InfoPath Dev

Lets see if I can make this a little clearer than mud.  I have 3 cascading drop downs.  Category>Type>Element.  If you select a category, it filters the types down to those in that category and if you select a type, it filters the elements applicable to that type.  This works like a charm all the way down to the unique value filter using preceding-sibling.  BUT, the problem is that all three of these drop downs are populated by the same MS Access table.  So Category repeats several times due to the multiple Types within each Category and Type repeats several times due to the multiple Elements within each type. 

 My problem occurs when I have the same name Elements in 2 different types.  It appears that the preceding-sibling statement that I have on the Element drop down box isn't accounting for the filters so when it comes across the first Element description of say...  "Correct Policy Number" which is applicable to 2 different types, it does not display in the drop down because preceding-sibling perceives it to be the second instance of this Element description even though the first instance is supposed to be filtered out.... 

Detail:

Access table has 3 fields (bold).  Field entries are below.  Note that there is a List Bill/Salary Change/Correct Policy AND there is a List Bill/New Hire/Correct Policy.  When I filter to List bill entries in the Category drop down and then to the New Hire entries in the Type drop down, Correct Policy does not show at all and I presume it is because it appears in the table under List Bill / Salary Change first...  I need for it to appear in the type drop down for the filter List Bill / Salary Change and the filter List Bill / New Hire....

Category / Type / Element

List Bill / Salary Change/Correct Policy

List Bill / Salary Change/Correct Division

List Bill / New Hire/ Correct Policy

Enroll / Keying Accuracy/ null

Enroll / Product/ null

EOI / SSN / null

Does that make any sense?  THANKS!

 [<b>edited by:</b> hugs4thetrees at 01:32 PM (GMT -8) on 2007-08-07]

Oh, the preceding-sibling filter I am using on the Element drop down is:
not(.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAuditItems/@Element)

I'm using this in conjunction with CategoryName is not = Category and TypeName is not = Type to filter for the selections in the 2 previous drop downs...

Hi,

Looks like you have two filter conditions one for cascading and other for filtering the repeating stuff, so what you do here is add your Cascading filters first and then set you preceding filter.

for ex:-

Category/Type/Element[CascadingFilter][RepeatingFilter]

I am using the wizard though so I have 3 lines:

 CategoryName is not = Category

TypeName is not = Type

The Expression not(.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAusitItems/@Element)

I'm not sure I understand what you are suggesting.  Seems the order I have them in the wizard should work but it's not.  Well, it is... but a bit too well.  I need for it to show all of the Elements in the Category/Type.  When the same element exists in another category/type, it's being filtered out because it seems that the preceding filter pays no attention to the other filters....???  Any way around this or will I have to restructure my table so as not to have the elements repeat at all? 

 THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think your filter should be

Category = CategoryName
and
Type = TypeName
and
The Expression not(.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAusitItems/@Element)

Sorry, I had NOT on the brain... 

 I have it set at

CategoryName=Category

and

TypeName=Type

and

The Expression not(.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAuditItems/@Element)

This filters fine except that I don't get of my results due to having some elements in the table multiple times.

If I change the filter to

CategoryName=Category

and

TypeName=Type

and The Expression not (.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAuditItems/@Category/@Type/@Element)

I get closer, I now have all of the entries but some of the Elements repeat due to having another additional breakdown of Subelement in the table.  So the Elements that have Subelements still repeat in the drop down box...  but I DO have all of the items that I need now based on Category & Type.  How do I get the repeating ones to disappear now??

Try out with just this conditional formatting.

not (.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAuditItems[@Category = CategoryName and @Type = TypeName]/@Element)

Well, it lists everything but there are lots of blank lines and the entries are still listed as many times as they are in the table....

then use this condition this might help

CategoryName=Category
and
TypeName=Type
and
not (.=../preceding-sibling::d:tblSAAuditItems[@Category = CategoryName and @Type = TypeName]/@Element)