FileMaker value lists from table issue..??
A client of mine has a basic Products layout that includes a Category field. The Category field is a basic text field that is hooked up to a Value List drop down. The value list was typed out directly. This allowed people to click to the field and start typing the category name, and it would quickly select the matching value for them so they could tab on to the next field.
I am doing some work that requires me to setup Category IDs instead of using text values from a value list. As such, I created a new table called Categories with an ID and a Name. I copied all of the value list values into the new table as records. Then I updated the value list so that it pulls from this table. While updating the value list, I had to use the ID as the first field because that's what I'm storing, of course, but then I also choose the Name for the second field to be displayed in the value list so that people can see the name of the category they're choosing.
On the Products layout now, I have the CategoryID field that I've attached to the value list. With the ID as the first field, though, you cannot type out the name to find the category quickly. You'd have to know the ID.
I was thinking I could create a separate table occurrence with the relationship based on the name instead, then I could make a "CategoryLookup" field and bind that to the old, static value list. Then update the CategoryID field to be a calculation that updates itself based on the relationship by name.
The problem with this is that it turns into an Unstored calculation field, and that is going to kill my performance from web scripts using the PHP API.
Is there any better way around what I'm trying to do here? Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I am doing some work that requires me to setup Category IDs instead of using text values from a value list. As such, I created a new table called Categories with an ID and a Name. I copied all of the value list values into the new table as records. Then I updated the value list so that it pulls from this table. While updating the value list, I had to use the ID as the first field because that's what I'm storing, of course, but then I also choose the Name for the second field to be displayed in the value list so that people can see the name of the category they're choosing.
On the Products layout now, I have the CategoryID field that I've attached to the value list. With the ID as the first field, though, you cannot type out the name to find the category quickly. You'd have to know the ID.
I was thinking I could create a separate table occurrence with the relationship based on the name instead, then I could make a "CategoryLookup" field and bind that to the old, static value list. Then update the CategoryID field to be a calculation that updates itself based on the relationship by name.
The problem with this is that it turns into an Unstored calculation field, and that is going to kill my performance from web scripts using the PHP API.
Is there any better way around what I'm trying to do here? Any information on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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