[FX.php List] Value lists or Data (FMView or Mult. Queries)

[Joel Shapiro]

Hi all

I've got some online forms that use value lists - some radio, some  
checkbox, some drop-down.  I first developed these just as arrays in  
the PHP, which works well but I realized I'll need the same value  
lists on the FMP side.  It seems to make most sense to have the  
values come from FM so the client can change them as required without  
having to also change the PHP.

I'm wondering what would be the best way to get these values -- to  
use FMView to get FM Value Lists, or to just query small value-list  
tables.  I'm guessing that pulling in everything that comes with an  
FMView call is still faster than multiple queries (one for each value  
list), but I'm not sure.  And does the source of a value list's  
values make a difference in performance?

(this is separation model: Data, Web, FMP-UI files)

I see three options...

GET VALUES VIA:

A) VALUE LIST WITH CUSTOM VALUES
      - Create Value List (VL) with Custom Values in the Data file,  
and another VL in the Web file using the Data file's VL ("Use another  
file's value list")
      - Use FMView and $x['valueLists']['valuelistname']

B) VALUE LIST USING DATA FROM FIELD
      - Create specific VL tables (w/ secondary sortOrder field)
      - Create Value List in Web file "Using values from field"
      - Use FMView and $x['valueLists']['valuelistname']

C) QUERIED DATA
      - Create specific VL tables (w/ secondary sortOrder field)
      - Query for values as any other data query

Any recommendations?  Better options?

Will any of these affect performance enough that you'd recommend hard- 
coded PHP arrays?

Note: the value lists probably won't change very often, but it would  
be nice for the client not to have to even think about their PHP  
pages once they're up and running.

TIA,
-Joel


Joel Shapiro - FileMaker Pro Database Design
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joelshapiro at jsfmp dot com
http://www.jsfmp.com
415-269-5055