- Getting Started
- Understanding FileMaker Pro Features
- Using the Status Toolbar
- Working in FileMaker Pro
- Working with Records
- Working with Fields
- Working with Related Data
- Finding Data with FileMaker
- Sorting
- Printing
- Importing and Exporting Data
- Using the Web Viewer
- Troubleshooting
- FileMaker Extra: Becoming a FileMaker Pro Power User
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Sorting
When you’re working with multiple records, an obvious requirement is the capability to sort them so that they are arranged in a logical order.
NOTE
Before you go further, a few words of caution are in order. Sorting is perhaps the most overused feature in databases such as FileMaker Pro. Sorting is expensive in terms of computer resources and, particularly in the case of shared databases, can slow down performance for everyone. Many people think nothing of sorting a large database so that the records are in alphabetical order (last name first, first name last, or whatever). They then scroll through the list view to find the record they want and proceed to edit the record using a form layout.
In almost every case, it is much, much faster to eschew the sort and simply use a find request to find the record you wanted. Doing so takes fewer computer resources, and you do not have to spend your time scrolling through the alphabetized list. Sorting is essential for printed reports, but for routine data manipulation, finding is often what you should be doing.
If you do need to sort data, it can be very useful to precede the sort with a find. Find the general set of records in which you are interested and then sort it. Doing so substantially lessens the demands on the computer.
FileMaker doesn’t store its records in a sorted order; it stores them in the order in which they were created. When you first open an unsorted table, the records follow that order. There aren’t any real mysteries here; for a view of the Sort Records dialog, see Figure 2.38. By default, the Sort Records dialog shows only those fields available on your current layout, but you can use the menu in the upper left of the dialog to choose from among all the fields in your database (including those related to the records in your found set).
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Figure 2.38. You can control how a field is sorted: ascending by type (alpha or numeric generally), descending, or in custom order by value list.
To sort the records from a table in your database, move fields from the left side of the dialog into the right. There, you can choose to have a field sort ascending, descending, or based on the order in which values appear in a specific value list. Choosing Descending, for example, sorts a number field from largest to smallest.
If you move multiple fields into the dialog, FileMaker sorts all records by the first field. In cases where records contain the same values in the first field, FileMaker then uses the second field as an additional criterion.
By adding multiple fields to your sort criteria, you are specifying secondary sorts: First sort by last name and then by first name, for example.
TIP
Sorting by value list enables you to set up your own order in which things should appear. For example, if you have a workflow process that flows from Pending to Approved to Complete, you can have your records sort in that order rather than alphabetically.
Often, sorts are attached to buttons so that you don’t have to enter the sort specifiers each time. For example, in the Assets list view shown in Figure 2.39, you can sort assets by item, category, or status.
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Figure 2.39. Attach sort scripts to interface elements.
Sorting by summary field is a bit tricky. See “Using Summarized Reports,” p. 295.