Using portals to fill products line item

[zab]

Hello everyone I have a nice puzzle to solve. First this is the structure for this part of the database.

-Models tbl

-Rooms list tbl

-Rooms Line Item (related to Models) Fields: ModelIDfk, RoomIDfk, Qty, width, lenght, height, sq.feet, Nb_windows etc.

-Products tbl

-Products by room Line item (related to models and rooms) Fields: ModelIDfk, roomIDfk, ProductIDfk, Qty, price

In the models table have portals for line Items: Rooms and another for products by rooms.

80% of the products that goes into a room can be defined by calculation from the Rooms line item. Example if in the bedroom there is 2 windows, there will be 2 air-heater.

For each rooms there are more or less 10 items that could be automaticaly filled int the line item. Most of the time the same products goes into many rooms. I must be able to modify the qty entered and add new products.

My idea is to push a button in the room portal and most products and qty related to rooms and models will automatically be entered in the Product and rooms line item.

Now I'm looking for the right way to do this.

What kind of scripts and calculation do I use for it? wich one is the best for this?

Is it better if I copy/paste the portal fields into global fields and then retrieve the info one at the time to use in my calculation?

I see many possibilities but I can't figure out wich one is the best.

DO I retrieve the room from the portal (or room line item) and enter the product in the other portal (or more probably in the product by room line item)?.

I'm getting good with building database (thanks to you) but this is a level of complexity I am not familiar with. I have never been that far with scripts and calculations.

I'd appreciate any hints.

Thank you

Edited July 15, 2009 by Guest

[zab]

Well, I was only asking for hints....

I found them, it took some time But I did an excellent job...It's done.

I'm getting real good reading books and learning on my own.