The file xxx could not be opened

[normanicus]

We have been having problems with some files not opening. A checkbox appears with this text:

The file xxx could not be opened.

Either the host is not available, or the file is not available on that host.

This has been happening since we started using Filemaker 17. It is intermittent for clients to Filemaker Server 17. One user is still on 16 and, it seems, the problem is more frequent for him. It is consistently the same files that give the problem.

When I have the same files as those hosted but open them locally I get the above messages for the same files giving the problems when opening files from the server.

All files are in the same folder. For one of the files I added an 'Open' script step in the startup script. It gave the message. Then, when it hit a layout with a button referring to that file I got the message again. That seems pretty weird. FM has already found it but then can't find it again.

I ran the verify process on all the files on the server and got no errors.

[Fitch]

First thing to do is check the file references: Manage > External Data Sources.

[normanicus]

Quote

First thing to do is check the file references: Manage > External Data Sources.

But, as I said, this happens when I am opening on a local copy with all the files in the same folder so I don't think it is an issue with External Data Sources. However, just to be sure I added the two files causing problems to the External Data Sources list. Problem remains.

What I did notice that one of the problem files had an entry like this:

fmnet:/ESVs-MacBook-Pro.local/DPD

whereas all others were like this:

file:DPD

I changed the former to use a path like the latter but on restarting and having to open it manually again it had become this:

filemac:/Macintosh HD-1/Library/FileMaker Server/Data/Databases/DPD.fmp12

Which is odd as I don't run FM Server locally. Is that information stored in the file somewhere?

I changed it to the full path to the file:

filemac:/Users/normanwinn/Documents/esv/021018/DPD.fmp12

but, again, to no effect.

[Fitch]

All files that are in the same folder should be referenced as file:filename. This applies to local or hosted files. 

Check the file references in all the files.

[normanicus]

Quote

All files that are in the same folder should be referenced as file:filename. This applies to local or hosted files. 

Check the file references in all the files.

I tried this and the problem files still were not found. I think there is something wrong with the files. I'll try the 'Recover' process and see if anything shows up. 

Could I ask how Filemaker adds entries to External Data Sources and how it makes entries like the ones I noted.

[Fitch]

Other than manually adding entries, AFAIK they only get added when it asks you to locate a file and you point to a file.