Hi,
I'm evaluating FM,version 5 as I'm on MacOS9. (seems I cant run a higher
version of FM, right?).
I'm more used toAccess but I do like the spirit of FM, though I haven't got
enough into it tofind my in complex cases.

Help on the following would be appreciated:

I have 4 files:
1) clients (name,clientID etc..)
2) workers (name, workerID etc..)
Clients prepay services in the form of a sheet of 12 tickets, so there's a
file
3) ticketSheet
(sheetID,ClientID,firstTicketNumber,LastTicketNumb er,pricePaid, dateIssued
etc..)
Workers get a ticket from a client for each hour's work, and come back to me
to get their salary
4) ticket (ticketNumber,workerID,clientID)

When a worker gives me his ticket(s) I know the workerID and the
ticketNumber. NowI want to link the ticket to client via the ticketSheet
file. I' like to have a button on the workers file to 1) create the ticket
record and 2) link it to the clientID. Got no clue how to write scripts that
work on several files. Of course I could do without the ticketSheet file and
create 12 tickets from the outcome, but what I bill is a sheet, so that file
makes sense.

Hints / references / examples welcome
---
Fjordur

Fjordur wrote on (9/27/2005):

You can run FM6.

The real key is having a unique ID in each file, through which various
files can be related.

Relationships between files are named and individually evaluated: each
field that is common between two files can link those files. CLientID, for
example, links Client to Ticket. WorkerID links Worker to Ticket.

Scripting between files is a simple matter of using the Perform Script
script step, in which you select "External Script", identifying the other
file and which script to run. The destination script has to be there,
first, though.

I don't see why you would need to have TicketSheet file separate from
Tickets. You should be able to have all of the necessary fields and
layouts in a single file. Just create a separate labels type layout and
print from there.

Matt

"Matt Wills" <I'm (AT) Witz (DOT) end> wrote


buy (and get billed for) ticket sheets
establish the link ticket-client via ticketSheet

the other. Say I have a button on the worker layout, the script needs to 1)
create an attached ticket, the number of which I'll input manually, that's
easy, 2) find a record in the ticketSheet file where firstTicketNumber<= new
ticket number and LastTicketNumber>=new ticket number , get the clientID
from this ticketSheet and store it into the single ticket's clientID field.
What I dunno is how to do the latter.
and tickets?
--
Fjordur

Fjordur wrote on (9/27/2005):

You won't find anything. They won't sell it to you any more.

Check eBay.


Passing parameters doesn't happen natively until FM7.

The workaround: Create global fields as necessary to receive your
parameters using the Set Field script step. With relationships existing
between files, you can have a script in one file set a g.Field value in a
different file. You can do that in either direction (from or to the active
file).

BTW, using Set Field to populate a global does not require you actually
switch to a layout containing that feld.


Exactly.

Unless I'm missing your concept, all you need is a Tickets file, with a
labels layout (a sheet) to print a range of numbered tickets.

You could find just find the range of tickets you want to print, go to the
labels layout, and do it.

Matt

"Matt Wills" <I'm (AT) Witz (DOT) end> wrote



Thanks a lot, Matt
--
Fjordur

Fjordur wrote on (9/27/2005):

Well, yeah, but it's what we had to work with before 7 gave us Optional
Script Parameters, and 8 gave us Script Variables.

Matt

In article <53a_e.11242$L15.2580@trndny01>, "Matt Wills" <I'm (AT) Witz (DOT) end>
wrote:

I was about to say they do, but after checking the FileMaker website I
see they've now removed the webpage telling you about getting FileMaker
6 licence codes. It's now only FileMaker 7 or the new version 8. (

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

Helpful Harry wrote on (9/27/2005):

Seems to me someone else mentioned being able to buy additional seats and
found that it is still possible, but this is regarding buying an upgrade
or new full of 6.

Matt

--

"Matt Wills" <I'm (AT) Witz (DOT) end> wrote

I tried that,and of course it works fine,thanks.

One question: I designed a script to create tickets from a ticketSheet
(these are 2 different files, thus 2 different scripts as you suggested).
The ticket script needs to know the ticketSheetID,of course (1 to many
relationship). Which of the following is best practice:
1) the master script in ticketSheet puts the ticketSheetID into a global
currentTicketSheetID field in ticketSheet before it calls the script in file
ticket; then the script in ticket goes get the global of file ticketSheet
or
2) the script in ticketSheet puts the ticketSheetID into a global
currentTicketSheetID field in ticket before it calls the script in file
ticket; then the script in ticket gets the global of file ticket
In one word: put the global(s) in master file or in slave file? I can't see
any reason to choose one or the other.
--
Fjordur

There is no right or wrong way to do this, what ever works for you is
good. A standard way of doing things is to have a file called Main or
MainMenu which contains 1 record only where preferences are stored.
Usually all files link to this file using a relationship of 2 calc
fields that both equal 1 eg.
Main has a calc number field with calculation 1
Ticket has a calc number field with calculation 1
create a relationship from Ticket to Main using the above mentioned
fields.

Usually some temp global fields are created in the Main file eg.
Text1_g, Text2_g, Num1_g...

Since your scripts are only transferring data from 1 file to another
you could set a global in the Main file from 1 script and read it from
the second script, this way you can reuse the globals and don't end up
cluttering up your files with globals.
The only issue here you should be aware of is that if the found count
in the Ticket file is 0 and your trying to read related data from the
Main file through the above mentioned relationship, you won't get any
results because the relationship is not valid until you have some
records.