript resources page) that is possible to assign a function to one dropdown menu, for example submit on focus or something similar. I'm not javascripter. And yes, you will experience a refresh effect after that but I think it may be possible to divide the first menu and the conditional in different frames so you can make a calling and refresh only the second frame containing the conditional value list... this way you get a softness refresh delay in the answer.

I think that Filemaker developers could offer samples or some code to resolve this common task (and some others) alike they include templates, because it will involve some javascript knowledge and they continuosly claim about the easiness of web development to filemaker users. Some specific CDML tag could resolve the problem for sure but they are concentrated on XML now. If I blame is becouse it should't be difficult. I have resolved many other -in theory- harder problems in my project yet.

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to Garry Claridge:

Yes, this is exactly what I'm looking for (and probably a lot of people) but not only in the database (I have it) but in a web page...

Remember that may be other values involved in this form, like the sort order or some pre-assigned value for the searching, so you have to make a submitting of the first valuelist to avoid unexpected results and that implies to ignore the rest of fields and javascripting or HTML calling just for this field like Anatoli wrotes...

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to Anatoli:

When you say is possible, are you offering us your colaboration? I can't avoid some fear feeling each time I read your tariff

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to Spacemanspiff:

Thank you very much, I take a fast view to your archive and it seems not to be what I need... I will study it again anyway.

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to all of you:

Excusses for my english. I'm from Spain but I hope you can translate me.

Please help me finish this work. My son expects great things from his father and you wan't him to feel defrauded isn't it?

[Anatoli]

Clipper

I am not expert on JavaScript, but as was suggested by Garry Claridge, loading all values to arrays and manipulate that is viable.