FMP 11 Advanced: Password protect individual records?

[JDW]

Our company still uses FMP 11 Advanced because hosting online via IWP is much, much cheaper than hosting with a modern version of FMP.  Currently, we pay double to have two different FMP 11 databases hosted online.  One database contains 900 records and is open to the public with no password, and the other has several thousand records and requires a password.  

In hopes of cutting our hosting cost in half, I would like to combine the two databases into one database, such that we need only pay to host 1 database.  But our need to password protect certain records remains.  

In other words, I want to put the content that doesn't require a password inside the FMP database file that has data we want to protect.  I know it's possible to combine the two databases, but that would mean we can no longer use a main password to lockout the entire file, as that would lock out everybody.  I would like to know if I can use FMP 11 Advanced to password protect only certain records within a single database file?

Thanks.

[comment]

You can define two privilege sets and allow only one of them access to certain records. Then make sure that the accounts assigned to this privileges set have a non-empty password.

It sounds like you have multiple users using the same account. This is not good practice.

 

[JDW]

Thank you for your reply.  

First, how do I go about "defining 2 privilege sets" in FMP 11 Advanced, specifically?

Second, you say it is not good practice to have multiple users on the same account.  I am unsure what you mean.  Are you familiar with Instant Web Publishing, which allows multiple people to access a single database hosted online?  This how IWP works.  The number of simultaneous users is not unlimited but we've been hosting our FMP databases for many, many years using MacUSA and never once had any issues whatsoever with more than one person accessing our hosted databases.  So again, I am unsure what you mean.

[comment]

5 minutes ago, JDW said:

how do I go about "defining 2 privilege sets"

Select File > Manage… > Security from the menu and then navigate to the [ Privilege Sets ] pane. For more, consult the help - I couldn't possibly fit it all here.

  

10 minutes ago, JDW said:

you say it is not good practice to have multiple users on the same account.  I am unsure what you mean.

I mean that Adam should log in under account name "Adam" and password ********, and if Betty wants to access the same database she should enter "Betty" and her own password as her login credentials. This is regardless of the method of access.

 

[JDW]

That is how access works right now.  Everybody must type in their own Username and Password.  However, like I said before, I cannot do that if I want some records to be freely accessible.  Right now, we have 2 hosted databases.  One has no ID/PSW requirement, while the other DB has the requirement.  But if I combine the two into a single DB, if I retain a password, then I lockout people I don't want to be locked out.

So what I want to do is allow entry of everyone who is allowed to see the free content (which is everybody), but then put a link in the database that will lead to a password page to allow access to protected content.  I want to know if that is possible as per your File > Manage... > Security suggestion.

Again, the reason why is because it's silly for me to pay double the price to host 2 separate FMP Databases if I can pay for to host just one that offers both free and password protected content.  That is my aim here.

[comment]

1 hour ago, JDW said:

That is how access works right now.  Everybody must type in their own Username and Password.

Good. Then you can ignore my remark.

 

1 hour ago, JDW said:

However, like I said before, I cannot do that if I want some records to be freely accessible.

Yes you can. If Adam's account belongs to the "VIP" privilege set, then Adam will automatically have access to all records. OTOH, if Betty's account belongs to the "Common" privilege set, she won't be able to access certain records - as defined in the privilege set settings. All this is determined at login and cannot be changed by entering an additional password (I don't know of a secure way to allow such feature).

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by comment