Hi--we recently lost our IT person who had created out database. Prior to her leaving, we thought we were able to gather information from a layout where she had placed a portal. I am not familiar with programming, and am now trying to get the data out. Here is my question:

She created a portal with date, type, description and other information fields located in a table. When the original fields are full, the fields then appear to copy and create themselves again in another line of the portal. However, they are not seen in the table. I know I sound really ignorant, but where is the data being stored? This information is basically historical data on an individual contact. The first entry shows in reporting, but subsequent entries do not show up. Help.

Welcome to the forums.

FM files can be made of multiple tables of data that are related by a key field.

From what you describe, a Contact is related to one or more "activity" records. The records that show in the portal are probably stored in another related table.

Do you have the development password?

A portal is really a little "window" into another table (usually, could be the same table, but then you would likely have found the data already). So, to see and work with the data it is generally best to go to where the data actually is. Which means you need to figure out what the base table of the portal's relationship is. Usually you can guess. Go into Layout mode, then look at the portal's relationship (in the lower left of the portal).

For example: The portal's relationship is, Company::Contacts

You would guess that this is pointing to a table occurrence (on the Relationship Graph) named "Contacts", connected to a table occurrence named "Company", and that the base table is likely also named "Contacts" (as it is about the simplest name possible).

So now you need to look for a layout which is attached to the table occurrence "Company::Contacts". It does not HAVE to be Company::Contacts. It could be just "Contacts". In other words, any layout attached to the base table of Contacts will show ALL the Contact table's records (if you Show All Records). You can then do whatever is needed with those records.

If there is not such a layout, then you'd need to create it. But FileMaker creates the first table occurrence for a table automatically, so it likely there already.

P.S. the simplest method to go to a particular record's portal records is the script step:

Go To Related Record [ portal's relationship; Show only matching; layout of its base table ]

FileMaker will only show you the layouts of that base table to choose from, so that part is not hard, neither is the relationship, as you can see it in Layout mode (as above).

I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU! You helped me solve in 2 minutes what I had been beating my head against for 2 days! Thanks so much!!! :(