Adding new records via a Portal

[Alison]

Hello:

Am working with two related files, and prefer to add new records to the second file via a portal in the first.

Today, I changed the number of rows to display in the portal from 6 to 10. Afterward, I was not able to tab to the next portal row (to create a new record in the related file), as I was able to do before. Now when I press tab, it goes to the next field (outside the portal).

Using the mouse, I can place the cursor on the next row, enter the data, and obtain the desired result (i.e., a new record in the second file). But I would prefer to have that tab-to-the-next-row-within-the-portal feature back.

Have not been able to puzzle this one out through the Help menu, by Google-ing, or on FM's support pages.

By adding the number of display rows, have I (inadvertently) botched that nice tab feature? or is there a fix that I can implement?

Thanks, in advance,

Alison

[Søren Dyhr]

Your modification have apparently tampered with the tab-order as well. This won't happen without dialog, and if does anyway would I be pretty skeptical with the reliability the file exhibit. Have the file or the application crashed lately??

Hopefully have you deliberately said yes to the change of the tab-order???

--sd

[Alison]

Hello, Seren:

No crashes with the file, the application or the system. When I added the rows, I don't recall the application asking or requiring a change in tab order.

Since this morning, I've input a few dozen new records into the portal of the first file. Then I checked the integrity of the input into the portal: all new records are appearing properly in the second file.

I am still also able to delete records from the second file, with the desired effect in the first.

It is odd, then, that the only "problem" is that I cannot tab to the next row in the portal. Again, though, I can place the cursor in the next row, make the entry, and everything is OK.

Odd, isn't it?

Regards,

Alison

[Søren Dyhr]

Alright in layout-mode turn to Layouts>Set Tab Order, to recreate the desired flow ... it's done by setting up a sequence of numbers in each arrow shown.

If it doesn't work? Are we to take it from there!

--sd

[Alison]

Hello again:

Yes, that worked ... I should have checked that more closely!

In addition to adding more rows in the Portal, I had also dragged over another field from the second file. Of course, this threw off the tab order within the portal. Now that the tab order is reset, all works as it did before.

Thank you very much for your help, Seren.

Cheers,

Alison

... in Nova Scotia

[gerald c]

Alison, I don't know if this will help, but I've found that when you insert a portal into a tab field, if the portal margins are out side the tab margins some strange things happen. If you resize and then go to the arange function then send the portal to the back this sometimes works

[Alison]

Gerald, I know what you mean ... the fields were all nicely aligned within the portal. Everything is working properly, now that the tab order has been reset.

Cheers,

Alison

[rcarbaugh]

I'm having trouble entering a new related record in a portal in a new database I have created. I cannot tab to it, or even click on it. I just created a database to consolidate several others that I have used for years. One set is a typical Invoices/Addresses/Products/Lineitems four table database which is working fine. I have exported the Products and LineItems tables to try to create this integrating database. I am now creating a table which records the payments, called Checks. It references the LineItems with CheckNum, so if CheckNum 3401 paid for 2 widgets and 4 gadgets, they show up in a portal in Checks and I get six items for a total of $XX. I put a portal in the Checks layout, and it references the LineItems ok, but it will not allow me add new records. I should be able to create check #3402 and create quantities of widgets and gadgets all from this one layout.

The original poster here indicated that he could not tab to a new record in the portal, but he could click in a new row and make a new record. I cannot even do that. Tabbing simply takes me to the first field on the layout, outside of the portal. Clicking doesn't even allow me to find an empty field to type into.

In my original four table Invoice DB, the minute I tab to a row in the portal, I can see a row in dotted lines which would hold the next record in the portal, should I choose to add one. However, in this database, I cannot see that empty row at all.

Please help. I have been using FMP since version 3 came out, and have been using databases since 1983, and I even have a variety of simple scripts... but I am more of a user than a programmer, I guess.

--Stumped