get value list second field value?

[radical]

i have created a drop-down list with the first field hidden and the second shown. the hidden field is a key. id and label. (using it like an array)

the drop-down is for a field of a child table of that sits on the parent layout in a portal. the drop-down value list is not related to the parent or child record.

in a script I need to get the second field based on the first field.

i looked at getnthrecord, but I need to get by key not record number.

anyone have any ideas? thanks

[comment]

This is not entirely clear. Are you selecting a specific child for a parent? If so, the easiest way to get data from the selected child would be to establish a second relationship to the child table, matching the selected key.

You COULD use GetNthRecord() instead, provided that:

(a) your existing relationship is sorted by the second field of your value list; and

(: your value list is filtered by the relationship; and

© the second field contains only unique values.

Under these conditions, the index position of the selected key in ValueListItems() will be also the N required for the GetNthRecord() function. Otherwise you'll need to grab the selected key and do a find for it in the child table.

[radical]

thanks for the response.

here is some more info.

parent: contacts

child: phone numbers (has the label field)

value list: label (id, name) not related to either parent or child.

value list comes from a shared table with many lists not just the phone list, makes it easier for entering lists.

[comment]

Sorry, I don't quite follow what you wrote. You speak of a phone numbers table, but then there is "a shared table with many lists". It's not clear if they are the same, and I am not at all sure what you mean by "many lists".

In any case, I think I have already answered the question - there is no way to get the "second field" value directly from the drop-down field. You must have a list of the "label" values that corresponds exactly to the list of "id" values, as produced by your value list.