Set Field: How to set a value list to a repeating field without using a loop

[dickiechung]

I have a value list $$List with 5 values and I want to assign those values to a repeating field with 5 repetitions.

 

If I define a calculation field with 5 repetitions, I can set the values of $$List to the field successfully with:

 

GetValue($$List; Get ( CalculationRepetitionNumber ))

 

However, if I define a text field with 5 repetitions and use Set Field to assign the values, the same formula does not work.  I have put Get ( CalculationRepetitionNumber ) under Repetition of the field to be set.  However, the value of Get ( CalculationRepetitionNumber ) always remain as 1.  How can I get it done?

 

 

Is there a simple way to clear all the repetitions by calculation without using a loop to clear each repetition one by one?

 

[Lee Smith]

I'm not sure I'm understanding what your are trying to do, but Repeating fields are hard to work with, and have become, for the most part, a thing of the past since Relationships were introduced in v4.

 

Why are you using Repeats?

[Pavlk]

Not much changed for repeating field since Relationship was introduced. I want to make an example here:

 

non-Repeating field = Repeating field - if one of the repetitions contains non-Repeating field.

All the more:

non-Repeating field = Repeating field even if one of the repetitions has values delimited by "enter" and one of them contains non-Repeating field.

 

Actually sometimes Repeating field helps a lot to avoid creating several fields of the same type. I.e. - list of telephone numbers, list of family members or team/crew members, or making schedules or calendars etc.

 

 

The solution for defining the text field is script, where you'd use GoTo Field step to set the field.

[Rick Whitelaw]

I find repeating fields appropriate for display only. Getting data in and out of them is a real pita.

[mr_vodka]

However, if I define a text field with 5 repetitions and use Set Field to assign the values, the same formula does not work.

 

Is there a simple way to clear all the repetitions by calculation without using a loop to clear each repetition one by one?

 

Since it isnt a calculation, it cant return the repetition location.

 

You should use a script to clear the reps.

[dickiechung]

I'm not sure I'm understanding what your are trying to do, but Repeating fields are hard to work with, and have become, for the most part, a thing of the past since Relationships were introduced in v4.

 

Why are you using Repeats?

I am working on a system for garment industry. There are many grids of data (eg. color/size, style/country combinations) with finite rows and columns. Using repeating field simplifies input process and presentation. My idea is to allow user to enter data intuitively and efficiently.

 

The major problem is that there is no horizontal portal. There is only a vertical scroll bar and fields of each child record has to be listed vertically, not horizontally.

 

What puzzled me was the same calculation works with a field definition in Manage Database but not by a script step, and it seems there is no work around.

[doughemi]

 

The major problem is that there is no horizontal portal. There is only a vertical scroll bar and fields of each child record has to be listed vertically, not horizontally.

 

 

You can work around that by creating a series of portals, with each one having a sequential number in Initial Row.  And then get rid of the devil spawn repeating fields.

[dickiechung]

You can work around that by creating a series of portals, with each one having a sequential number in Initial Row.  And then get rid of the devil spawn repeating fields.

 

Sometimes we miss the obvious.  I did created before a number of one-row portals that laid horizontally to simulate the horizontal repeating field. I tried hard to use different formula to filter the portal to display only the row I want. Only after reading your message did I suddenly realise that I can solve the problem simply by specifying the initial row to be displayed under Format of Portal. Thank you.