Howdy folks. I have created a relational database that I think flows well from layout to layout, lots of GoTo buttons positioned near relational data etc. And still, a few of my users are begging for a "Back" button like the ones they use in their browsers so they don't have to remember where they came from. It would have to remember both which file they came from and which layout because there is a multitude of ways to get anywhere in the whole database. I am using version 4 on a Mac. Thanks in advance for any help.

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Regards, K.

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Data is not information unless it is informative.

With some effort, you can use global fields and the Status(CurrentLayoutNumber) and Status(CurrentFileName) functions to implement a back button. You can go to the last layout by a global, but you will need to write a test for each file name and run the appropriate script in another file to implement a go to file. -bd

Not all data is information,

Not all information is knowledge,

Not all knowledge is wisdom.

-Cliff Stoll

[This message has been edited by LiveOak (edited August 14, 2000).]

quote:

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Originally posted by kattatonic:

Howdy folks. I have created a relational database that I think flows well from layout to layout, lots of GoTo buttons positioned near relational data etc. And still, a few of my users are begging for a "Back" button like the ones they use in their browsers so they don't have to remember where they came from. It would have to remember both which file they came from and which layout because there is a multitude of ways to get anywhere in the whole database. I am using version 4 on a Mac.

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Realize that many times the simple "Back" functionality found in a browser does not make any sense in a database, no matter how much your users want this capability.

I would start by evaluating your interface and see if this really does make sense to implement and if it will actually help your users.

Most relational database systems are NOT a linear navigation, thus the "Back" button (which is pure linear navigation) may not work as it does in the web browser.

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Kurt Knippel

Senior Filemaker Developer

http://www.database-resources.com

mailto:[email protected]

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Thanks LiveOak and CaptKurt,

I will do both; give it a try and use it selectively with functional forethought. I quite appreciate the help.

Great quote, bd!

Regards, K.

step by step to go back to last layout

create a global text field called "gLastLayout"

make a script called "GoTo whatever"

SetField["gLastLayout", "Status(CurrentLayoutNumber)"]

GoTo Layout ["whatever"]

now in the layout from where you are going to go to the "whatever" layout link the button to "GoTo whatever" script

in the "whatever" layout the back button should be linked to "layout number from field..." which is an option under Go to layout in Specify Button

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the credit for this tip goes to Dan Jacoby

I was introduced to the term "user expectation management" the other day.

Think about it... ;-)