Relationships defining other relationships

[Jumier]

Hi everyone!

I’m trying to build a form that will allow the user to select specific features for a camera while preventing the user from selecting the incompatible features. I’ve tried setting it up a few ways:

A) Separate tables for each feature (only two fields in each) with a relationship to the previous table to create a relationship chain that would only access the correct information.

Separate tables for each feature (each with a field for every feature) with multiple relationships connecting each table.

C) One table with self-join relationships between each of the features.

Each time, the first step between ‘Camera’ and ‘Tape Stock’ is the only part that returns the correct information. The rest of the time, it seems to return the top two fields of each set by default. See picture for explanation (blue returns blue and red returns red).

I’m still very much a novice at this program so feel free to slap me upside the head if I am doing this completely wrong. I would really appreciate the help as this is the last part of my form’s functionality that I need to implement. I've attached an example of what I am trying to do.

Thanks in advance!

Camera_Features.fp7.zip

[Jumier]

Update: I tried recreating my tests on Filemaker 9 to see if the latest version would make any difference. It did not.

Does anyone know if it is even possible to create a "menu system" (for lack of a better description) out of fields populated by value lists in which each subsequent field's value list is populated by the user's input in the previous field?

So if the user chooses "CAMERA TYPE 1" in the first field, then in the next value list driven field "FORMAT, the only options in this pop up menu should be formats that "CAMERA TYPE 1" can use. Then based off of that "FORMAT", The next value list driven field, "RESOLUTION" should only be populated with options that both fit "CAMERA TYPE 1" and "FORMAT."

And so on through the camera features until every possible feature is determined.

CAMERA TYPE always returns the correct format. I'm stuck on the step after FORMAT.

The step between FORMAT and RESOLUTION either returns ALL possible options (even if incorrect) when I have the value list return related values only from my primary table.

Or it will return only the incorrect options when I have the value list return related values only from the previous table (FORMAT in this case).

Can anyone help or point me in the right direction?

[LaRetta]

Search here on Forums for +Conditional +value list

It is probably one of the most frequent requests here on Forums and there are many good examples. Particularly, look for a recent example by Comment named something like "another conditional value list."

I decided not to be lazy and find it for you ... here

Edited February 21, 2008 by Guest

[comment]

Oh, so that was your question. Try doing a search for "conditional value list" - it's probably the most frequently asked question here.

Here's one example out of many:

http://www.fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/190747/

[comment]

LOL, great minds... except I picked another one - I thought that one was a bit too specialized.

[Jumier]

Thanks for the help LaRetta and Comment!

This solved my problem!!