Cultural Heritage Information Consultants

Hints and Tips 1

Hints and Tips 2

Hints and Tips 3

Hints and Tips 4

Hints and Tips

Adding up numbers in Idealist

Idealist lacks numeric functions. One solution is to export numbers to a spreadsheet or a database such as Access. Another solution is to create a button which can run a special set of commands to add numbers up.

The method works as follows:

To add up the contents of numeric field ‘Amount’

Step 1 Create new fields:

Calc

RunningTotal

Calc should be a calculated field with default contents

runningtotal+amount

RunningTotal is a numeric field

Define a new summary record type. (Define Types on Record pull down menu)

Call it FinancialSummary and have in it contain the field Amount

Create a record if this type (F2)

Step 2 Add new Fields to Records

Calc and RunningTotal can be added to all existing records as follows:

1. Create a hit list of records of the appropriate record type using the Search screen

2. Create a button to add the new fields with the following text in it:

HitListCommand("

FieldAppend(Calc)

FieldAppend(RunningTotal)

")

Step 3 Create Button to add numbers:

HitListCommand("

FieldGoTo(Calc)

EditSelectAll()

EditCopy

Next

FieldGoto(RunningTotal)

EditSelectall

EditClear

EditPaste

Prev

")

FieldGoto(RunningTotal)

Editselectall

EditCopy

SearchFind(:FinancialSummary)

FieldGoTo(Amount)

EditPaste

Step 4 Click on Button

Click on the button and this will add up the numbers and place the answer in the FinancialSummary record Amount field.

Developments

 You can improve the button by creating a nice layout or printout for the FinancialSummary Sheet, and can adapt the button to add up different fields.

 You could create a button that automatically added new records to the Financial Summary as they were added.

Send Email CHIC Home page

Email

Post: CHIC, 249 Evering Road. London. E5 8AL.

Phone: 020 8806 3742Fax: 020 8806 4325