Database headers

Question

I must be missing something. I want a text field's content (a name) to appear on every record in a database file with 38 records on a particular layout. Normally, once you define the field and enter the name, the content only appears on that record. I suppose I could use a regular document header, but the fields I want are already defined and it would be redundant to re-enter them as text. I read there are database headers, different from the regular document headers, that will do this. I went to the layout menu, clicked 'insert part' and selected 'header'. It appeared on the document just fine. However, every time I dragged a text field into the header area from the body area, I never saw the field data in the browse mode, only the field label (page view or not). Moreover, once I dragged it into the header area, I could no longer enter data into the field in browse mode. What am I doing wrong? Can I get a text field to display on every record or is this not possible?
PowerBook   Mac OS X (10.2.x)   Appleworks 6.2.9

Answer 1

I must be missing something. I want a text field's
content (a name) to appear on every record in a
database file with 38 records on a particular layout.
Normally, once you define the field and enter the
name, the content only appears on that record.
As it should. Fields (except Summary type fields) are containers for data in a record. When you enter the name into one record, it appears on that record. Records with ne data in that field will show an empty sapce. Just as when you fill in your name on a single credit card application form it appears on that individual form (and not on the other seven forms that arrived in the mail on the same day).
I
suppose I could use a regular document header, but
the fields I want are already defined and it would
be redundant to re-enter them as text. I read there
are database headers, different from the regular
document headers, that will do this.
Headers and Footers (in any type of document) are used to show the same material (text and/or graphics) at the top or bottom of each Page of the document. Besides fixed text and graphics, Headers and Footers can contain information (eg. page numbers, current date, current time) calculated from the document itself or calculated from the computer's clock. In Database documents, Headers will appear only once (at the top of the document) unless Page view (in the Window menu) is checkmarked. In Page view, Headers will appear at the top of each Page. If your DB shows only a single Record to a Page, then the contents of Headers will appear with each record.
I went to the
layout menu, clicked 'insert part' and selected
'header'. It appeared on the document just fine.
However, every time I dragged a text field into the
header area from the body area, I never saw the
field data in the browse mode, only the field label
(page view or not). Moreover, once I dragged it
into the header area, I could no longer enter data
into the field in browse mode. What am I doing
wrong? Can I get a text field to display on every
record or is this not possible?
Data fields (except Summary type fields) will display, and are accessible for data entry, only in the Body part of a database layout. Any Text field placed in the Body part of a layout will display its content on every (visible) record. But there must be data in that field in that record for the data to display with a particular record.
What to do:
If the name is part of the data of each record, then you must place it into each record. (See below for a couple of ways to go about this.)
If the name is simply a label and you do not need it as part of the data, then forget about the Text field, and place the name directly onto the Layout, using a Text Frame placed in the Body part if you want it to appear with every record, or into a Header part if you want it to appear at the top of each Page.
Putting the name into multiple records:
For a small number of records, go to List view (Layout > List), select the text in the already filled field and Copy (command-C).
Now alternate pressing command-return (moves you to the same field in the next record) and command-V (pastes the copied text into the current field).
To set a field to the same value in all of a large number of records it's easier to redefine the field twice.
Press shift-command-D (Define fields)
Click the 'Name' field in the list of fields.
Change the Type to Calculation
Click Modify (and OK the warning that this may cause you to lose data loss).
Enter the name, enclosed in quotation marks (eg. "Louis") into the Formula box.
Set Format result as: to Text.
Click OK, then click Done.
This will set the contents of the field to Louis in all records, and will not allow changing that value in an individual record. To change the value in ALL records, repeat the above (skipping the unnecessary steps), using the new value in the formula. If you want to be able to change individual records, change the field type back to Text as below.
Press shift-command-D (Define fields)
Click the 'Name' field in the list of fields.
Change the Type to Text
Click Modify (and OK the warning that this may cause you to lose data—Your data is compatible with this type of field).
Click OK, then click Done.
Regards,
Barry