Linking User defined help via Help button

[zoddie]

Hello All, I have a database that I'm trying to link a help document to using a <Help>. Currently, the help info is in an Excel workbook. Is there a way to link (via a <Help>) this info to the database? If so, how? If it has to be linked within a FileMaker table, can I link it with a simple script? I appreciate everyone's time and help!

Lisa

[Matthew F]

Are you trying to open the excel document or import the data into your filemaker database?

If you were on a Mac you could run an applescript to tell the operating system to open the excel file like this, but I don't know the equivalent in Windows:

Perform Applescript ["tell application "Finder" open "Volume:Filepath:Filename" end tell"]

It might be preferable just to import the information into a "Help" text field in your Filemaker database and then you can display it however you want. (File > Import Records... > File). If the helpfiles don't change location but they change in content you could automate subsequent data imports with the "Import Records" script step.

[zoddie]

thanks for the response! The initial thought was to open the excel document because there are four different sheets within the workbook addressing various aspects of the database info. Would your suggestion of importing into a text file give me the same result?

[zoddie]

I tried the Windows-speak version of your Applescript and came up with a "file won't convert" error. Anyone Windows savvy that can help a newbie out?

Lisa