Apologies if this seems a very simple problem, but I'm with a small charity (see my homepage if you like), we have 2 staff and I have nobody else to ask.

I'm using Filemaker Pro 5.5 and have one file with "donors" (customers) and a related file - viewed through a portal - of "donations" (transactions). I've created a layout in the donor file with a thank-you letter, so I can click a button to print it when we receive a donation. I have included a merge field with amount, from the donations database. But how can I make it read the amount of the LATEST donation, not the first - which is what I get each time I try it?

Also, I don't seem able to do numeric formatting (apply currency symbols) with a merge field ... or have I missed something?

It would be much easier to print the letter from the donations file. You can have a relationship back from the donations file to the donor file so that you can show the donor name and address on the letter layout. You can initiate this from the donor file though by executing this script:

code:

---

Go to Portal Row[last]

Go to Related Record[Donations][show only related records]

Perform Script [Filename: "Donations","PrintLetter"]

Refresh Window[bring to front]

---

In your donations file create a script "PrintLetter" that goes to the letter layout in the donations file and prints the current record only.

To format a number in a merge field, you have to select the whole text block and then you can apply the number formatting from the format menu. The restriction is that all numeric fields in the block of text will have the same format. You can't format them individually if they are in the same text block. Likewise you can apply a date and time format for the same block of text which will apply to all date and time merge fields respectively.

[ December 08, 2001: Message edited by: BobWeaver ]

Thank you for that. I suspected I might need to be in the other database for that one, but the info about numeric formatting on blocks of text is new to me.

Thank goodness for this forum. I don't know what you get with the Developer version, but the Manual and Help with Filemaker Pro never seem to have the answer to the problem I've just run into!

Do you guys work for FileMaker? And if not, do you get a fee for this? You should!

You can also have the relationship sort based on date, in descending order (or create a similar relationship with this sort method). That way, in the portal for the date-sorted relationship, the most recent donation will be at the top.

Next, create a calc field that returns a number, and equals the DateSortedRelationship: onationAmount. Put that field in the layout with the portal, and it will show the amount in the top line of the portal.

(Actually, the field can be in any layout, or none at all; it will always contain the most recent donation.)

Use that field for the donation amount.

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As far as number formatting in merge fields, if it's the only number in the merge field, you format the number just as you would format numbers for any other field -- go to Format:Number and ... well, you'll know the rest.