FileMaker HELP

[psych]

Hi All,

I apologias to everyone posting all these questions.
I have a meeting on Monday afternoon to review the possibility of using FileMaker pro 9 as our database.
Having said that, I need to setup a database in FMPRO 9 and present it as prototype for that meeting.

So here are some more questions:
1. How to setup the Primary key in FMPRO 9?
2. I could not find any Save Record function to bind into A button.
3. How to disable the Found Set AutoSave?
4. How to set Forms to Open in Black Mode meaning “Load Omitted Records”?
5. We have a field called USER_ID, any time we issue a new record I need to assignee the next available number to the new record’s User_ID , let’s say if the previews user_ID was “5” then the next new USER_ID should be 6.
6. Can we change the found set “Form” data provider’s source from one table to another one in a different FMPRO database?
7. Can we calculate two date field from two tables and insert the result in field, such as:
Table_A_Age = TableA_date – Table_B_date
8. How to manage the events on Open Form , On change, on Focus Lost, On Gained Focus….

Thanks for any help.

A

[dwikstrom]

First of all, you would need to change your way of thinking a bit to realize that FileMaker is different from the systems you seem to have been working in so far, it has other strengths and other weaknesses than other systems, and the logics of FileMaker can be a bit peculiar if you're not used to it. Some of you're questions are really not possible to answer since they're formulated in a very "un-FileMaker" way. I'll do my best though.

1. How to setup the Primary key in FMPRO 9?

This can be done in many different ways, and "private keys" are different in FileMaker as compared to many other databases. The normal, easy way is to create a field with the field option: Auto-enter: Serial number.

2. I could not find any Save Record function to bind into A button.

Records get "saved" through many different actions in FileMaker, not only an explicit commit, so this is not going to work like in other pieces of software, but "Commit record" is the script step closest to what you are looking for.

3. How to disable the Found Set AutoSave?

Not sure why you want to do this, but if you don't want the last found set to be shown, you'd have to do a find all or other find on each table occurrence every time you open the file, go to a layout, or whatever the case may be.

4. How to set Forms to Open in Black Mode meaning “Load Omitted Records”?

Not quite sure what you're after here either, but there is a script step "Show Omitted Only," which will show only records not in the found set.

5. We have a field called USER_ID, any time we issue a new record I need to assignee the next available number to the new record’s User_ID , let’s say if the previews user_ID was “5” then the next new USER_ID should be 6.

This is set in auto-entry options, see point 1.

6. Can we change the found set “Form” data provider’s source from one table to another one in a different FMPRO database?

Table occurrences can reference tables in any FileMaker file, or even in several of the major database systems, like MySQL, Oracle... You just have to add an External Data Source (File > Manage Database > External Data Sources...).

7. Can we calculate two date field from two tables and insert the result in field, such as:
Table_A_Age = TableA_date – Table_B_date

If you want to insert you should use a script, or an auto-entry, or else define a calculated field. You just need relationships to the tables involved from table occurrence from which you are evaluating the calculation.

8. How to manage the events on Open Form , On change, on Focus Lost, On Gained Focus….

You'd need a plug-in like DoScript (http://www.myfmbutler.com/ - it's free) to achieve some of this kind on functionality, but this is not really the way FileMaker works. You may also want to look at LayoutProperties (http://www.bh-a.com/layoutproperties/) for more on how you can make FileMaker do something like this.

Good luck!