mzimmers

Fair enough. I'm installing a demo version of 9 as we speak. I'll report back if I continue to have difficulties. Thanks.

Hi - First-time IWP user, so I'm sure I'm doing something lame, but...when I try to turn on IWP, I get the spinning beach ball for about a minute, then a dialog that says, "FileMaker cannot share files over the Web because Instant Web Publishing could not be started." Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks...

Thanks for the reply. So...if I am in fact making changes to tables/fields/relationships, am I correct in assuming that these changes must be manually replicated on "client" systems? Perhaps the way to go is for the client to export all of his data, then get a new copy of the DB from me (which would be updated but empty), then import his data again?

Hi, all - Last year, I implemented a fairly small DB, and for reasons that are no longer clear, I decided to use the separation model. Now I have to make some changes to the DB's tables and relationships. 1. When I make a change in the data file, do I have to manually replicate it in the interface file, or is there some cool way to automate this? 2. I'm also hoping to make changes on a copy of the DB in one location, and propogate those changes to another location. Basically, the same question as #1...do I have to manually replicate it, or can this be automated? 3. If I should decide that I probably didn't really need to use the SM, can I undo this easily, or is that like trying to get toothpaste back into the tube? Thanks for any help. mz

OK...so the question that I'll probably self-answer immediately after sending this is...how do you control whether you get the full pathname or just the filename? As it's currently configured, I get just the filename...is there other data "hidden" in the file that's non-obvious? Thanks... -- OK...never mind...I read your answer a little more carefully and now I get it. All that remains to be done is some parsing. Thanks a ton for the help, Reed.

Hi, all - This is sort of an add-on to my last topic. When you use the Insert File script step, is there any way to access the file name/path name of the file specified in the input dialog? I want to store this information, hopefully automatically, as part of the file information in the record. I'm wondering whether there's some undocumented variable that FM uses with the insert, that might be available to me in a script. Thanks for any ideas...

Hey, Reed - That example worked beautifully...thanks for taking the trouble of mocking that up for me. Now that I know how to manipulate the file name/path name once they're in fields in a record, I don't suppose there's a way to populate those automatically when the file is first inserted into the DB?

Trying to get this working on the Mac first -- there seems to be a problem with how I'm configuring the send event script step. This is what I have: - Target application is Adobe Reader 7.0.5 - I send the "open doocument" event - I pass a calculation (not a hard-coded document name) which concatenates the path name and the file name. Adobe comes back with an error that the file isn't found. Am I doing something clueless? Perhaps the calculation field can't be used for passing a file specification? Thanks...

Thanks for the responses, guys. A couple of things I should have pointed out: 1. The target machine is probably going to be Windows -- does the Dark Side have a compatible equivalent to Apple Events? 2. The files stored in the DB are going to be read-only. 3. This DB will be used for storing old business documents (ranging in importance from phone bills to tax records) that are currently only in hard-copy format. I see no reason not to actually store them inside the DB (as opposed to only a reference). So...if this colors the recommendations at all, please let me know. Thanks!

Hi, all - A client is interested in getting a document control system. Before he does, I want to explore the option of using FM Pro for this. There's a template called "Document Library" that is a pretty good start. What he'd like to do is to see a thumbnail of the document from within the database (perhaps we can create this and store it as a separate object), and then be able to open the document from the DB as well. Is this just a pipe dream, or is there a way to do it? Thanks...

Thanks, MrV. It appears to have worked like a charm.

Hi, guys - Thanks for the quick replies. I think I need to clarify the application a bit: I have a table of product records, and another table of repair records. Every time a product is repaired, a repair record is created. (The relating field is called a "label.") I want to generate a list of all products that have never been repaired. I think the steps that MrVodka suggested are on the right track, but not quite what I want to do. I'll be happy to provide any additional information upon request. Thanks again for the help...

Hi all - This forum was quite helpful and patient with me several months ago when I was putting together a simple application for my office. Since then, my FM Pro skills have oxidated quite a bit, and I find myself lost for a requested enhancement. Help! I need to produce a simple list report of all records that contain no relations to a particular associated record. In plain english, all the product records that have no relation to an entry in the repair records. What's the simplest way to do this? And...can someone once again recommend the best reference book available for FM Pro? Thanks again...

Hi, all - So, I created separate data and interface files, as suggested by someone in another thread here awhile back. I've now discovered that I need to add a field (and a relationship) to my DB. When I make the change in the data file, I see that the change isn't automatically reflected in my interface file. What do I need to do to make this happen? Thanks...

Thanks, Wim...is it possible to set up the DB so that one of the files doesn't have any account information, or is it just SOP to maintain both files in the separated configuration?

Hi - I recently broke a small DB into separate files. On my development system, a Mac, all went fine. When I moved it over to the target platform (Windows XP), however, FM Pro requires the user to log into *both* the interface and the data files. Is this expected behavior? If not, what might I have done wrong? Thanks... mz

Oh, and one other thing...using the sub-summary parts as a vehicle for getting the data sorted works OK, but adds some space to my report, since I don't have any fields in the sub-summary parts. Is it possible to set a part to be non-printing, or is this a sign that I'm doing something lame again?

That information is indeed helpful...thanks. I think there's still a missing ingredient somewhere though. In the layout generator, it gives you the opportunity to group information. For each group item I select, I get a sub-summary field. OK...I got that. But *then* it asks me whether I want to sort on any additional fields. This sorting criteria doesn't seem to need a sub-summary field (the generator doesn't create one). So my question is: where is this sorting information kept? Also, my further experiments with the layout generator have suggested that I can almost do without a body for some report, just by putting all the needed fields into the sub-summary areas. Is this OK to do? Thanks...I think I'm getting there, albeit slowly... mz

Hi - I'd like to get a good reference (not tutorial) book for FM 8. Any recommendations? Thanks...

I used the "New Layout/Report" command to create my layout. I can see that my earlier post was pretty unclear. What I want is to create a layout that automatically sorts based on a couple of fields. I think part of the problem is that I'm confusing a few concepts: grouped data, sub-summaries and sub-totals. Can someone distinguish these for me? Once again, the online help really isn't too great for the conceptual stuff. Thanks a lot... mz Edited for (hopefully) further clarification. When I said "automatically" above I was referring to how a layout will take the sort criteria that you set up when you create the layout, and use that criteria without you needing to hit the "sort" button. The real question is: *where* is that sort criteria captured? It doesn't seem to be a visible part of the layout, and I can't find a way to go back in and modify that sort criteria. "How to...?" Thanks again...

OK...so, I created this report, and now I realize that I screwed up, and need to make it sort on a particular field in the body. How do I go back into the layout formatter and do that? Thanks...

That's excellent advice, and well-put. I can now see how to do this without using portals, and it makes for a cleaner report. Thanks for the help. mz

Hi, all - I'm putting together a layout for a report. The reported information includes some fields in other records, which I'm displaying through a portal. In any given report, there may be only a few related records, or a couple hundred. I'm trying to figure out the best way to represent this in the layout. Should I just make a "worst-case" guess for the largest number of records any report might have, and then put the slider on it? It seems like sort of a sloppy way to do it, but I can't think of another. Thanks...

Heh...man, is this ever mystifying. I think the key is that, as you said, your sorts must match your summarizing. I'm still a bit perplexed about how to get to all of the setup information for a layout. How, for example, would I go back and check/change what field(s) I specified to sort on? Anyway, I seem to have a working report, though I wouldn't bet on my ability to regenerate it from scratch. I am ready, however, to begin including related records. Any pitfalls I should know about? Thanks for all of your help. mz

You, my dear, are magic. OK, give it up...HOW did you make it work? Or, more to the point, what was I doing wrong? I notice in the layout that you have operands demarcated by << and >>; I didn't have those. What is the significance of those? They look like text, but I'm sure there's more to them than that. Another question: report layouts seem to be easier to create than to modify. Do people generally just throw them out and start over if they don't like them? Once I understand what you did to make this work, I'm going to tackle the issue of getting fields from another record into the report. But...first things first. mz