Value List Showing Changeable Conditions

[comsources]

I am new to FM5 and am trying to create an order entry system conncected to my inventory.

I have a file of toll free numbers. Some are assigned, some are available. No condition is permanent. Some assigned today will become available tomorrow.

When I enter a new client I want to be able to do a lookup and select from available numbers. I'd love to also be able to go into newly-former clients' records and change their toll-free number back to available.

Any idea how I can do that? My file looks as follows:

tfnum client clientid

Many thanks,
Jack

 

[lebisol]

"available numbers" - mark the records as such eg. antoher field called hmmm [avialable] where u can record 1 or 0 ...or YES and NO.
then sort the records based on this condition -->then use this sorted set of records to generate eg. drop-down value list and use that list to enter the data in the file where u records customer's info.....
is this something ur looking for?
let me know....perhaps I can help
All the best!

> need more info?
:: don't click HERE ::

 

[comsources]

A nice, neat solution and simple to implement. One question, however. How do I know which in the list are in use and which are not, since I can only view one field at a time as a value list. Of course, let's say the ones at the top of the list are available and the others are not. How would I know when I hit the unavailable numbers?

I think I'm probably missing the point of your suggestion, but, as I said, I'm new at this.

Thanks for your help!
Jack

 

[lebisol]

ok here it is:
-----customers.fp5------
[name]
[availability_number] <---list to be used on this field
------------------------

-------numbers.fp5------
[number]
[availability] (1 = available or 0 =not)....or yes/no thing
[generate_list] = calculation field of Case(availability=&quot;1&quot;, number) <--this will make a list of ONYL those available numbers!
-----------------------------

in file customers define the new value list and use the &quot;generate_list&quot; field from the numbers.fp5 file!
All the best!
get the files @

http://mostarNET.com/value_list.zip

> need more info?
:: don't click HERE ::

 

[svkingpen]

Okay, I'm a full-time FMP developer and I don't see the point to half of the advise in resond to your question. I understand the advise but it appears to be off-point. The question wasn't how do I trach active and inactive numbers. The question was how do I display available numbers for any given contact. In FMP 5 or better you have define a value list based on a realationship. But before go further, let me say that each phone number needs to be a separate record, in this table or another- it doesn't matter. Let's say you use an external Phone Numbers.fp5 file, you would need a ContactID field and the number field. The realtionshio from Contacts.fp5 to Phone Numbers.fp5 would be based on ContactID, so when you go to define format on your layout, you will choose pop-up list based with values based off a realtionship.

That's all there is to it. The simple answer is that is a number is inactive, delete it- if there is a need to keep it then you need to use some of the advise given in earlier responses to complex key filed- one based on calculations on both sides (ContactID & &quot; &quot; &ActiveStatus).


I hope this is help, if not let me know and I can send you a quick sample...


Joe King
joe@svkingpen.com

 

[lebisol]

svkingpen :
&quot;Okay, I'm a full-time FMP developer....&quot;
good for you, I am not
and of course there are many ways of doing things....I didn't want to suggest any relationship-portal etc. since I do not know the skill level of the poster and rather than &quot;gragging&quot; him into something new (that he doesn't knwo how to do) I suggested rel. painless solution...the rest is history
all the best!

> need more info?
:: don't click HERE ::

 

[Schlogg]

lebisol,
Don't be so touchy! Joe is correct.
It is better to give someone a bit extra to try for than use simplistic solutions that lead to permanent bad habits.
Maybe I'm weird (don't answer that) but I always learn more from trying things I can't do than from re-doing things I can do.


Cheers,
Paul J.

 

[lebisol]

well I see no need to put anyone down for not being a &quot;full-time developer&quot;....I don't know much...but I try with what I do know .... that's all

> need more info?
:: don't click HERE ::