relations without auto-opening the related file

[errorist]

This might be the dumbest question ever, but i can't figure this out.

I store emailadresses in a seperate database (file 2) and made a relation with the main database (file 1) so the emailadress from file 2 automaticly appear in the fields from file 1 when needed.

I noticed that FM automaticly opens the file that contains the emailadresses.

Is there a way to get data from file 2 without having it opened while working in file 1? I just don't want my users to see this file appear (eventhough it's mimimized) because they have no business there.

thanks in advance.

[CobaltSky]

In and of itself, FileMaker has to open a file (albeit minimized) in order to access data from it.

However there are a few alternatives. One is to set up the access privilages for your users so that they cannot view any layouts in the related file. They may still see it, but they are unlikely to see any data it contains. Similarly, you could lock the status area and ensure that the file is on a blank layout. Other restrictions on user privileges in the related file could help to secure its contents.

If you want to go still further than this, there are several plug-ins available that can help you:

WindowUtility:

http://www.practicemaker.com/WindowUtility.htm

SecureFM:

http://www.nmci.com/Product_Detail.htm?pid=P61PPUGKCG0ZSQJBWUDO&-session=dwc:9E87A7CE0274C2FFF0FE463E74EABF03

These and others like them provide ways to hide (or render inaccessible to the users) minimized files so that users can only access the data via the interface you provide.