Making a selection to create relational record

[CRoberts]

I have seen similar problems to this, but everyone has a slightly different flavour.

I am writing my own Asset Equipment db.

3 tables so far: People, Equipment and Assignments, the latter associating people with their items and the table contains only PersID and EqID.

What is tripping me up is that when viewing an item of Equipment I want to choose someone from a list of people and assign that item.

Using a layout showing records from Assignments and passing a global ref to EqID does display the equipment details.

I have a Value List from People displaying PID and Fullname (displaying only Second field) from which i wish to select the person to assign the Equipment.

I cannot get this to work. Am I missing some trick with Value Lists, Layouts or is it the relational side of things?

Any help is most appreciated.

Kind regards

[bcooney]

Here's a demo of how to use a join table and value lists.

However, one caveat, as the value list get really long, you'll need to graduate to a scripted popup window that show a list view or a filtered portal. The user the selects the foreign key from the popup window. I've posted a demo of this somewhere on the forum. Search for popup perhaps.

Topic_193120.zip

[Søren Dyhr]

I think I would do it this way, although I think popup menu's looks ugly.

--sd

assigning.zip

[Søren Dyhr]

Ah Barbara did the same, then lets do it with drop downs and a merge field.

Now this is one of those things very likely to turn wrong in a mixed environment, since windows coerce into fewer font sizes, so a set of layouts for each platform is required ... so bearing this in mind, will explain if you open a messed up layout under windows.

--sd

assigning2.zip

[bcooney]

Soren, I hate popup menus also, although you can change the borders, etc so that it doesn't look 3D. However, I think that layered fields in layouts are a maintenance problem and might confuse a new user.

Truthfully, I never add records to a portal, it's always scripted with a New button and I don't use popup menus for selecting foreign keys (I usually have a popup filtered portal). But without a good foundation, the advanced techniques are difficult to grasp, imho.

[CRoberts]

Thanks for that. I think i can see how it works. Bit unusual.

When was this intro'd to FM Pro and is there any docs, cos my v9 was sorely lacking in terms of documentation.

[bcooney]

I've only read one book, Love and Bowers Special Edition Using FM8 (now updated to FM9). Terrific. Geoff Coffey's website at SixFriedRice has lots of great tips/techniques as does Matt Petrowsky's IsoFileMaker Mag. (Link at top of this webpage).

You might want to subscribe to FM Advisor. There are two editions: beginner and advanced.

[Søren Dyhr]

I don't use popup menus for selecting foreign keys (I usually have a popup filtered portal).

Neither do I, I'd rather use something in the vicinity of this:

http://www.fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/185959/post/247962/#247962

With or without the straining feature!

--sd

[CRoberts]

Hi Barbara

I like the sound of "I don't use popup menus for selecting foreign keys (I usually have a popup filtered portal".

Can you help me understand what one of those is and how i make it work.

C ;-)

[bcooney]

Take a look at the Add Person button on the Equip form layout in this demo file.

Topic_193120b.zip

[sullyman]

Cool trick SD with the dropdown (ID and merge field)

Can you please explain a bit more what you mean below with things turning wrong?

Thanks,

Sully

Now this is one of those things very likely to turn wrong in a mixed environment, since windows coerce into fewer font sizes, so a set of layouts for each platform is required ... so bearing this in mind, will explain if you open a messed up layout under windows.

--sd

Attachment: assigning2.zip (7.85 KB) 2 View(s) [Download]