Runtime "module" using normal FMP files

[regaldridge]

Hi Folks,

I wish to develop an application to distribute around my company (for use in many separate occurrences of single user mode) in which one of the "bound" db's is also (still) to be used in parallel by a "normal" FMP application. The normal application is a fleet file with details of all of our vehicles and I wish the new distributed application to exploit the specification data in this normal file, keyed on registration number.

I realise that the developer version of FMPro (I am using V5) is targeted at the production of single user applications ..... but is there a workaround to allow my proposed structure of implementation? It is simply not worthwhile to buy an individual FMPro user license for the small and itinerant usage of these other dependent spots on our network.

Or is there some other way of thinking about this problem that I have missed (probably!).....

Many thanks in anticipation of any views or comments

Reg Aldridge

[CobaltSky]

The runtime evironment cannot access files (or the data in them) as a client if a remote host, nor can it host files for others to access. Multi-user features have been totally removed.

The best you can do is to provide regular updates for the 'look-up data' in your reference file. The data will not be 'live', and the runtimes will not be able to directly modify the central copy of the reference data.

What I'd suggest you consider is an approach which uses plug-in functions (eg the freeware 'File Tools' from Protolight, Troi File or DialogMagic) within the start up script of each Runtime, to source a fresh copy of the corporate fleet data file from a network server (copying it to the runtime sub-directory on the local machine and overwriting the version previously there).

The counterpart to this would be a requirement that the main FileMaker database (also using plug-in functions) create updated versions of the fleet reference file (a copy of the bound runtime fleet look-up file) and place them on the appropriate network server to be available for the runtimes to copy.

If this approach is insufficient and you need two-way data exchange, a limited form of data transfer to the central database would be possible using the remote script triggering and data exchange capabilities of the Troi Activator plug-in, but the implementation would be complex, and the end result still not as immediate or effective as a multi user environment.

Sorry the news is not better... Hope the above gives you a few ideas to work with.