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

[Kevin Futter]

On 3/11/06 7:37 AM, "Joel Shapiro" <jsfmp at earthlink.net> wrote:

> 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

I've had success with option one, but it has always bothered me that I have
to make one db call with FMView to grab the value list data, and then
another call with FMFind to grab record data. It doesn't seem to affect
performance, but I'm not talking about anything high-volume here. I think if
value list values can be stored as field data (they couldn't in my case), it
would be more efficient to access them this way. I guess a lot depends on
what the database schema requires or allows you to do. Storing multiple,
similar value lists as field data isn't often practical.

-- 
Kevin Futter
Webmaster, St. Bernard's College
http://www.sbc.melb.catholic.edu.au/



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