goldcougar

This is a free application I have been working on for a couple of days. I have not done a lot of testing with it yet, but so far it works well. It is all Java, so it should run on Mac, Windows, and Linux The project homepages & download is at http://goldcougar83.googlepages.com FM Escape will generate "CREATE TABLE" and "INSERT INTO" statements from your FileMaker data through my FileMaker XML JDBC Driver. It has a preference tab to completly customize the generate sql to fit any sql database. It also replace all non-alphanumeric characters in fields names with a _ to make them SQL compliant. On the Connection URL, please use the layFilter so that you can direct the driver to 1 layout. Otherwise it goes to the first layout, and uses that for the field list and data. Below are screenshots. Best of all, it is FREE!...and maybe open source at a later point.

Description: Use Script Variables inside of File References to automate storing of files in your FileMaker solution. A user can type a name, or part of the name of a file, and using a Script Variable, you can fill in the rest, including the path to the file, part of the name, or extension. A Reference to the file is stored in FileMaker. This technique could be useful in a Document Management solution using FileMaker, allowing users to just type a limited about, and FileMaker will do the rest, instead of the user manually selecting the file to insert each time. Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s) goldcougar Date: 12/30/05 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Instructions also included in the download. The script will look on the C: drive, and inside of a folder called "myFiles", with the extension of ".pdf". So, to get this example to work, create a fold on your C: drive called "myFiles". Add a PDF to the folder. For this example, name the pdf "myTestFile.pdf". Then type "myTestFile" into the Key field below, and click the add button. You will see the FileReference field show an icon of the file. It is only storing a reference to the file. You can view it by double clicking on the icon of the file. This script can be easily changed to work on Mac or Windows and with any file extensions. Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular purpose. Do not post or distribute files without written approval from the copyright owner. All files are deemed public domain unless otherwise indictated. Please backup every file that you intend to modify. VariableFileReference.zip

Using Applescript, you are able to use the "do script" command. However, you are unable to pass parameters into the command from Applescript. Below I have listed a work-around for this. Please note it requires a plug-in which can trigger scripts from a field calculation. I use the free zippscript. You can get it from http://homepage.mac.com/jkornhaus/ First, Create these Global Fields in your FileMaker solution: ApplescriptScriptName ApplescriptScriptParameter ApplescriptScriptAction Next, create a layout in your solution with only the above 3 fields on it. For now, we'll call the layout name "ApplescriptGlobals" Next, create these Scripts in your FileMaker solution: Script #1 Name: ApplescriptShowGlobalFields NewWindow["ApplescriptGlobals"] GoToLayout["ApplescriptGlobals"] AdjustWindow[Resize to fit] Script #2 Name: ApplescriptHideGlobalFields CloseWindow["ApplescriptGlobals"] Script #3 Name: ApplescriptDoScript SetField[ApplescriptScriptAction; zippScript_PerformScript( get(FileName); ApplescriptScriptName; ApplescriptScriptParameter; "Resume" )] --Set field would differ based on plug-in Finally, onto the Applescript. Add this function to the bottom of your Applescript. on ApplescriptDoScript(myName, myParameter) tell application "FileMaker Pro" --pop window with global fields on it b/c applescript must have the fields on the layout to be set do script FileMaker script "ApplescriptShowGlobalFields" --set FileMaker fields set cell "Globals::ApplescriptScriptName" to myName set cell "Globals::ApplescriptScriptParameter" to myParameter --close window with global fields on it do script FileMaker script "ApplescriptHideGlobalFields" --run script which runs trigger script passing in name and parameter do script FileMaker script "ApplescriptDoScript" end tell end ApplescriptDoScript Now, in your appelscript, whenever you need to call a FileMaker script and pass a parameter, you can call it like this: ApplescriptDoScript("MyScriptName", "MyParameter") If you need to pass a value from a FileMaker field as part of your parameter, you code may look more like this..(sudo, not sure if exactly correct) Tell Application "FileMaker Pro" set myParam to cell "myField" end tell ApplescriptDoScript("MyScriptName", myParam) The overall idea here is that you cannot direclty pass parameters into a FileMaker script from Applescript. To get around this, we create Golbal fields to hold the script and parameters. We then create a script to show a layout with the fields on it. This is because when applescript does a set cell command, the field must be on the layout. Then it closes the window and calls a FileMaker script, which uses the plug-in to call the script with the parameter. You must use a plug-in so that you can pass any string into it for the script name because in the PerformScript step in FileMaker, you must choose an exact script, and cannot make it vary. I hope some people find this useful. We needed it to help us do some automated load-testing where we used the applescript to simulate user interaction.

We purchased this server specifically for this purpose...So all it has ever done is LDAP and FileMaker. I looked that the Tech Info article and it applied to running FileMaker Server Advanced, which we aren't running on that machine. Is it possible that we have just reached the max of what FileMake can do? Here is our system setup currently. 5 total FileMaker servers. 4 are dual G5 Towers FileMaker 7. There is about 250 total databases accross those 4 servers. 1 is a dual G5 XServe running FileMaker 8. This one runs the new system we have developed using the speration model with 6 total files. 1 Interface File, and 5 Data Files. Our Data files total to 162 tables, with the highest number of records for a table over 2 Million. Our Interface File contains 552 Relationships, 666 Layouts, 353 Value Lists, 30 custom functions, and 27 File References. As you can see, we run entirely on FileMaker. We have 4 full-time in-house FileMaker developers and have been using FileMaker since the company started over 10 years ago.

The 5 data files exclusively work with the interface file. The other File References are for links to other databases on our server. Our entire system consists of 5 FileMaker Servers totaling to over 250 databases. So, sometimes in our solution of the Interface File we need to lookup data from the other databases. Ex, if we have a database of customer info that we have had for years, with this new system, the interface file needs to get info from there. We have a lot of unstored calculation fields, but there is no way around it in this solution.

In the tech brief, it gives the example of the LDAP master being on a different machine, but does not state that running on the same machine will degrade performace. I have not tried to disable one of the processors. Does FileMaker have a problem with dual processors?

Are you positive that LDAP specifically will degrade performace? We use the LDAP for FileMaker external authentication only. When no users are in FileMaker, the CPU doesn't even get to 2% normally. It has 2 Gig of Ram. Also, the CPU's are dual 2Ghz. We are not running web publishing at this time on that server. At this point, I think FileMaker Server just runs that slow because of the complexity of this solution. The biggest problem we are facing is that when we try to split the solution accross servers, we get the message "File has been forcefully disconnected by the host. All affected windows will be closed.". We have a ticket in with FileMaker and it is in the process of being escelated.

Yes, it is an Apple Dual G5 XServe running Mac 10.3.9 Server. It only runs FileMaker and is an LDAP Master.

Yes, we have a Site License and are running FileMaker Server 8.1

Many people have asked if anyone has an example of a large scale implementation of the Seperation Model...so, I thought I would post information about our setup, and also ask for some feed back. We have a solution using the seperatin model with 6 total files. 1 Interface File, and 5 Data Files. Our Data files total to 162 tables, with the highest number of records for a table over 2 Million. Our Interface File contains 552 Relationships, 666 Layouts, 353 Value Lists, 30 Custom Functions, and 27 File References. So, its a big solution desined to run up to 150 users at a time. However, we recently ran a load test, and after 50 users, the server's CPU was maxed out (Dual G5 XServe), and the solution was way too slow to use. We're trying to seperate the solution accross multiple servers, but are having problems. I have a post at FM Forums post We are also looking at having the Interface File on the Local user's machine to increase speed. Does anyone have any experience with this?

We have a complex solution we have built using the seperation model with 1 Interface File and 5 Data files. The 5 Data files have many tables within them. Previously, we had all 6 files on 1 server. However, after a load test, it would perform very slowly after 50 people. The CPU on the server would max out (Server is dual G5 XServe). So, we decided to split the solution accross multiple servers. The configuration is as follows: Server 1: Interface File Server 2: Data File 1 (main) Server 3: Data File 2 Server 4: Data File 3,4,and 5 All file references were updated and double checked. After opening the Interface File, it would automatically open Data File 1, Data File 2 ,and Data File 3....since they are related. Next, after going to any layout in the Interface File where the layout is based on Data File 1, and contains related fields from ANY other Data File, the Data File 1 closes and we receive the following message: "File has been forcefully disconnected by the host. All affected windows will be closed.[From Administrator:""" If we take all of the files and put them back on the same server, and update the File References, it works perfectly. I have also moved Data File 1 and the Interface File on the same server, and it will have disconnect problems with one of the other Data Files.

If you use a faster computer, things are a little bit faster....but still rather slow overall

We've been having speed problems with a new database that began development with FileMaker 7. We are using the seperation model consisting of: 5 data files (multiple tables within each) 1 Interface file (scripts, layouts, relationships) The performance has always been slow, but we were told FileMaker Server 8 would be much faster, so we have been on 8 for about 2 weeks, and had minimal speed improvements. So, just as a test, I took the interface file, and put it on my local computer, and pointed the file references to the server for the data files. It ran much faster. One thing to note is that we are using hte Mac OS X Carbon and Aqua design, so there are a lot of graphics. Can anyone recommend anthing to speed it up? I've heard of using a program to create a RAM drive and hosting databases off ot it (like http://www.clarkwood.com/rambunctious/ )...would that help? We are running the server on a Dual G5 2GHz XServe with 2 Gigs of Ram. Clients are Mac Mini's.

We are having this same problem. It appears that it is substituting wingdings or webdings in place of the font. We have a timesheet program in filemaker, and if a manager prints out 15 timesheets for their entire department, some are fine, some are not. I did notice however, that it only does the font substitution on fonts that are not Helvetica. We used Verdana, and it did a font substitution to webdings or wingdings.

Here is our setup: We have 3 G5 towers running 10.3 with 1 gig of ram, and 1 G4 with 10.3 running our FileMaker 5.5 servers. We have about 250 databases spread accross the 4 servers. Our network address scheme is 192.168.0.0 / 255.255.0.0. (aka multiple subnets to broadcast accross) Here is the problem: Users report slowness throughout the day, even when the servers are not doing a backup. Common problems are: -long time to perform finds -clicking buttons that run scripts and getting the Mac OS "spinning wheel" -just browsing through records -entering in fields and tabbing accross to the next field In addition, sometimes it can take several minutes to view the list of all hosts when trying to get into a database. Has anyone else experiences similar problems, or has a suggested solution? Some things we have throught of are: 1. recovering all files 2. defraging the servers 3. checking to repair permissions on the disk 4. changing the subnet mask from 255.255.0.0 to 255.255.248.0 to make the network smaller Will any of those help? Any other suggestions? Thanks in Advance