I have a simple Filemaker Pro 8.5 database. It has students' data in one table and details about the classes they take in a second table.

A portal lets me see the student's class records. I want those records to display in chronological order with the most recent class showing at the top of the page.

When I set up the portal, I checked "Sort portal records" in the Portal Setup dialog box, specifying to sort in descending order by the field "Start Date."

Unfortunately, the portals instead always show the classes taken in the order in which those records were entered and I can't make the records in the portal sort by the "Start Date" field.

Was I wrong about what this part of the Portal Set up dialog box was for? Might there be something else in my database that might over ride those settings?

Has anything like this happened to anyone else?

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Hi Rank Beginner,

Portal sorts override even relationship sorts so it should be working. Are you sure the start date is type Date and not text (open your field definitions to check)? Also check your portal table occurrence name (look at the bottom row of the portal while in layout mode to find the table occurrence name). Then verify that the fields inside are also based upon that same name (double-click the StartDate field to bring up field control).

Also, in your sort dialog, be sure there is nothing selected in Reorder based upon Summary or Override Field Language (at the bottom).

LaRetta :wink2:

LaRetta, I sure appreciate your check list. I finally had time last night to run through all those alternatives, and at least I had all those parts right.

What I did discover, however, is this:

I have several tables: Student Info; Enrollment Info and Class Info.

Most of what shows up in the unsortable portal comes from the Enrollment Info table. The Start Date field, however, is from the Class Info table.

I have a Start Date field in both tables, but when I joined them, it really goofed up the records the portal displays big time. I am going to go read up on portals, tables and table occurrences to see if there is a solution. I really, really need those class start dates displayed in reverse chronological order!

Thanks for your suggestions--they gave me a starting place!

If the class Table occurrence (TO) is related to the Enrollment TO, you can choose to add a sort by the Class TO by temporarily changing the portal to reflect the Class TO and then after add the sort criteria, going back to the orig Enrollment TO.