Finding records via a related Attributes Table

[Tom R.]

HI - I wonder if anyone could offer advice on scripting a find where the search criteria are stored as related records in an Attributes table. (Using a main table with an associated attributs table is something I learned about on Matt Petrowski's FileMakerMagazine website.)

This is within a database that will catalog real estate records (Documents) that are on file in a county courthouse. Every Document is stamped with a reception number that is unique to the county where it is recorded. In scripting my find, I have to account for the fact that some states may have counties named the same, and some counties may have documents recorded with the same reception number.

For tables, I am using Documents and DocumentAttributes, which are related one to many based on the id_document field.

The fields in the DocumentAttributes table are:

id_document (the foreign key)

type (the type of attribute; in the instance of a recording, the type is 1)

value

groupID

In the case of a recording, each is comprised of several elements which are stored in the value field in separate records:

date

receptionNumber

county

state.

In order to show these records belong to a common recording, they each share a groupID.

So I need to search based on reception number, county and state. Searching on a receptionNumber is easy enough but then I get stuck trying to figure out which found record belongs to a group with the correct county and state.

Any advice would really help.

Thanks,

Tom

[Ocean West]

After you perform you initial find request you may need to perform a second find but constraining the found set to the group ID.