As far as I can tell, it is just a way to identify the subform when you are in Manage Fields of the parent database.

If you want two subforms of the same layout, you probably want to select "Show existing Natural Child records...". And if you do that, the Subrecord Field Name is already filled in with the same name as your first subform for the same layout.

The Subrecord field name is extremely important. A field of type SUBRECORD contains all the information regarding which records you want to link and how. The field knows:
1. Whether the link is natural or relational
2. If relational, which values are supposed to match
3. Which database contains the subrecords

When you select Show Existing .., you are telling Sesame to show the exact same records already defined by an existing SUBRECORD field. This allows you to do some neat tricks. For example, say you run a hospital network. You can create a generic Contacts database, with an Contact Form that has elements for Name, Address, Phone, etc. You can then create a Hospitals database and Form. On your Hospital form, you can put a naturally linked Contact subform bound to a field called Doctors. You can put on your Hospital form another naturally linked Contact subform bound to a different field called Nurses.

Both subforms will display the Contact Form. If you change the Contact Form, both subforms will show the change. As long as you are looking at the Hospital form, Doctors and Nurses will never get mixed together. However, if you open the Contacts form standalone, you can get a list of all the Hospital employees, regardless of whether they are Doctors or Nurses.

Basically, each Subrecord field name represents a particular batch of a particular kind of record.

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How do you bind the Subform to a field in Natural Link? When you make a Subform, the element bound to selection let you select only Unbound and all other choices blank out. In the Subform Setup, if I choose Natural Automatic Link, it just let me put the Subrecord field name for the pupose of displaying it in the Manage Database. If I change Bound To using Propery Editor, it does not reflect the change in Property Viewer.  ??? Obviously I am missing something.

I think I am really dense.  I am still not getting it. When I make a new subform, Step 4 - Set Subform Property, I cannot choose Parent or Child Record Field if I choose Automatic Natural link. Only choice one can make is subrecord field name that has to be unique and it is used in order to display the subform element as field in the manage database module. (So far I have worked with only relationally linked subforms) In Relationally linked field only it let me choose the field name.  I am still not clear, how do I choose the field name of the main form to which the subform to be bound in order to have subform having Automatic Naturally Linked. Erika, please bear with me, I really feel that I am missing something basic here that I should have known better.

Erika,
I got it now. I thoght that the subform can be linked  to an element of the mainform (as opposed to "bound" to the field of database). I guess there is no other alternative but to go to relational link to achieve that. However, automatic link is also interesting. Thanks.

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I have done a fair bit of work with tabs and subforms for sesame - the first problem that I can see is that you want it to iterate an infinite number of family members until it runs out of generations. To do this each subform will be smaller than the previous subform unless you want to use scroll bars.

The first thing you need to ask is how many generations do you want to show simultaneously? (on a single form).

There are 2 ways of linking the information.

How are you deciding that there is a common parent? Are you wanting to enter the children from the parents screen etc?

One good way to handle linking parents to children is to create a unique identifier for each person and use this as a method of referring one to the other - that way if you change someones name it doesn't break the link if you're using relation links based on name.

With a little more information I can probably help you through this problem.

I would also suggest starting a new topic for this as its related but not related - it will make your topic easier to find & get responses.

I hope this helps,

Justin