There does not seem to be an easy way to associate a Find action with a
Layout. After using Open Access 4 database for 20 years (and Microsoft
Access for 10 years!) I assumed this would be built into Filemaker since
it is a fundamental requirement for most reports (ie I almost always
need to select the records to be printed).

It also seems very tedious to record a Find request within a script for
later use (eg to associate with a button that retrieves records and then
prints a report).

Have I missed something?

Michael Paine

Michael Paine wrote on (9/15/2005):



Indeed you have.

While we have the capability to specify the entire find within the
scripting process, this is actually something new.

Go to your layout, enter Find Mode and create your find, using as many
requests as necessary. Execute the find.

Open ScriptMaker, create a new script, add a Perform Find script step.
Click Specify Find Requests, and in the resulting dialog you'll see that
the find you just performed is there in all its glory, exactly as you
defined it.

You can even go back to Find mode, create an entirely new find, return to
the script, add another Perform Find step, and this latest find is now
there as well. This maneuver is handy for refining the find (delete the
earlier step), but you can also tweak from within the Edit Find Request
dialog.

Inthe script, precede the Perform Find step with a Go To Layout step, and
you're done.

As long as the find properly expresses what you want, there should be no
need to select record manually.

Matt

Thank Matt. I have got the hang of it now. In my case it is also
important to sort the records to suit the groupings in the report. Below
is a sample of the script for future reference.
Michael Paine
-----------
Set Error Capture [ On ]
Enter Browse Mode
Go to Layout [ “PENDING_STATUS” (VEHICLE_MODEL) ]
Perform Find [ Specified Find Requests: Find Records; Criteria:
PUBLICATION_STATUS::SITUATION: “="A PLANNING"” ]
[ Restore ]
Sort Records [ Specified Sort Order: PUBLICATION_STATUS::SITUATION;
ascending
PUBLICATION_STATUS::PUBLICATION_STATUS; ascending
VEHICLE_MODEL::veh_name; ascending ]
[ Restore; No dialog ]
Enter Preview Mode
Exit Script [ ]



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Matt Wills wrote: