I need to setup a layout to print out a report that uses data from different databases. I am told that I need to print the report from the database in which the data lives in. To achieve printing a page with data from different databases, I believe I need to set up fields in my main database and import the data into these fields. Is this what I need to do? If so, How can I get the data from a portal to slide when printing?

No, you'd use portals and relationships. But the problem is that portals have a fixed number of rows, so your pages will either have too many or too few to fit the number of records.

Printing in the local file is easier because you just need to make a normal layout, FMP repeats the BODY part as many times as there are records.

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Originally posted by Vaughan:

No, you'd use portals and relationships. But the problem is that portals have a fixed number of rows, so your pages will either have too many or too few to fit the number of records.

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Unless you will be printing as list from the portal file with heading from the main file.

I've started setting it up by using relationships and printing the portals, and yes it is not easy. Could you not set up the layout in the other database, then copy and paste it into the main report? Stupid question? Why can't I set up a set of fields as repeating fields and import the records from the portal to these fields, then use the sliding method? Perhaps another stupid question.

The problem with portals and repeating fields is that both have fixed number of rows.

The best way to do it is with a normal list layout in the file that the related records are in. Create a relationship back to the main file to bring across all of the information that you need to appear in the header. Find, sort then print.

The "Go to Related Records" scrip step is good for doing this stuff: in the master file, find the record you want. Run the script that uses the "go to related records (show only related records)" step, then print the layout.