Search for parent
When in a child record and clicking the parent field, a large table opens with suitable parent records to choose from. There is also a search box at the top and I don't remember this not working previously, but now it seems totally flawed.
With a large number of records (i.e. several screenfulls), I want to enter something in the search to reduce the number of records shown, but I'm finding now it simply does not work. I type in something I can clearly see exists in a record shown in the list, but it finds nothing. I try just the first letter and I get a few records shown that bears no relation to the letter I type and adding a second character changes the list displayed, again with no apparent correspondence to the characters in the search box and by the time 3 or 4 have been entered, the search finds nothing.
This problem doesn't seem to be restricted to just one table.
So on/in what is Ninox searching and how? 'Fulltext' or 'contains' or what?
If I knew that I might be able to figure out why it's not currently working.
6 replies
-
Is the column you are looking at a formula field? Ninox can not search on formula field when you are looking in relationship field.
-
said:
Does it search on all data fields in the child records, or just the ones displayed? Or perhaps even only the (data) column by which it is sorted?It only searches on real data fields of the table in the relationship. In your case that would be the parent record.
on a side note, why are you in a child record looking for a parent? You may want to look at your work flow to make sure a parent is created/selected before creating child records.
-
Yes, I've been playing with it and it is in fact a very limited search.
I need to pick the parent based on the many names used for the grandparent. So the parent has a formula field of all the applicable names and they are shown for each parent in the pick list when trying to associate the child, but with no way to search on those fields, it can be tricky to find the name and hence select the correct parent.
In the specific case of invoices and their items, I agree, no point creating the child (item) before the parent (invoice), but in other many to one relationships it can be entirely appropriate to create a child and then pick its parent.
In this case, I could go the other way, but still same problem of trying to find the parent from just one grandparent name.
In this case I may have to revert to storing the actual names in a parent's real data (text) field just so I can use it to search. I don't like to do that as it introduces the possibility of that data being out of sync, i.e. changes to grandparent's names but that parent's text field not being updated.
Thanks anyway. At least I now know what I'm dealing with and can try to think of a solution.
-
Use a trigger on update in the Grandparent record to keep the parent record up-to-date and in sync
-
Yes I created such Text data fields and triggered scripts at the various required levels, to keep them all in sync, but…
In so doing I noticed that in some cases, the search seemed to work as it had been. Hmm…
In fact the problem is actually less limiting and of my own doing.
I asked elsewhere about the relative efficiency of array vs concatenated text string and at some levels was gathering the appropriate names as an array. This presented no apparent problem as Ninox happily displays an array as if it were a text string (albeit without the delimiter spaces).
However, as I have now discovered, when used in the parent 'picker list', the search does not work for array fields, but it DOES for a concatenated text string, even when it is just a formula field.
So the search in such 'parent picker list' tables does not work for arrays, but works perfectly for text type formula fields.
This means some simple adjustment of my formula fields and all is working.
-
Content aside
- 3 days agoLast active
- 6Replies
- 35Views
-
3
Following