Copying field formulas between databases

[Elvio]

How do I copy a field calculation between databases?

[Anatoli]

Did you try Copy/Paste?

[The Bridge]

quote:

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Originally posted by Anatoli:

Did you try Copy/Paste?

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I'm sure I'm not the only person who does this, but it's worth mentioning: I made a folder called Calculations inside my FileMaker folder, inside of which are text documents containing oft-used calculations. When I define a calculation field, I open up the text file, Replace the fieldnames with the actual fieldnames in the database, and copy/paste it into FileMaker. It has saved me a lot of time!

[Elvio]

I can copy the fields in Database-A

When I then paste in Database-B

empty fields are pasted.

Do the field calculations need to be created individually?

I have 48 fields that I would liket to be copied.

[The Bridge]

There may be a way to do what you'd like using AppleScript on a Mac, but that would be a question for someone else to answer. Otherwise, you can't copy and paste fields from one database to another. The solution I provided above is for formulas for calculated fields (and script steps involving calculations) only.

[BobWeaver]

Hmmm, yes, Applescript on a Mac can read calculation field formulas, but Applescript won't set a calculation field. Oh boy, what fun we could have if you could do that!

Seems to me that you could keep your formulas in a text field, and when you click a button it copies the formula to the clipboard and then you can paste it into the formula dialog in the other db. This gives you a bit of automation. You most likely have to adjust some field names anyway.

[AndriesV]

Thinking that your your file-B may be a new file and may contain few field and not (yet) many layouts and scripts.

-You could save a clone of file-A

-Open it and add fields/layouts/scripts from file-B that are now missing.

-Import the records from File-B and rename the File-A-clone it to File-B.

If a new file has to be created for an existing solution, I frequently use this as it also saves me the trouble of seting up passwords and groups again. I just delete all field/layout/script that I don't need.

[BobWeaver]

*** Deleted my truly idiotic comment. Sorry everyone***

[ December 12, 2001: Message edited by: BobWeaver ]