Object appears after clicking check box

[Barclay H]

Hi,

I'm new to filemaker and am trying to create a check box which will display an object when pressed. How can I do this with conditional formatting or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thank you.

[bcooney]

Welcome!

Sounds like you're after a "reveal." FM doesn't have a direct method of showing/hiding a field based on a value in another field.

There are many approaches to achieving something close to this. If you describe your particulars in more detail, I could suggest which would probably be the best tactic.

Search the forums for "invisibility trick" and study the use of tab panels.

[Barclay H]

Many thanks BCooney,

I'm trying to record various aspects of nose surgery which relies heavily on standardised diagrams. For example, an operation may involve trimming of the nasal tip cartilage. I'd like to select this in a checkbox so I can search later on for this particular field and have a red shape appear on a nose diagram so that I have a visual representation of the data for quick reviews in the clinic.

Regards,

Barclay.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Guest

[Lee Smith]

Something like this maybe.

barclay.fp7.zip

[Barclay H]

Thank you Lee for taking the time to produce the example, I've learnt something new today about containers!

The issue is slightly more complex...

Each half of the nose has 16 potential different operations. I'm going to place them into 4 tabs covering skin, cartilage, bone and implants. A complex operation may therefore have up to 32 elements within it - I'd like to show these elements as combinations of objects. I've looked at BCooney's 'invisible trick' thread but have only reached a dead end. I'm beginning to wonder whether this is even possible in filemaker...maybe I should look at another mac solution?

Cheers,

Barclay.

[bcooney]

Hi, chiming in again. We need to better understand your data to suggest an appropriate model.

Questions:

Each operation could have 1 or more Elements?

Each element would be tagged as RightSide or Left?

Each element would be assigned a type (skin, etc.)?

How do the "combinations of objects" fit in?

What do you mean by that term?

Is there a diagram for each element?

Or is there a final diagram for each possible combination of elements?

Edited July 17, 2009 by Guest

[Lee Smith]

There was not doubt in my mind that this going to be more complicated than my sample, it was meant to get you to think about an approach.

After reading your reply, I getting the sense that you want a composite of the face to show each of the elements involved for a particular client. The information for the checkbox and the diagrams would need to be hard coded, so the selection of the different items involved need to progress through the diagrams. I'm assuming that the standardized diagrams already do this?

If so, do you have a sample of your checkbox field, and the standardised diagrams that you can post?

Lee

[color:red]ps

Sorry Barbara, didn't see your post when I started this reply. I see you have posted a similar answer. I'll leave mine anyway, as it maybe helpful.

Edited July 17, 2009 by Guest
ps

[Barclay H]

Wow, what support!

I'll try to answer your questions buy illustrating my workflow.

As I examine a nose I'll look at it from the front, side and below looking up into the nostrils.

In my treatment plan I'll consider for example, whether the nose needs hump reduction, left nasal cartilage augmentation, right bone osteotomy and bilateral spreader grafts.

I'd like to select these elements in my check boxes e.g

Spreader graft

-crushed

-uncrushed

Septal reduction

-with blanking

-without blanking

Once selected the check box would trigger the display of an object(s) in the diagrams as a visual representation of the data.

In the attached diagram green=spreader graft, hashed green=implant and red=septal reduction.

As you may have guessed there are many more elements! I don't think I could put them all in on a standard diagram becuase of the degree of overlap.

Hope this sheds more light...

Barclay H

BHexample.pdf

[bcooney]

There's the thing. If the goal is to produce one diagram that captures all the elements, then that's what we'd work towards. But, you're saying that it's too much info in one diagram.

So, when do you stop? What purpose do the diagrams serve if when you reach x elements, you need more than one diagram?

What's the desired outcome?

Forgetting the diagrams, the info so far suggests an interface that allows for multiple elements per treatment plan (and multiple treatment plans per patient). Then, when you select each element, a related set of data points would appear. So, if you add Spreader graft and then select it, you'd specify crushed or uncrushed. What are these data points called that are specific to each element?

I'm a bit lost in your terms. You mention operations that have elements (16 x 2 sides of the nose). However, then you mention treatment plans. How do those differ from operations? Which "owns" the elements?

[Lee Smith]

Your diagram looked a lot like I thought it would.

IMO, I would use the checkboxes for descriptions, and then take a photos of the individual, in the different stages, and have a number of container fields available for each patient. A simple job with today's digital cameras. You can then print the photos, and mark them anyway you want for your records, and then the photo's can be either referrenced, or inserted.

HTH

Lee

[comment]

Here's one possible way. I am not sure how overlaps figure in this, though.

rhinomap.fp7.zip

[Barclay H]

Hi Barbara,

Sorry if I'm not being clear. Let me try and shed more light on this:

the goal is to produce one diagram that captures all the elements

Correct. All the info can be put on one diagram, I just meant that there'd be overlap of one diagram with another hence, smaller objects would hidden.

What purpose do the diagrams serve if when you reach x elements

The diagram acts as a rapid visual aid memoir of the operation rather than looking at check boxes. Very few patients would have all the separate elements in one operation.

an interface that allows for multiple elements per treatment plan

Spot on. Most patients would have primary, secondary or revision surgery. I'm recording these within the same record using tabs.

So, if you add Spreader graft and then select it, you'd specify crushed or uncrushed. What are these data points called that are specific to each element?

Not sure what you mean by this. In essence spreader graft would be a check box field with crushed or uncrushed as selection. I'd like represent crushed with e.g. green hashed object and uncrushed with a green filled object.

you mention treatment plans. How do those differ from operations

The operation is the execution of the treatment plan so, I may plan to put in a spreader graft but at the time of the operation I'll switch from crushed to uncrushed because the overall result is better. I'll then alter the record in theatre.

Looking forward to your response.

[Barclay H]

Thanks Lee,

I am planning on inserting photo's of the noses in the various views I've mentioned but for many surgeons we're really interested in what goes on under the skin The database will be great for filtering out 100 patients with spreader grafts for research but in a busy clinic the diagram really will speak a thousand words as I'll be able to make that mental leap from what was done to how it looks one week later.

[Barclay H]

That's it!!!

You've hit the nail on the head comment! I'm sure this will be very useful to all the novices out there.

Would you mind talking me through it? Can I have more than one object from the container appearing after clicking the check box?

[comment]

Can I have more than one object from the container appearing after clicking the check box?

Yes. The simplest way would be to make it a single graphic to begin with. Since the graphics have transparent background, they can have several non-transparent "island" areas.

Alternatively, you could use a more sophisticated formula in the calculation that controls the graphics on/off toggling.

Note:

Checkboxes are a simple and convenient way to add elements to an operation, but they do not allow you to attach any information to these elements. You may consider handling this through a join table between Operations and Elements. In such case, the graphics would be stored in the Elements table instead of in a repeating global.

[bcooney]

I second the vote for a join table, and was looking to suggest the tables needed after you've answered the questions I posed.

[Barclay H]

Agreed.

Say I have container's X and Y as per comments example and table Z with fields X1 and Y1. What's the mechanism for joining the table? I've looked at filemaker help with no avail.

Regards,

Barclay.

[hartmut]

It is similar with what I want to do. but I would like to have the user be able to move one square graphics object into position and then filemaker would remember where the object rests in that record only. So the graphic object would move to a new location where the user placed it based on its object coordinates. So the same graphic object would be used in different locations over the same background picture for each record.

[comment]

Responded at:

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/210536/