How do I do this?

Hi,

I have a FileMaker Pro 9 database that I am using to catalog material from 40 Indian tribes, and group by material type. Material types includes objects, images, people, media and "stories".

My goal is to set up the database so the client can input all of this material on one or two layouts, each layout appearing to be one tribe's slew of material. I have made different tables for all the material assets (objects, images, people, media, story). I have also added a table called "TribeTribe" to act as a master tribe table, intending for the client to "create a new tribe record" for each tribe's collection of assets, as the client receives and inputs tribal submissions.

Currently I am using a layout pulling from that TribeTribe table, and am hoping users can input new records into other tables through this layout. Attached is a screen shot of this layout with various "tabs" for different assets.

Another complexity I can't figure out is how at the time of creating an entry (in a portal?), a new record can be associated with records in a different table that is simultaneously being created. For example, A new story would be entered and created in the story table, and an associated image would be entered at the same time that ends up creating a new record in the image table. all the meanwhile, i hope i can do this all from one layout that is pulling from neither story nor image table records directly.

I have given it a shot, and added a numeric auto PrimaryKeyID to each table, but tend to set relationships by the "Tribe" key i also have in each table, because it seems to work.

I would also like the story table to appear on this "master layout" as a record list at the bottom but can't seem to get it to work, or don't know how to have the user know they can add new records.

Side note: I got the "People" tab/portal to work and create new records in the people table from this "Master" layout, but could not get it to work in the Timeline tab or Object tab, even though i followed the exact same process. In Timeline tab/portal (which includes only fields from Story Table), the row keeps duplicating when one new record is entered. In objects, I see the portal fields and labels in layout view but see only the portal container in browse view.

I am using a Mac 10.5.5, and FileMaker 9. The client will be using FM9 on a PC.

I am new/novice although I have used and designed basic FM databases many times. I am not afraid of learning to use scripts, but am still puzzled by relationships.

Any help/advice would be wonderful.

Thanks so much

Any suggestions for how to best create new records (in more than one other separate table) via portals in a master table layout? Best way to create new records with script?

Thanks.

Lets take your example here. How would the system know which image ties to which event? You have multiple related event records to the Tribe parent record, however, there is nothing that ties a newly created image record to that event.

You will have to select the event record that you want and then attach the image to it.

Here is what you can do. Create a button on the event portal row. Have it set a global field with the unique ID for the event record.

Now you can have a relationship from your event table to the images table. It would key on:

Event::pk_Event --< Images::fk_Event

Event::gSelectedID --< Images::pk_ImageID