>I am hoping that someone can tell me if there is a function in Ebase that
>will allow
>me to do the following:
>
>I want to search for all active members so they can receive a particular
>mailing
>(newsletter), only I want to exclude/supppress those that have requested not
>receiving it or receiving it in another format (by email). At this point I
>have not designated a field to make that distinction.
>Is there already a field that would be appropriate to use for this?
Yes, your questions are related. The contact flags on the Data Entry
screen are set up to do this. The contact flags are not just
checkboxes (like the email list field nearby). They are text fields,
so you can enter different values such as N for those who have chosen
not to receive the newsletter by mail or E for those who would like
to get it via email.
To search for your newsletter mailing list, go to find mode (easiest
to use the Query tab in the upper right) and enter your search
criteria (for example, Current in the Member Status field). Add a New
Request, enter N in the Newsletter contact flag and click the Omit
box. Perform the find. This search would find your current members
and exclude those you have coded with an N in the newsletter contact
flag.
Look at the section in the FileMaker manual for more details on
searching for records.
>Another question I have is in regard to the fields/check boxes you can see
>in Names on the Data Entry screen: Contact flags - alerts, trade, anonymous,
>etc
>We would like to use these boxes to customized to our needs, but I am not
>sure how this would be done and if this requires more in depth consideration
>(where are these fields sourced from, how will it affect finds, etc.?).
>
The purpose of these fields is just as you suggest, to mark records
of individuals who have a preference for how you may contact them.
There are no hidden consequences to using these fields. You should,
however, keep a style sheet to insure consistent use of them and make
sure you get the results you want when you query.
--
--
Dave Shaw H4 Consulting
tel: 206-954-7526 fax: 206-625-1338
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