One of FileMaker 17’s new features is the built-in ability to create a Master/Detail view. A Master/Detail view uses a portal to display the Master List and some detail fields of the selected portal record for a full view of the data. In the past, app developers would have created Self-Joins, Portal Filters, etc. in order to accomplish this.
In this example, I have a list of all the Cities in the United States.
I also have a detail view that gives me more information on the selected city.
I could use the list view to get a found set of records and then navigate to the detail view, but I want to give my users a way to accomplish this on a single layout.
Enter the new “ Table Option” in the Portal setup Dialog. On the detail view, I am going to draw a new portal and select “Current Table” from the “Show Records From” option.
I added a few fields to the portal.
Once I enter Browse Mode, I now have a fully function Master/Detail list in place with no Self-Joins or scripting! Simply click on the portal row and the detail is updated to in the right panel.
I can also use a native Filemaker find on this layout to update my list. In this case, I entered Find Mode and want to find all the cities in North Carolina, so I enter NC in the State Abbrev. Field and hit enter. Voila! My Portal will update with the complete found set.
Adding a simple scripted filter is easier now too! I added a Global field for State with a pop-up menu values list of all the states. I then added an onObjectModify Script Trigger to that field to perform a find on state. The end result is an easy way to filter the Master/Detail by State.
Another great new feature of Filemaker 17!
