WBlanchard

There's a good change that trashing the file originally or during the recovery process that some part of the file got damaged. Open FileMaker and try the Recovery feature under the File Menu. HTH

Just an FYI System date on the Mac starts at 1/1/1904 with a value of 1 System date on Windows starts at 1/1/1900 with a value of 0 Found this out dealing with some MS Excel issues between platforms. [ May 14, 2001: Message edited by: WBlanchard ] [ May 14, 2001: Message edited by: WBlanchard ]

One thing to remember. If you use a calculation field to figure time between dates (add or subtract), remember classify the field as a number. If you class it as a date, Filemaker will try to display the number as a date. Such as the number 2 displayed as a date, I believe will display as 01/06/04. Just an FYI [ May 14, 2001: Message edited by: WBlanchard ]

For your first question: create a calc field [Like NewDate_calc] and use the following formula "=Date(Middle(CurDate, 5, 2), Right(CurDate, 2), Left(CurDate, 4))". Create a new date field as a date, and write a script that will loop thru the 1800 old record and set the new date field to the date value in the NewDate_Calc field and then set the old date field the value of the new date field. I have to have and intermediate field hold otherwise I believe you'll come up with circular reference in your calculations. One you have converted the dates you can remove the NewDate_Calc and new date field. As for question two: when you do your find, enter the name of the person you want name field, and then select New Request under the Record menu. This will present with a new form to enter the name of the next person, etc. etc. This is how you do "OR" searches in FMP. HTH

FMS is a running application and Retrospect will try to pause it when it does the backup. Since I'm assume what you are after in the backup routine is to backup the database files, here a possible solution and what we do for backups. FMS has a schedules function which will allow you to create a database backup copy. We use that function to create a backup copy of our db files to a specified folder about 1/2 an hour before the Retrospect app runs. Retrospect is set only to backup that folder, so it doesn't interfer with FMS at all. HTH

Get a copy of PDFWriter [shareware]. That will allow you to have a printer option that will create a .pdf file of your output

In the ScriptMaker window on FMP5.0 there a print button. Select a script and hit the Print button to print that script. In the Print command (Command P on the Mac, Control P on the PC) The is the option to print records, field definitions, a scripts. Select Script definition for, and then select the script you, or all scripts. HTH

If it's a small group of users and a small number of database files to maintain, then hardcoding the password might be a little easier. However, I don't know of a way to have FileMaker automatically use the user name as a password. The utility file idea could work here though. Once you've created the new passord, dup the utility file and have it use the new password as a default. Then script the utility file to open the appropriate file, and close itself. This will still set the password access for the current session. The only security problem would be that anyone who had access to the user's machine, would also have access to the database files. But, this would be a problem also if you could have the login name used and a password. HTH

I area with LiveOak, it is always easier to break information down into its small component, and then build it up as needed. I would create field for Salutation (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr. etc.), First Name, Last Name, Suffix (Jr., Sr. III, etc) and finally Title (PhD, ACE, CPA, etc). From here you create any form field you want by using a calculation field and concatenation (&) such as: Last_First = "Last Name" & ", " & First Name [etc] The possibilities are almost infinite. HTH

See response in Script section. ;-)

Global or otherwise, in order to access the cells in a repeating field within a script, you will have to use the GetRepetition function to tell the script which cell repetition to set. Also when referring to a repeating field in any kind of calculation, you will have to tell which repetition in the repeating field to use. If you don't the FileMaker will just assume it the 1st rep. HTH

The problem with using a user name password is the maintenance headache it creates. The users' password must be in every database that user might access, so adding a new user is a pain. What I do is to create passwords and access based on roles. Then I have a database which maintains user information. I then send users a file launch utility which was their appropriate role password as a default. When they launch the utility file it validates against the user info database (if they aren't there or turned off, the access scripts stop and tells them they don't have access), and then opens the appropriate file with the right password. That password is now set throughout the current session, and the user never sees it. It alot easier to create a new user in the user database, and email a utility file, then to take down an entire solution to add new passwords. HTH

In a script user the following If (Status(CurrentFoundCount) > 1) Goto Layout X Else Goto layout Y EndIf Hope this helps

Stupid question, but, are your db files in the FM Server directory? If not you will have to launch them individually. Just a thought.

Fairly easy. In Layout mode, select the age calc field and then select Format/Number and select Format as decimal and set number of decimals to 1 HTH

If you're using FMP and FMS 5, you can create and edit fields while the file is being served by FMS. The only caveat is that you are the only one that can be logged onto the file when you access define fields. If anyone is logged into the file, it while give you a list and you can ask them to log off. As for password changing, as long as you are just changing passwords and not setting access privileges, you change log into the file with the password you want to change and use the change password feature to do that change. HTH

We just set up FMS 5.0 on a win2000 machine. Seem to be operating just fine.

If you hit the cancel button on the Print dialog box while in a script, your script should drop down to the next step. Personally, I tried not to allow my users to cancel print job in a script. I use the no dialog option. What I do is to take them to a report review, and script a print option into the process. HTH [This message has been edited by WBlanchard (edited February 13, 2001).]

Still another approach would be to create a global name field, and then have a start up script to take the user to this field to enter their name on launch and then proceed on. Since globals are specific to a user session it would last as long as they had that session open. Added bonus, is that you can use the global on the left hand side of a relation to pull user specific information over. And finally, you only need one field and don't to worry about the dilemmas of trying to track currentuser, currentgroup, or what password they logon under. HTH

Depending on the platform you are developing for (Mac - Window or Both), You may need to do a test for the platform triggering the script. But, you can use the Page Setup step (on Mac) and the Printer Setup script (on Windows) to set the printer and format of the output before printing. By set the restore, and no dialog options you can eliminate user intervention. In order to be able to use multiple formats in a single script, create an individual script for each printer/page setup change, and then call these script as needed in your main print script. HTH

Use a script to switch printers. In your script use the Printer Setup step to tell FMP which printer and format you want to use. HTH

Personally, I have all the most frequently used related file open automatically at the start up of a solution's main file. It sometimes takes a little longer to open on start up, but, the end users seem to preferred that to waiting in the middle of a process task. Just my 2 cents

Shouldn't be a problem. Set the file up the you want it and then set up the password access so they don't have any access to the feature you want controlled. Give the client the limited access password. The file should still host, but they can't mess with it. HTH [This message has been edited by WBlanchard (edited January 26, 2001).]

I've been running FMS 5 on a G4/500 on 9.0.4 for quite some time now, and it has been almost bulletproof. The last crash we had was more than 6 months ago, and that was hard drive failure. We are also running a RAMDisk which has provide a significant increase in both performance and stability. As for being an intolerant, weirdo, mac-head, so what, I get the job done.

It done with a script step. Toggle Status Area step, toggling the status area to hide and locked. HTH