How do I make export automatic in script

[gursker]

I use FMP on Macs as attendance controller. Students enter ID and FMP stamps date & time. I need to make each workstation export its data automatically at a specified time. I keep getting the export dialog box or a message that no fields have been selected. I can't figure it out.

[Vaughan]

Imports between open databases don't work in multi-user databases.

[ February 13, 2002, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: Vaughan ]

[RussBaker]

Export to where?

What exactly are you trying achieve - and how many Macs are there.

If all your macs are networked, then you could just have the main database on one and host it from there.

All the other Macs would then open this database using the host feature in the open dialog. That way, all your data is continually up-to-date because it is only ever in one databse - which other "administrators" cann also have acces to to check on where the students are etc.

Sounds like in your present system, your data is spread over a range of Macs all running copies of the same database.

Am I off track here?

Russ Baker

Canberra, Australia

[Fitch]

"Imports between open databases don't work in multi-user databases."

Vaughan, not to pick a fight, but it's worked for me.

But the question was about EXPORT...

gursker, first perform the export, selecting the fields you want, the filename, etc. Then make a script that does the export, restore, without dialog.

To do the script at a certain time, I'd probably go with an AppleScript that tells FileMaker to perform your export script, and a program you can download from Apple called iDo Script Scheduler.

[rrrichie]

We do imports & export in multi user databases all the time, don't see why it wouldn't work. (Apart from authorisations..)

Here the problem, as Fitch stated, is simply that that Gursker needs to understand the Filemaker approach: First do the export manually, then define the script w/ export en set the appropiate to hide or display dialog, file box etc.

[Vaughan]

Do you know what: I just tried importing between two hosted databases and it looked like it would work! So scrap my warning about import not working.

Thanks Ramon Richie for getting me to test my own assertions!

My test was with FMP 5.5 opening databases hosted with Server 5.5. It never used to work with FMP 4.0-hosted files. Did something change?

[BobWeaver]

FYI, Filemaker Inc. has two tech articles that deal with this: 102178 and 102515, both of which seem to contradict each other and are probably completely out of date. So, as usual, the only way to find out for sure what works is to try it and see.

[ February 14, 2002, 08:14 PM: Message edited by: BobWeaver ]

[jnmorrison]

It might be easier to have a central Filemaker database simply do an "import" from each remote database...here's the catch...

When FileMaker imports from one database into another, it only imports the found set. This means you need to trigger a "find all" script.

However...the best solution is host a single database and have the users log into it and update it. You can do this with regular FileMaker if you have (I think) 5 or less computers to connect. Otherwise you need the server version.

[gursker]

Thanks for all your help. I have been out sick, so I have yet to try your solutions. Here's some further detail. Four stations open Attendance off the FMP Server where valid ID nos. are kept. Every day a person prints the abs/late list and sends e-mail copy to faculty. Then, she must export it the Master Attendance database so the Principal can pull up a student's year-long attend record. My goals: Avoid disconnects caused by net glitches by accessing DB only when needed, and make process automatic in case of absence by the attendance person.

[RussBaker]

This still sounds like a hosted database solution (as per my previous post). The daily attendance records and the principal's annual or student attendance would just be different views/summaries of the one big set of data.

Assuming that somewhere in the database, there is a field which identifies the student as being late or absent based on their clock-in time, then it should just be a matter of finding the relevant group, for the appropriate period, and having a summary report.

Russ Baker

Canberra, Australia

[Fitch]

Are workstations accessing the host from a remote computer? If so, I can understand the fear of disconnect.

gursker, I think your idea would work better using Import rather than Export.

Make a script -- let's call it "DayFind" in the Attendance database that finds the records for that day. Then make a script in the Master Attendance that calls DayFind, then imports, then does whatever other steps you want.

[bky]

This thread brings up a problem I've been having with using FileMaker as a time-keeping application: FileMaker clients use their local computer time. Because of this, it's pretty easy to fake time stamps by changing the system clock. Does anyone know of a way around this, like using the FileMaker Server Time?

-bky

[BruceJ]

realted to the time question - I have another question -

If the database is hosted, does the time/date come from the host or the guest?