Database Reference
In-Depth Information
script if you create all your supporting material before you even open the Manage Script win-
dow.
TIP
In practice, you can't fully prepare a database until you've done some planning…and your prepara-
tion can reveal flaws in your plan. Work with the assumption that the plan and preparation phases of
scriptwriting overlap and intertwine.
For this report, your list layout should include the Invoice ID, Job Name, Date, Date Due,
and Balance Due fields.
Figure 11-1
shows the List layout from the Invoices START data-
base for this chapter. At the end of the chapter, you can compare your work to the Invoices
FINISHED database. Both are available on this topic's Missing CD page at
Figure 11-1. To follow along in this chapter, you need an invoice list layout like this one. If you
want to express your creativity, or review the process for creating layouts, feel free to roll out your
own report layout.
Planning Your Script
When you're planning a script, it often helps to manually work through the process the script
should do first, so you can see how the process works. This trial run helps you clarify the
steps you're scripting. As a bonus, some scripts are easier to write if you do the steps manu-
ally beforehand, since dialog boxes retain some settings. For example, if you manually set up
