Creating a portal "tree" that can be re-arranged

[madman411]

Hi all

I'm aware that what I'm about to ask could potentially be quite complex. I've watched some instructional videos on how to achieve something similar, however one technique isn't compatible with the other (i.e. creating a "Tree" within a portal that can then be re-arranged with drag and drop).

Here's my situation.

I'm essentially trying to create an invoice through a portal. Some invoice items are "line" items only, meaning they don't need to be "nested" or be a part of a "tree". They're there on their own. Some invoice items that are going to be added are called "kits". Kits can basically be defined as follows:

 

> Samsung 15" Flat Screen LED Monitor

  - Samsung Monitor

  - Power Cord

  - Travel Case

  - Screen protector

What the above means is "Samsung 15" Flat Screen LED Monitor" is the kit name, which would appear in the portal row, once added, with a inward facing arrow. The user can click the arrow, which will then point downwards, and the additional four records (the items within the kit) are then displayed, also displaying their individual costs that make the total cost of the kit. The arrow can then be clicked again to hide the kit contents.

What I'm also looking to do is to be able to drag the KIT name up or down in the invoice portal to change where it will appear within the portal and invoice, respectively. Please note I do NOT want to be able to adjust the ordering of the records contained within the kit... just the kit as a whole.

I'm needing to do this because my users don't always write the quote (or invoice) in order. Should after putting together the invoice they want to group the TV kits at the top of the invoice, and adjust the ordering of the individual line items underneath, then they could do so by dragging and dropping the items accordingly. I'm aware that each portal row will require a container field and scripting that will adjust the number within the "order" field in the related table, being automatically sorted by the portal row sort settings. What I'm struggling to conceptualize is making these two techniques work side by side.

I have been looking at techniques on filemakermagazine.com and on nightwingenterprises.com but I'm struggling to find a middle ground where both techniques can be used simultaneously. 

If someone has a moment to point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it