Demo File showing how to use Sub Summary parts in Filemaker to create multiple configurable "body parts"
A trick I use quite often is to have no body section and have
alternative "body" sections in summary sections based on different dummy sort
fields (that is filled with unique values). Often this dummy sort field will be a calculated copy of the key for the file. Then I include the sort field as the last
field in the sort. By changing the dummy field I list last in the sort, I can get different "body sections", or even more than one, if that's what I want.
There are ways to have one body to show for records of one type and another for records of another. That involves creating lots and lots of calculated fields and placing multiple sets of fields on top of each other, or having them contain
different things based on the record type. It's painful and, in order to keep the
huge number of calculated fields separate from the "real" data, I've taken to either using a naming convention w/ z- as the first letter or doing an export into a reporting file where the calculated fields live.
eg: the first example for a phone list where I want to have a phone list, or a a
phone and address list.
PersonID is an auto entered serial number
z_includeAddressPart = PersonID
z_includeEmailPart = PersonID
-------- Header ------
-------- Department summary section sorted by Dept -----
-------- Summary Section w/ Name sorted by PersonID ---
Name Phone
-------- Summary Section w/ Name and email sorted by "z_includeEmailPart" ---
Name Phone email
-------- Summary Section w/ address part sorted by "z_includeAddressPart" ---
Address fields
-------- Footer ------
To get just a phone list:
Sort by Dept, NameLast, NameFirst, PersonID
To get just an email list:
Sort by Dept, NameLast, NameFirst, z_includeEmailPart
To get a full contact list:
Sort by Dept, NameLast, NameFirst, PersonID, z_includeEmailPart, z_includeAddressPart
