Can runtimes talk to each other?

[gareth2210]

I'm looking to develop an app that would be distributed to schools as runtime versions. On the main server would be a runtime that stored student data (name, work completed etc) and then on each client would be a runtime version that would contain activities for kids to do. Ideally the student data file would send personal data to the activity file so that kids would get a personalised interface etc. When kids completed the work this data would be sent back to the personal data file on the server (along with any files created). I think this is impossible with runtimes from what I've read here ... or am I misundersatanding what's going on?

Basically I want a kid to sit down at any machine on the network and get their personalised workspace. Is there another way of doing this without having to get schools to buy a site license for the full FM app?

Thanks in advance for any help

Gareth

[Lee Smith]

Gareth,

This question comes up from time to time too.

You need to do searches using your keywords before you post your questions. I just did one using +FileMaker +Runtime +Server - got several hits. This is one of them.

http://www.fmforums.com/threads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=UBB28&Number=155012

HTH

Lee

[QuinTech]

Hi, Gareth. You're right that runtimes cannot be shared across a network. But your concept is certainly doable.

Rather than having a runtime on the server, I would probably make something like a text file (or multiple text files, perhaps) that would act as a repository for your data. Upon opening the runtime, data is imported from this (these) file(s), and upon closing the runtime, the repository is re-written with an export from the runtime.

This can be problematic, though, if you have multiple users in the runtimes at once. The last one to close the program will overwrite the other users' data. One solution for this might be ODBC, but I know nothing about that ... there are forums here pertaining to ODBC, which might be helpful.

One way or another, it's going to be a bit of work, but you can probably get a good model working.

J

[Søren Dyhr]

You need to do searches using your keywords before you post your questions. I just did one using +FileMaker +Runtime +Server - got several hits. This is one of them.

But it's very near the buttom of the list from the search - two workable solutions pops up:

http://www.fmforums.com/threads/showflat...true#Post138844

It's posible with a vast amount of spit and polish to accomplish the task as such or the deployment of the SyncDek plugin and method, which really is a break even question - the developers version of SyncDek doesn't come cheap.

What it does is that it transforms the solution to a IMAP mailclient, that monitors the changes to a server... but the great benefit is that the connection speed can be very low even terminated for some time!

--sd

[comment]

It's true that a runtime cannot share files across a network - but it can ACCESS files across a network.

So a script in the administrator file could do something like this (pseudo-code):

Show Custom Dialog ["WARNING: Make sure all the user applications have quit!"]

Import Records [ Import from file on Client workstation 1 ]

Import Records [ Import from file on Client workstation 2 ]

Import Records [ Import from file on Client workstation 3 ]

...

Save a Copy As [ Save (Replace) the file on Client workstation 1 ]

Save a Copy As [ Save (Replace) the file on Client workstation 2 ]

Save a Copy As [ Save (Replace) the file on Client workstation 3 ]

...