Prompt to create a new record in a ToDo list when another is completed

[Ray-El]

I have an idea that I could use some input on.

I set up a departmental To Do list for a group of users in FileMaker 9. I'm going to have these same users perform a backup of their hard drives every 2 months. So I want to set up a record for that task within the To Do list. In order to mark that the task is complete and have it not show up on their To Do List for the next day, they have to check off a box indicating that the task was completed and enter the date it was completed.

What I want to do now is set it up so that when they check off that they completed the desktop backup, FileMaker will automatically create a new record for that specific user with a due date of 2 months away within the database, so that they don't have to remember to do it themselves. I wouldn't mind if FileMaker did this with no alerts, but it would be nice it it gave some kind of notice.

So basically, the database will tell User X that he has to complete the task "Desktop Backup" on June 2. When he checks off that the task is completed, I want FileMaker to create a new record for User X saying he has to complete the task "Desktop Backup" on August 2.

Here's the catch, I ONLY want the database to do this if the task field says "Desktop Backup." So that way this automation will not interfere with one-time only tasks. But I want the trigger for the new record to be marking the previous one as having been completed.

Anybody have any suggestions?

[Fenton]

Think of this more generally. You should have a "reference" table of all Tasks (just the tasks themselves, nothing to do with assignments yet). Create a real serial ID field, auto-enter, unique. Have a field "Repeat Days". Put 60 in the field for Task Name "Backup".

That way any task can be allowed to repeat, and you don't have to even know the name. They could also just enter a task that wasn't on the list, but repeating ones should be.

In the TaskAssignments you could lookup (or look at) the Repeat Days to see whether to create another TaskAssignment record for it. The Completed "checkbox" would therefore run the script.

You require Date Completed to run your script for the next (unless you just base it on the current date); therefore cannot let them check Completed [x] until the date has a value.

Edited July 2, 2008 by Guest

[Fitch]

Make the checkbox a button. Button runs a script. Script checks/unchecks checkbox, and if the task field = "Desktop Backup" you create the new task record etc. Does that make sense?

[Ray-El]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will work on setting it up so that other tasks can repeat too. That's a good idea.

For this immediate need, I noticed my checkbox was already a button that was running a script that would check off the box and get a separate field to indicate whether the job was open or closed based on that checkbox.

So I created a new script that first compared the Due Date to the current date, so that if anyone accidentally checked off an old occurrence, it wouldn't duplicate the entry. I also had it check to make sure the Completed Date wasn't blank and the task was "Computer Backup." If all of those were true, then it duplicates the record and clears the Due Date and Completed Date fields. Then I used two Set Field commands, one to set the new Due Date to the current date +30 and another to set the checkbox value to 0, which essentially unchecks the checkbox. Then I added a Custom Dialog to let them know a duplicate record was being made and then inserted the entire script as the last step within the script the checkbox was already running.

So far it appears to be working. But now that it is, I'm sure they will want other tasks to be able to do the same thing, so the idea of having a Repeat Task field is probably where I will have to go next.

Thanks!