Specifying File Paths when importing and exporting

[Bailey Kessing]

I am a diehard fan of FileMaker, but you would think that by FileMaker 7 we would finally have the ability to specify the file paths to files when importing and exporting via a calculation. To add insult to injury, they now allow us to type in file paths in a text like field (even multiple file paths) when scripting imports and exports, but still provide no option to determine these paths via a calculation. You can calculate almost anything else but this. WHY!:? It seems intentional!!! This has got to be the most glaring omission of an otherwise great product! Any one else think this is utterly rediculous???

Version: v7.x

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

[Wim Decorte]

It's actually pretty easy to do that with OS level scripting (AppleScript/VBscript). Jimmy Jones and myself will be doing a devcon presentation on this topic.

Since FM includes access to OS level scripting, they don't really need to incorporate that, although it would be nice to do it natively.

Have another look at the file path entry screen. It's very powerful and in a couple of months you'll wonder what you were doing before you had it. You now have access to all file references from central menu: File->Define->File References. You can view and edit all references there. Something that you couldn't do with 6.

HTH

Wim

[Bailey Kessing]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love the new ability to specify the file path, I just can't believe they left out the ability to specify this path via a calculation and especially given this new file path entry screen, it seems ludicrous that they didn't provide for this!!!!