Best Practice, export Portal to Excel

[ejpvi]

If I have a portal with all of the information I want to export to an excel spreadsheet, is there an easy way to do this?

I was thinking I could make a special layout with all of the same fields... and run a scripted button on the portal that would "Find related Records" and display it on the other layout, and then export it.

It would be nice if I could just export the portal records directly from the portal.... is that possible?

[bcooney]

Exports are done from the context of the table from which you are exporting. So, to script an export, you would need to gtrr parent to child (portal) (could be New Window offscreen) then Export Records (save the export mapping and specify export path) and close window. To the user, it'll look as if they never left the parent layout.

Fields are not required to be on a layout in order to be available for export.

[ejpvi]

Thanks, that did work just as you said.

I just wish there was someway I could specify the column headers, that is one thing I have always hated about exporting to excel.

It puts the "Related Table::Field Name" as the column header... I only want the Field Name...

Any idea how to accomplish that?

[bcooney]

I don't get Related Table::Field Name. Sounds like you're referring to a related record.

How about using Merge?

[ejpvi]

can I use a merge field to display a different column header in the table view?

[bcooney]

No, not merge field, Merge as an Export file format.

[ejpvi]

Interesting, it does give a different header... I am unfamiliar with this format... what is it used for? updating spreadsheets?

[Lee Smith]

You asked this.

I just wish there was someway I could specify the column headers, that is one thing I have always hated about exporting to excel.

It puts the "Related Table::Field Name" as the column header... I only want the Field Name...

Any idea how to accomplish that?

Interesting, it does give a different header... I am unfamiliar with this format... what is it used for? updating spreadsheets?

for what you asked.

Read about the File Formats for Import and Export in the User Guide, and / or the Online Help that is available when FileMaker is open. The Help pretty much explains it all. For more detail, test the different formats for yourself, to see how they work.

Lee

Edited January 20, 2010 by Guest