I would like to place all the layouts in a separate file, apart from the data in the tables. The reason I want this is that it makes life a lot easier when I want to modify the man machine interface (layouts) in a new file and just swap that modified file with the one currently in use (without having to import all the data). Then I can modify while the FM application is being used.

I hope sombody knows how to do this; I can't find anything like this in the user guide or the examples...

Thanks,

Wimek

FileMaker Version: 7

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

Hi Wimek,

Sounds like you're one of those crazy "Separation Model" people. Some developers swear by it. I know Colleen Hammersley and Wendy King have been highlighting this design technique at the FM Dev Con for the last couple years.

The Separation Model has been discussed a little in FM Advisor magazine. http://filemaker.advisor.com/doc/13691

Maybe someone else has personal experience using it.

It's fairly straightforward in FileMaker 7. FM7 does not care whether your Table Occurrences (TO) refer to internal tables or tables in external files. Just create your data file or files, then in your layouts file, create TO's for the tables in those files.

There are two excellent (and free) videos on the FileMaker Magazine website. The second video describes how to do this.

Mike

Thanks Tom, I found it!

I have to say the FM7 user manual is not the best manual ever... it explains the basics, but leaves out a lot!

Wimek

FileMaker Version: 7

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

How big would a FMP User Manual be if it included everything? Would it ever get finished? Would anybody ever read it?

No it doesn't have to be a lot of paper; what I'm missing is a discussion of the file structure (advantages and disadvantages of the use of one or multiple files, separation of data and userinterface and how these things should be done). This manual is clearly written for users with a business background, maybe there should be a second manual for ursers with a programming/database background.

I'm just used to get about an inch of paper with development tools, nowadays these books are too expensive and mostly in electronic form; that's no problem because I can print them myself but Filemaker could at least include some 'advanced' documentation in electronic form!

wimek

FileMaker Version: 7

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

Wimek said:

Filemaker could at least include some 'advanced' documentation in electronic form!

You'll find several hundred pages of technical documentation on FileMaker 7 at the FMI site, and there is more coming out at regular intervals:

http://www.filemaker.com/upgrade/techbriefs.html

http://www.filemaker.com/support/tech_articles.html

http://www.filemaker.com/support/techinfo.html