-----Original Message-----
From: Gerry Hodgson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: November 2, 2000 8:09 AM
To: John Watkins
Subject: RE: [NEWBIES] PLEASE More frustration about email and source codes
John,
Here is my distillation from the listserv re source codes
Making a Source Code Short List
> This isn't so much a question as a request. If I understand right once
>we apply a payment to a certain source code then that code can never be
>deleted. I suppose that this means that it will always appear on the
pop-up >menu(?) that comes up when you click on the blank space for source
code. We >send out 1st, 2nd and 3rd renewals to our members, plus have new
special >mailings from outside lists every other month or so. My problem is
that >after a couple of years of using this system then I will have about
150 >source codes to choose from. When entering about fifty renewal
responses >(payments) I like move through the payments as quick as possible.
It is >already starting to slow me down, because I have to find the code
from my >list of 57 source codes that I currently have. My request is that
the next >version of ebase maybe have a way to hide the really old source
codes so >that we don't have a huge list to scroll through when entering
payments. >Does anyone out there have a solution for this that works for
them? Or is >there currently a way to hide the codes that I don't know
about. In the >long run, either way, I am still saving time over my old
system by not
>having to keep up with all the renewals each time I enter them and then
>transfer that to Lotus for response tracking. I am sending another post
>that tells about what I have done to speed up my data entry for payments.
There are several ways around this. Remember, value lists can be either
custom entries (you give the list a name and then specify the different
values making up the list) or their values can be drawn from one or two
fields in a file.
The source code value list currently being used when you enter a payment is
an example of the latter; it's drawing its values from the records in the
solicit_ file.
The easiest way around the problem of getting a huge list is this: Create a
new value list in the paymnts_ file named "Short SC List". Type in the
specific source codes you want to appear in the list (remembering that, with
custom values, you don't get the option of having descriptions that
accompany your codes). Then, on the entry layout, attach this new value
list to the source code field.
A second option is to export all of your source codes to a new filemaker
file named "SCShort_.fp3". This file would only have two fields: the source
code and the description. Then, get into that file and delete those source
codes that you don't want in your short list. Finally, back in paymnts_,
create a new value list called "Short SC List", and have it draw its values
from the fields in this new file instead of from the solicit_ file. The
benefit here is that you get descriptions. The downside is it's an extra
file that you have to open and maintain.
A third way (and I won't get into a step-by-step on this one; you either
know what I'm talking about or you shouldn't be doing it) is to create a
text field in the solicit_ file named "DisplayInList" and stick it onto the
source code entry screen. If the field has a "Y" in it, then you want the
record to be in the short list.
Next, create two calc'd text fields: SC4List and SCDesc4List. The calc for
the SC4List is:
If (DisplayInList = "Y", Source Code, "")
The calc for SCDesc4List is:
If (DisplayInList = "Y", Source Code Description, "")
Finally, create a new value list in paymnts_ named "Short SC List", and have
it draw its values from the these new fields in the solicit_ file. The
benefits here are many: you get descriptions, maintenance is easy, the list
is totally dynamic, etc. The downside is you need to know what you're doing
in Filemaker to set it up. This method is basically the answer to your
request that we'll probably implement in the next version of ebase.
Gerry A Hodgson
PLAN Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(604) 271 9877
-----Original Message-----
From: John Watkins [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: November 2, 2000 7:08 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [NEWBIES] PLEASE More frustration about email and source codes
Dave Shaw kindly responded
>You're not clear what you're looking for, that is, what an
>acceptable solution would be, so let me suggest some.
Thanks for trying. It IS sometimes hard to explain.
>>If we send a scratch letter, to make a contact record, it requires
>>that we create a code. If we create a code, each code shows up in
>>the pull down box from which you select previous records.
>
>There is a workaround that I'm pretty sure Jack Noll published in
>the FAQ. It's at least in the list archives. It involves flagging a
>new source code to appear or not in the pulldown list. You change
>the value list to select only the flagged items.
Can you or anyone be more specific about where to find this fix--or
even better, just send it to me. I tried to find it in the FAQs and
couldn't.
I don't know how to find the archives. Maybe that would help but I
suspect it's like searching for that "needle in the haystack."
Except, with the needle, you know what you're looking for. A needle
is very specific and :>) to the point. With a problem, you don't know
what the answer is so it's not easy to find the right search
process--what words describe an unknown answer?
>>If we choose "select an existing source code and text", you can't
>>make changes and it produces emails without subject
>>lines--inserting the subject line in more than one email is
>>difficult to say the least.
>
>I'm not sure the interaction of ebase and your email client can be
>made this flexible.
The user manual really makes a strong point of how important the
subject line is to the success of your contacts. I couldn't agree
more. So it strikes me as strange that the program doesn't provide
for automatically filling in the subject line when generating
"custom" messages to a found set. Nevertheless, the temporary answer
probably lies in sending batches. Even here, it's necessary to
re-type the subject line.
>For work at this level you should be looking for a consultant who
>knows how to program the system-level automation utility. It's
>called Applescript on the Mac - don't know what it's called on
>Windows.
Truly, I suspect many of the users of have chosen Ebase because they
have neither the resources nor the knowledge to work with a
consultant. That's true in our case. Our problem is to recruit and
work with a large number of volunteers, with very few dues-paying
members--at least for the foreseeable future. Maybe, we can find a
volunteer to do the work but that has it's own problems--continuity
for one (can they volunteer enough time and will they see the job
through to its conclusion) and our inability to determine if they
truly know what they're doing
At any rate, if anyone can find and send me the "fix" for keeping
some source codes out of the drop-down list, I'd be in your debt.
--
simplicity ~ personal responsibility ~ compassion ~ community ~ justice
a unified process for developing full human potential
John Watkins Executive Director The Simple Society
303 Amherst St. Nashua, NH 03063 603-889-0111
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://simsoc.org
