So I have three tables: Inspection, Violation, and InspectionViolation which (obviously) reps my many-to-many relationship between Inspection and Violation. I have to put these into a report and there could be zero to whatever number of violations on any given inspection report.

Oh how I wish I could use a portal for this. Alas, I cant resize the portal lines based on the content and the fmforum community would have my headif I used portals for printing layouts :/ I'm thinking list view with the top of the form in the header section (the violation list is the bottom of the form). But this seems clunky. Is there a better way?

Sem-related: Also, there may be multiple inspection reports (ie multiple elevators in a building) and I want them all to print out on the same pdf. Is there any easy way to repeat my report with the related number of units (ie in the same building?) or a way to merge into one single pdf?

thanks fm cr00

p.s. the image below is using a portal :D

" :/ I'm thinking list view with the top of the form in the header section (the violation list is the bottom of the form). But this seems clunky. Is there a better way?"

No.

"Semi-related: Also, there may be multiple inspection reports (ie multiple elevators in a building) and I want them all to print out on the same pdf. Is there any easy way to repeat my report with the related number of units (ie in the same building?) or a way to merge into one single pdf?"

Why can't this be a sub-summary by Building, by Unit from the join table? OR, use the Append feature of Save as PDF.

Ok. So I'll make a list layout. It will be using the InspectionViolation table, right? Ok, I'll add the Violation description and now I have every record in the InspectionViolation table listed. So how do I get only that inspection's violations? Also, how do I define (in the header) to display the desired inspection's fields?

Attached is kind of a simplified version of what I want to do and my failed attempt

Inspections.fp7.zip

Finding the records in the join table depends on what you wish to include in your report. I suppose you need to build a Find interface (so the user can select the Date range, Building, InspectionID, Status, etc.). If you want just one Inspection, then gtrr from the Inspection to the join will isolate the child records that are pertinent. Place related Inspection fields in the Header.

Have you read up on sub-summary reports? I think you're headed in that direction.

So I read up on sub-summary and it seems it is only usable in Preview mode. I'd like this to also work on Filemaker Go which does not support Preview mode. The layout needs to be intact as I will email pdf's of the report from Filemaker Go.

I guess I MUST use a portal? :mellow:

It would have been nice if you'd mention FM Go as a requirement. I don't have much experience with it yet. I'll move your post to that forum.

I didn't know it would be such a deal. The main part will be on the desktop client...

At any rate, FM says there are now "live sub summary parts" that don't require preview mode so I guess I'll try that out and post findings.

http://www.filemaker.com/products/filemaker-go/docs/techbrief_filemaker_go_en.pdf

Yes, live sub-summary in Browse is a new feature in FM11. I see support of sub-summary and Save As PDF in this white paper: FMGo TechBrief