How to select a range of dates within a value list?

[gcsthomas]

Any help greatly appreciated. I am working on a booking solution and I have a value list containing custom values that are publication dates in the FM required format of mm/dd/yyyyy. I want the user to be able to choose specific dates, one date per field, I have pop up menu fields named date1, date2, etc, but don't want them to have to scroll through 52 entries (some publications are weekly) each time they have to choose a date. Is there a way of selecting for a range within the list?

For example can I have the popup list show only the dates between August 1 and December 1st? I have 2 fields with drop down calendars, date_start and date_finish, where the user would enter the range they are looking for. Is this possible?

Thanks.

[Vaughan]

Any help greatly appreciated. I am working on a booking solution and I have a value list containing custom values that are publication dates in the FM required format of mm/dd/yyyyy.

To be clear, this date format is not "required" by FMP. The date format is determined by your computer's operating system settings. I'm in Australia so FMP "requires" dd/mm/yyyy for me. However I could change my computers regional settings to US and it will require mm/dd/yyyy.

I am not sure what you want. It's an interface to allow the selection of dates for publications? Some are periodical?

If so then you need a start date, and end date, and another field to select the period between publications. This might be daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, annually. Then script the process of working out the dates form the information given.

(Think about the information YOU need to calculate the dates: this is what the database also needs.)

Now, about those date1, date2 fields... this is NEVER a good way to structure the data and i usually indicates that a relational design should be used.

[gcsthomas]

Thanks Vaughan for the info about the date formatting. Didn't realize it was tied to the OS settings. As a member of the commonwealth I am used to the d/m/y format.

I'll try and be more clear as to what I am trying to achieve. I am trying to sort out an easy method for the user to choose publication dates for placing ads with different periodicals. As you surmised the interface is designed to pick the publication dates from a variety of periodicals that have different frequencies. Each publication has a frequency field and a first issue date so as you say the calculation for each publication date can be done.

However, I haven't a clue as to what to do with the calculation result and how to present it to the user if a date1, date2 field is not the way to go. (Actually these fields should probably be more accurately named booking1, booking2). There will be more than 1 booking per publication. Thanks for your help.