I'm trying to streamline a database I've inherited from a previous employee (Trying to incorporate checkboxes more often)

[jadenguy]

he's got a list for boolean values, X and NO, and i want to turn a bunch of fields within the record to a single value, a checkbox, and was wondering if there was an easy way to:

1) check boxes off using a script? It's easy enough to go through any field in a record and do an if = insert text to get one box checked, but how do i check additional boxes without unchecking the first?

2) make check boxes show up without their preceeding item, for making a schedule with all the records in list form with one heading per check item and just the x in the body of the list? perhaps a similar trick to my first problem with a second list with as many blanks as there are checks self joined?

Edited November 1, 2007 by Guest

[Søren Dyhr]

Just think of a checkbox field as a presentation of a pilcrow delimited value of a textfield ... I've found great help in this:

http://www.briandunning.com/cf/39

...when checking or unchecking via script!

--sd

[jadenguy]

Honestly, I had to look up a couple of the words you used, but this looks like the kind of solution I need. Now, I notice that it says it's made for Advance, but my employer purchased the regular version. Will that be an issue?

[Fenton]

Yeah, big issue. A copy of FileMaker Advanced is needed to add or edit Custom Functions. Anyone can then use them.

Your statement "i want to turn a bunch of fields within the record to a single value, a checkbox" is not really true. If you've checked multiple values, then the single checkbox fields has multiple values, separated by returns (AKA pilcrows). It is not a "single value"; it is a "single field."

When beginning to work with checkboxes, it's best to put another copy of the field on the layout, NOT formatted as "checkbox." Then you'll see what it really is. To add a value, you add a line with the value. To remove a value, you remove its line; using one of the Text Functions to identify it, and Substitute().

[jadenguy]

thanks for the correction. things seem to be working out with the script, and the whole thing looks much cleaner and works much better.