Re: An "or" search using checkboxes.

On Feb 24, 5:22 pm, Helpful Harry <helpful_ha...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
In article <1hu166t.gbw6ez1nugkw0N%...@xxxxxxxxxxx>, c...@xxxxxxxxxxx

As Christoph suggests, checkboxes are not the best way to perform "Or"
Finds. Many people get confused and simply turn on multiple checkboxes
in a single Find request and wonder why no records or the wrong records
are found (they have of course performed an "And" Find).

FileMaker is so versatile, there must be some way, with global fields
or Pattern count, or something that would let checkboxes work for AND
searches but I'm not knowledgeable enough to figure out how.

In fact checkboxes are probably not the best idea for the HomeCity
field in the data entry either. I would think that a person can only
have one HomeCity, so you are probably better using either a pop-up
menu / list or if you really want to see all the options on-screen all
the time you can use Radio Buttons.

Yes - that's what I have for data entry. And the user is taken into a
separate Find Layout and then taken out again when the find is
executed.

One way around the confusion is to use a "Find" layout - a layout
specifically created just for performing Finds which has the field
formatted as a pop-up menu rather than checkboxes to force users to
only select one option. You will then need a "Find" button that users
click when wanting to perform a Find, and they will need to be trained
to NOT use the Find command in FileMaker's menus (or blocked from
having that permission). This layout is often best set to View As List
with a Body part that is short in height. You can then put an "Or"
button on the Body part that simply performs the New Record / Request
function.

Then users can perform a Find by:

- user clicks on the "Find" button on the "Data Entry" layout

- the database swaps to the Find layout displaying one blank
Find request

- user chooses "Calgary" from the pop-up menu

- user clicks on the "Or" button and the database adds a
second blank Find request (which because the Layout is in
View As List is displayed below the existing Find request)

- user chooses "Victoria" in the pop-up menu of the second
request

- user clicks on a "Process Find" button

- the database performs the Find and displays records
containing either "Calgary" or "Victoria" (the "Process
Find" script should also swap back to the main "Data
Entry" layout to allow the user to browse / changes the
records in the normal way)

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)
Works PERFECTLY. Thanks, your helps are always clear and have great
detail. :-D

.