John May

I'm running Server 5.5 on OSX Server. I needed to make security changes on a file I have on the server. So I closed the file, opened it with a FM6 client, and made the changes, then closed the client. When I went to reopen the file on the server, it shows already open (grayed out). However, it isn't. On Remote Admin, it doesn't show in the files list, and it also doesn't come up when I click the "Open Files" button. So it isn't open, and it isn't closed. Basically I can't get at it at all. Any ideas? I don't need the file today, but I have to have it running by tomorrow.

I am trying to write a Case function to translate a text string to a code. The text string is a language name, and there are about 165 of them I have to translate. The first few lines of the calculation look like this: Case( Language = "Chinese, Mandarin", "0300", Language = "Chinese, Yue (Cantonese)", "0320", Language = "Hmong", "0640", Language = "Laotian", "0870", Language = "Romanian", "1190", Language = "Russian", "1200", Language = "Serbo-Croatian", "1270", Language = "Spanish", "1380", Language = "Ukrainian", "1520", Language = "Vietnamese", "1560", When I paste the list into the Specify Calculation window, I get an error message saying there are "There are too many separators in this function", and the end of the 35th iteration is highlighted. I looked for a misplaced comma or something, but can't see one. I resorted the list and pasted it in again, and again I got the error message and it highlighted the end of the 35th record. Is there a limit of 35 iterations? I can't find anything in any documentation I have.

Thanks. Worked perfectly I appreciate the time you took to educate me!

I have what I thought was a pretty simple task, but it didn't quite work. I work for a school district. One of the schools gave me a file of course and grade data. They wanted to know "what percent of students passed each course? I created a calculated Case field (Pass Calc) to determine if the the grade was "passing" or not (if passing, "1", otherwise "0"). Then I created a summary field (Total Pass) to sum Pass Calc. I also have a summary field to count the number in each course (Class Count). The layout has only a sub-summary part (when sorted by Course Name). In that part I have Course Name, Total Pass, Class Count. This works fine. The problem arose when I tried to calculate the percent passed for each class by simply dividing Total Pass by Class Count in the same sub-summary line. Instead of getting the percent for each class, I got the total percent for the entire population. Picture of Layout and Previewed page attached. Shouldn't I be able to calculate this? What have I done structurally wrong? FileMaker Version: 6 Platform: Mac OS 9 SubSummaryCalc.pdf

I created a file at home over the weekend on my new Windows XP machine. I emailed it to work and now at work my Mac OS 9.1 machine won't recognize or open the file. Both have FM 6 Client. I am faced with recreating about 5 hours worth of work. Anybody have any ideas why this is happening and if I can solve the glitch?

I created a file at home over the weekend on my new Windows XP machine. I emailed it to work and now at work my Mac OS 9.1 machine won't recognize or open the file. Both are using FM 6.0 Client. I am faced with recreating about 5 hours worth of work. Anybody have any ideas why this is happening and if I can solve the glitch?

I have a user who needs to access files being hosted on both FM 4 and now FM 5. We are installing FM 6 to get to the FM 5 files. One of our tech people told me that "they" (?) don't advise running two different versions of any software on OS-X. Of course, the user runs the FM 4 in classic mode and would run the FM 6 under X. Or I suppose she could run them both in classic. I have 4,5 and 6 on my OS9 client and don't have any trouble. Is there anything to this, or is it hogwash?

A-HA! The "make sure it is unstored" part was what I was missing. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion. I can see the merits of a solution of that type. However, before I resort to that, I'd like to see if I can avoid having the user have to log in twice.

I am experimenting with using the "Status(CurrentUserName)" function to autofill a field in a file. I'd like to do this because I have user passwords defined to only allow record access to users based on that field, and if they exit the record without setting that field correctly, they lose access to the record. I've gone to Edit,Preferences,Application,General, and put a value in the "Custom" box, but the application keeps returning the "System" name. I quit the application and restarted it, but still get the same results. I have NOT tried restarting the computer (I'm using FM6 on Mac 9.1), but that seems a bit extreme. Should I be able set this parameter and have it show up as Status(CurrentUserName)?

This is a pretty simple thing I do in Excel all the time, but I can't find a Filemaker equivalent in the documentation. In the footer of a report, I need to show "Page 1 of 5". The first part (current page number - "##") is easy, but I can't find something which will display the total number of pages.

The street number has to be numeric, because I have to determine if it is even or odd (which side of the street). So I will have to validate that for numeric only. I can control the Direction (SE, NW, etc) in a value list, and I can control the street name the same way. By concatenating the odd/even flag, the direction field, and the street name, I could search for a similarly concatenated field in the database, and get back a list of 1-10 or so possible matches (wouldn't ever be more than that). From that the user could select the one that has the range that contains their street number and get to proper record. I guess I am wondering if there is a way to script something that loops through that found set and shows only the final result, instead of the user having to pick it from a list. That would be aq 100% solution instead of a 80% solution.

Thanks for the responses. Given our fiscal constraints, the big map with thick colored lines may win out as the solution. I can understand the simplicity of listing every household and mapping it to the schools. The problem there is finding a valid and current data source and creating the file with probably 25,000 records and then maintaining it when a new dwelling or development is added to the area. Being able to determine which valid range a specific street number belongs in would greatly reduce the number of records (to probably about 1,000) and be much easier to maintain. So you think this is too big a nut to try to crack with my limited skills and resources?

I have been asked to create a "neighborhood school finder" system for my local school district. Users want to enter a street address and be told if that address falls within the school district boundaries, and if so, which schools (elementary, middle) that address relates to. They have given me a file of address ranges that I am scrubbing that has the following discrete data elements: (1) street number range - minimum (2) street number range - maximum (3) odd or even indicator (4) street direction (NE, SW, etc) (5) Street Name (6) elementary school code (7) middle school code. (There is only one high school) The "odd or even" indicator is important because boundaries tend to run down the middle of streets. I don

Thanks so much for the good advice. I was indeed able to get things running by fiddling with the file extensions. Those things are awfully touchy. I saved a copy of the working settings and now am going to start trying to reduce more to see if I can find the barest level possible.

I put in the 5.5.4 patch, but that had no effect on the problem. Is OS 9.2 a more likely culprit?

For some reason when I posted this, all the line breaks disappeared. Sorry for the big ugly block of text.

I am trying to set up a new web server and I think I might have a software conflict somewhere, because Filemaker seems to seize up as soon as it is called. I am trying to duplicate the configuration of my current box, which runs perfectly, but most of the software versions on the new box are slightly different. (Box boxes guest-open the DB files from another box running OSX and FM Server 5.5, which seems rock solid) Here is my original box, on which I have multiple data-driven sites running well: Mac G4, 533 mhz, 512 MB OS 9.1 Webstar 4.4 Lasso 3.6.6.2 Filemaker UL 5.0 v3 Here is the new (problem) box: Mac G4, 933 mhz, 256 MB OS 9.2.2 Webstar 4.5 Lasso 3.6.6.2 Filemaker UL 5.5v1, WC 5.5v3 I have checked and rechecked the setups, ports, etc., and all seems to be correct. When it stalls and I do a "Force Quit", Filemaker pops up, even though I have Webstar as the foreground application, leading me to speculate that FM may be the culprit. Can anyone see anything in this combination that could be lethal? I can get to the first two pages the site I loaded on it, but as soon as I touch the DB, kablooey.....

I am attempting to set up and test a RAIC configuration, but I have a variety of components that I think may not be compatible, because I can't get the WSC to see the first stand-alone node I set up. Here's what I have right now: Box 1 (OS X Server on G4) - FM Server 5.5 Box 2 (OS 9 on G4) - FM Unlimited 5.0, WSC, Webstar 4, Lasso 3.6 Box 3 (RAIC Node; OS 9 on iMac) - FM Unlimited 5.5 I opened the files on Boxes 2-3 as a guest of Box 1, using their respective UL versions. When I opened and configured the WSC in the browser, it seems to be able to see the DB's on both Box 2 (which I am using as the first RAIC node) and Box 3. But when I close the DB files on Box 2, in order to see if it really can direct the traffic to Box 3, I get nothing. That seems to indicate that, despite appearances, I am not utilizing or talking to Box 3 at all. I read in a posting here that 5.0 and 5.5 may come with their own unique versions of the WSC. I am using the 5.0 version. Could that be preventing me from utilizing my 5.5 node in the RAIC? I am in a position of needing to prove the functionality of the RAIC concept in order to get approval purchase additional licenses for FM Unlimited, but I am stuck. I have only been dabbling in FM for just over a year, and my web experience is minimal. I have other very low volume FM-driven sites running on Box 2 alone, and I'm pretty satisfied with how they run and confident in my ability to manage that environment, but I have one product that needs to handle 10,000 hits in one day, three times a year. I was hopeful that I could use a RAIC for these occasions, but I am not brimming with confidence in my ability to get it up and going. I am in the position of needing to prove the functionality of the RAIC concept in order to get approval to purchase additional licenses for FM Unlimited. Am I in a Catch 22 here? (need to buy software to make it work, but need to make it work to get approval to by software

I've been running DB files on FM 5 UL on a G4 server. Some are accessed both via the web (using Webstar/Lasso) and FM clients. I have put aliases of all the currently active DB files in the Startup folder so if I have to do a server restart, they open back automatically. I am migrating the DB files over to a new additional G4 running FM 5.5 Server, and opening them on the original FM UL copy on the old server for web access. I've run across a problem, maybe because I'm not particularly technical, with the new aliases I created. I created them, moved them through my own workstation desktop (because sharing is off on both servers) and they don't work because it can't find the original. When I do a "Get Info" on the new alias, the path looks correct, although the server name is a text name we gave it rather than an IP address. Could this be why it won't locate? Is there a way for me to have a set of functional aliases in the startup folder of my web server that open files on the FM server?

I just installed FM Server 5.5 on a new G4 with OSX Server Version 10.1.2. I haven't ever used FM Server before so I am becoming acquainted today. The only odd thing I have noticed so far is that when I open the Remote Admin files on my iMac with FM 5.0 client and open the "Get Details" window, I get two lines of zeros instead of the file or guest info I was expecting to see. Any ideas? I only have one file hosted right now. I have it open in two places at the moment. Also, I have read a lot of posts about the backup scheduler not working, but my limited testing seems to be going OK. I also read one post that said FM 5.5 should run on OSX and not OSX Server. Is that true, and if so, why?

OK, I found some info under the FM Unlimited product info section, but it's pretty high-level. Is there something more technical or detailed out there somewhere I am missing?

I appreciate the responses. Thanks. I am not able to locate the specific documentation pieces to which Steven refers. Found a couple of references to RAICs in the tech support database, but only very high level. Absolutely no details or technical info. Certainly no diagrams. Can anybody direct me to something specific?

I have an application running on a G4 server with FM5 Unlimited / webstar / lasso. Three days a year it has to support 200 users simultaneously. They each will edit around 30 of their own records, about 5,000 total. The first run was a disaster. After the users started piling on, it slowed to a crawl and made everybody real grumpy before we finally gave up and let them go home. We have plenty of bandwidth. The bottleneck seems to be the single Filemaker client. I have seen some references to RAIC, but can't see any posts or much info on it anywhere on how to configure it (what software versions go where, where the DB files reside, etc..) Does anyone know where I can get basic (and then perhaps more detailed) info on setting up a RAIC? I am pretty hardware illiterate...

I am trying to import a tab-delimited file into FM 4. It was originally an Excel 98 file which I converted to tab-delimited because FM 4 won't read the Excel 98 file directly. I have a text field (book titles) with some commas in some records. when I import, these records enclose the resulting FM text field with double quotes upon import. For example: Scat, Said the Cat imports as: "Scat, Said the Cat" Why does this happen and how can I prevent or fix it?