Self-Refering Calculated Relationship

[Greenman]

I have a table with a list of cached incoming contacts, all in various user accounts.

I want to make a relationship that refers the table to itself to get a portal list of contacts without assigned unique FM ID's like so:

Of course, this isn't possible, but it would be nice.

Yes, this could be done using a find, but I'm trying to save some steps if possible. From there, I'd add a calculated foundcount() field based on the related records to decide which options to show or hide.

Ideas?

[comment]

Could you rephrase your question? Perhaps focus more on what you want to achieve, and less on why it's not possible?

[Greenman]

Could you rephrase your question? Perhaps focus more on what you want to achieve, and less on why it's not possible?

comment - Thank you for your reply. You're right. The question is about a relationship, but the end goal is presentation layer information based on a calculation and a relationship.

While in the layout for table 'Outlook Contacts Cache', I want a calculation field to give me a record count of the contacts that exist without an ID. The expression 'Count ()' will not accept an expression in place of a field thus: 'Count ( IsEmpty( Outlook Contacts Cache::ID) )'. If I had a self-referring relationship that could include calculations, like the above, I could use 'Count (OL New Contacts::ID)' in the calc field. I could script this into a global field, but I can better base button availability and conditional formatting on a calc field. If there are new contacts, I can 'light up' the 'View New' button so that users can easily see there are new contacts to import into filemaker from the table 'Outlook Contacts Cache'.

[comment]

I want a calculation field to give me a record count of the contacts that exist without an ID.

Assuming you want to count among all records in the table, not just the current found set: define a self-join relationship using the x relational operator. You can use any field/s as matchfields, e.g.:

Outlook Contacts Cache::ID x Outlook Contacts Cache 2::ID

With this in place, a calculation field (result is Number) =

 Get ( TotalRecordCount ) - Count ( Outlook Contacts Cache 2::ID )

should return the required number.