Relationships and Find Mode Scope
IntermediateUnderstand how find requests interact with relationships -- which table is searched, how related field finds work, and how to perform finds across multiple tables.
What you'll learn
- How find mode determines which table is searched
- How related field criteria constrain the found set
- How to perform a find that effectively filters by related field values
- What happens when you search a portal field in Find mode
Find mode in FileMaker operates on the context table of the current layout -- the anchor TO. Related fields (with :: notation) can be searched, but there are important subtleties: the found set is always records from the anchor table that satisfy the criteria, not records from the related table. Understanding this prevents wrong assumptions about what a find actually returns.
Stuck is a valid status
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Found set always belongs to the anchor table
When you perform a find on a layout based on the Contacts TO, the found set is always Contacts records. Even if you enter criteria in a related field like Accounts::Region, you get Contacts records -- the ones whose related Account matches the region criteria.
// Layout based on: Contacts TO (anchor) // Find request: // Accounts::Region = "West" (related field on layout) // Result: a found set of CONTACTS whose related Account has Region = "West" // NOT: a found set of Accounts in the West // NOT: a list of the Accounts matching "West" // The found set is always Contacts records.
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