Log on Log off

[Elizabo]

Please bear with me this is complicated and I'm new so I'll probably use the wrong term half the time, however...

I have four computers networked, no server so the host is the first computer to open the bd and the other three computers are guests.

There are ten staff and no-one has exclusive use of one computer, we all use whichever computer is free.

I've made a lovely db and I'm really enjoying learning filemaker but someone is being are sloppy about the information they enter, so I need to know who they are.

As we do not each have exclusive use of a computer I don't see that a password for each computer will help, I need a way for each person to log on with their unique password but then log off when they leave the computer and for the db not to be acessible on that computer until another password is entered.

Does this make any sense at all?

Please say it does.

[ernst]

Hi Elizabo,

It does make sense.

If everybody who uses a computer has got to login on operating system level then you can probably just use Filemaker's Status(Currentuser) function to determine who is entering data in your database.

Otherwise you can make your own login system for your Filemaker database and get the username from that. In the 'Samples' section of the forum there are examples of how to construct something like that.

Regards,

Ernst.

[Elizabo]

Hello Ernst,

Thank you for the tip I'm going to check 'Samples' now.

Regards

Liz

[Anatoli]

RE: If everybody who uses a computer has got to login on operating system level then you can probably just use Filemaker's Status(Currentuser)

That will work, if users have different profiles in OS e.g. W2k with different user names set up in FM preferences and users will not change that name.

It is plain stupid from FMI, that preferences are accessible for all users all the time, even in locked solution without menu access!

[Elizabo]

Hi Anatoli

Thanks but no-ones logs in on operating system level so the currentuser option won't apply. I have looked in samples as Ernst suggested and am now attempting to make my own log on system!

Liz

[Anatoli]

I believe that will be the best. Good luck.

[jfmcel]

Another option is to set each user up as their own group -- with distinct passwords. Then you can use Status(CurrentGroups) to track the user. That is Groups plural. This does cause some complications. You will need to be careful in how you handle the master password, because you will show up as a member of every group.

[flowe]

Along the same lines.... Is there a session time out due to inactivity? I have the same problem. The next person picks up where the last person left. The first person is still logged in and the second person is using the computer/session now. It could be improved if the the session timed out and logged the person off due to inactivity. This would improve security too.

Thanks,

flowe

[jfmcel]

This is one feature that FM Server has. I can't think of a way to do it with just FM Pro.

[Anything is possible if you're a super programmer, but it might be easier to just fork over the grand to FM. You'll get some good backup tools and greatly improved performance as well. You'll have to find a machine to dedicate to the task though.]