Sometimes in a FileMaker Pro database, a need arises to relate only to records within a specific range of criteria. Take for example a calorie/weight database. Imagine if you only want to display the weight figures for the past 7 days.

You set up the relationship to the weight table so that it has two criteria instead of just one. In the “Edit Relationship” dialog, you can click on “Add” to add a second connection.

So, in this specific example, assuming that you are displaying all data from a table called “Dates” with a relationship to another table called “Current Weight”. You could use the Date field in the “Current Weight” table (called “wDate”) to relate to two different date fields in the Date table.

One of the dates in the date table (”dToday”) is just a simple date field. The other date in the date table (”dTodayRange”) is a calculation field. Its calculation looks like this:

dDate - 7

Double click on the box in the relationship line to open the “Edit Relationship” dialog, and then get creative with ≥ and ≤ instead of just using an =.

By setting the relationship to be less-than-or-equal to the current date, and greater-than-or-equal to the date from 7 days ago, you’ve just set up a range that will always have the 7 most recent dates in it. The end result can live in a portal that always shows the most recent data, no matter what the date is.

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Today we added a few workshops for Dreamweaver and FileMaker Pro that extend out into October of 2007. As those months draw nearer, we will add many more to the schedule, but we decided to try having at least one class each month posted earlier in the schedule. We’ll continue to have a workshop or two posted up to five months in advance as we move forward.

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I’ve been using FileMaker Pro since I got my first Mac 20 years ago to print mailing labels. It seems like a natural extension since I already use it to keep up with addresses and attendance records and phone numbers. Sometimes those mailing labels are for things as complex as mailers to a customer base or as simple as pre-printed labels to stick on postcards when I travel (that’s a trick I learned from mom! I carry labels instead of an address book when I travel, and when all the labels are gone, then I have sent postcards to everyone I planned for.)

Anyway, one gotcha when you set up a new layout in FileMaker Pro to print labels is that often the last row of labels on each sheet doesn’t print. It’s an easy fix, but it’s not one that you would necessarily think of.

Here’s how:

1. First make sure you are in Layout Mode by pressing Command-L on the Mac or Control-L on Windows.
2. Choose the layout with labels that you want to fix from the Layout menu in the Status area on the left side of the window
3. From the Layouts menu at the top of the screen, choose Part Setup
4. Double click on “Body” in the window that shows up
5. Finally, in the “Part Definition” window that is now on your screen, check the boxes for:
   • Allow Part to break across page boundaries
   • Discard remainder of part before new page

   When they are all checked, it should look similar to the picture below

6. Click on OK

That’s it. Now your labels will print on the bottom row of the sheet and you won’t be wasting any more space!

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