lookup doesn't work first time?

[gwjo]

I'm hoping that someone can help me with a lookup problem. Briefly, I have two tables in a database, one with the reference data in it and the other with the active records. I'm developing a chemical structure drawing package that will allow students to practice drawing molecules that have a particular functional group in them. They select the functional group they want to draw, the first table then does a calculation based on that which returns a question number at random within a pre-set number of related records, and based on the question number generated, a lookup function fills the field data from the second table. The problem that I have is that when I create a new record with all the fields blank, and then select the functional group type (from a radiobutton set), it always returns the first record in the lookup table. If I click on the functional group button again, it then does what it should do and generates the question number appropriately. Any ideas as to why this might be and how to set it right?

Thanks,

George

[bcooney]

Absolutely no idea, lol. I know it seems you've shared lots of info with us, but nothing that tells us about how it all works. What tables do you have (two?) and how to you create the question number? Why a lookup, and not just showing related data? Perhaps you can zip and post your file?

[gwjo]

Many thanks - I largely have it sorted now. I think the problem was due to a circular argument in that the first table couldn't do the lookup from the the second one until it had the data from the second one (if that makes sense - a catch 22 situation). I have it resolved now for the FMP side of things.

Regards,

George