Home page button that will popup a record picker. Once the record is selected it should then display Form ID=17 as an editable record.

Not tested but this should work.

Make a report to search, even if its a version of the list all report.

Go to setting, forms and then forms usage and associate form 17 with that report. 

Go to the Dashboard and make a search widget and set it to search that report.

Here is a demo that does most of what you want. Dresses have three record picker fields defined: [Style], [Color] and [Size].





Fashionista ~ Select a Dress
https://haversineconsulting.quickbase.com/db/bpb4adp8w

What this demo does is use a child Events table form with only the [Related Dress] element on the form. This form will never save but rather just force the selection of a specific Dress which will then be edited.

I am not going to develop this demo further at this time as I am backlogged with other work. Feel free to contact me off-world using the information in my profile if you need this functionality:

https://getsatisfaction.com/people/dandiebolt

Thank you both for the replies. I went ahead with Marks solution as it kept it simple.  I must have missed the report-form association section.