Simple but Stupid......Change Account Name

[bottomsup6]

I'm very newb when it comes to filemaker pro 7 but it is a beast i have inhereted. Here is all i want to do, i want to rename the usernames i have in pro 7 to a different name structure (currently it's lastname first initial and i want to change it to first initial lastname). As soon as i do that i no longer see the info for that user?

Any help is greatly appreciaited.

Koury

[bcooney]

Koury,

It sounds as if you have a table in your solution of Users and that the developer used the username text value to relate to other records in the solution (which is a poor approach). That could be why, when you change the value in "username" the "info for that user" disappears (the relationship is broken).

I wouldn't change anything until you completely understand how it works. And...I'd take apart a copy of the system.

[bottomsup6]

Thank you, i really am new this product (which i think is old in a version sense) but i'll see if i can't figure this bugger out. Would i need to make changes to "FM Server" or "FMPro"? Once again any help is appreciated. i have tried looking on forums but i really have no prior knowledge so it's causing a bit of a roadblock.

[bcooney]

You should not make any changes until you completely understand the ramifications. That said, changes to a file are best made when it is not being hosted, and are made with FM Client.

Yes, FM7 is old and buggy. Ideally, you upgrade to the lastest rev of FM11.

[bottomsup6]

Last thing any gracious link you could point me to start the learning process?

[LaRetta]

You are here. This is the absolute best place to learn. And welcome to FM Forums! :laugh2:

[bottomsup6]

thank you again.

[bcooney]

I don't agree with LaRetta (a first!). I think design-by-forum does not give a new user the "big picture." Read the FM User Guide, and select Tutorial from the Help menu (I think there's something like that there).

[LaRetta]

LOL, Barb, well I read "...any gracious link..." and I don't consider FM Help or the User Guide 'links' ... they should be first steps always and I thought it would go without saying but I guess not, so thanks for mentioning it.

Every thread on this forum is a tutorial with the added benefit that we can see how top Developers answer and not only FileMaker (which we all know presents clunky solutions). FM Forums *IS* fast-track learning.

[bcooney]

I did not mean to discourage participation in the forums. However, I find so many of the threads ask us for the "how" and when we probe for the "why," we often uncover a system that is poorly designed, leading the developer to grasp for convoluted techniques since their poor structure has painted them into a corner. For a new user, these types of threads might confuse more than enlighten.

So, I strongly suggest reading the user guide and paying close attention to data modeling lessons. In fact, the first questions a new user should post are about their data model and how best to construct it.

That said, just read everything "comment" posts, lol!

[LaRetta]

That said, just read everything "comment" posts, lol!

:waytogo: