Preparing an App for Release

[Mark L]

I'm quite a number of weeks away from this - but this issue keeps crossing my mind:

So I've been working and working on my application - adding fields, deleting fields, adding/deleting tables, test data, relationships, layouts etc, etc. On some level, as clean and as neat as I might leave it - are things internally messy?

In strict theory - I guess the answer would be no. My gut seems to feel that somehow this would be very, very annoying - but a "fresh" database would somehow be "cleaner" than the existing database that I

[Mark L]

I'm quite a number of weeks away from this - but this issue keeps crossing my mind:

So I've been working and working on my application - adding fields, deleting fields, adding/deleting tables, test data, relationships, layouts etc, etc. On some level, as clean and as neat as I might leave it - are things internally messy?

In strict theory - I guess the answer would be no. My gut seems to feel that somehow this would be very, very annoying - but a "fresh" database would somehow be "cleaner" than the existing database that I

[Mark L]

I'm quite a number of weeks away from this - but this issue keeps crossing my mind:

So I've been working and working on my application - adding fields, deleting fields, adding/deleting tables, test data, relationships, layouts etc, etc. On some level, as clean and as neat as I might leave it - are things internally messy?

In strict theory - I guess the answer would be no. My gut seems to feel that somehow this would be very, very annoying - but a "fresh" database would somehow be "cleaner" than the existing database that I

[BrentHedden]

There always seems to be some 'straglers' left behind in a major work. Fields that you used at one time but then decided not to use them, layouts that aren't being used anymore, etc..... While not functionally a problem, can be annoying if you ever need to go back and re-work out some things.

If you've got the time to proceed with what you are suggesting and know that you will have to update/rework this later down the road, then by all means do so. It'll save on some frustration down the road.

[BrentHedden]

There always seems to be some 'straglers' left behind in a major work. Fields that you used at one time but then decided not to use them, layouts that aren't being used anymore, etc..... While not functionally a problem, can be annoying if you ever need to go back and re-work out some things.

If you've got the time to proceed with what you are suggesting and know that you will have to update/rework this later down the road, then by all means do so. It'll save on some frustration down the road.

[BrentHedden]

There always seems to be some 'straglers' left behind in a major work. Fields that you used at one time but then decided not to use them, layouts that aren't being used anymore, etc..... While not functionally a problem, can be annoying if you ever need to go back and re-work out some things.

If you've got the time to proceed with what you are suggesting and know that you will have to update/rework this later down the road, then by all means do so. It'll save on some frustration down the road.

[comment]

Your gut instinct is correct. For example, if you define some auto-enter option and then decide to cancel it - it is still there if you activate it again.

To purge the file of its history, save a copy as clone.

[comment]

Your gut instinct is correct. For example, if you define some auto-enter option and then decide to cancel it - it is still there if you activate it again.

To purge the file of its history, save a copy as clone.

[comment]

Your gut instinct is correct. For example, if you define some auto-enter option and then decide to cancel it - it is still there if you activate it again.

To purge the file of its history, save a copy as clone.

[Mark L]

Thanks one and all for confirming what needs to be done !

[Heathbo]

Is there an easy way to check what fields, scripts, layouts, etc. is being used and whats not. That way I can delete whats not being used.

[andygaunt]

You can use tools such as Analyzer from Waves in Motion (www.wmotion.com) and possibly (though don't quote me on it) MetaDataMagic from New Millennium (www.nmci.com)

Another possibility is to use the DDR report out of FM Developer

[Fitch]

The DDR on its own is not all that useful. Run the DDR through the Analyzer, however, and you've got exactly what you want: you can search for unused elements (scripts, fields, etc.), see what elements depend on others, etc.

[NYPoke]

We use MetaDataMagic. The FileMaker method for checking the fields isn't very good, at least in version 6. I would be reluctant to trust it. I will run it twice & get completely different results.

MetaDataMagic does a pretty impressive job. We do have to leave it running over night though, because our system is so big.