Our current filmaker solution is on server 5.5 (Windows 2000 Server) with fm 6 pro clients.

My question is, can I have filemaker .fp7 files sitting on my computer and not have to worry about people connecting to those files (same file name aside from the file exetention, case_note.fp5 vs case_note.fp7)? I'm assuming I won't have any issues since they are .fp7 files. I know if I have .fp5 files on my computer that are the same name as the ones on the server everything goes ape$hit.

Right now I'm working on converting our solution to a single-file FM7 solution. It's a very long process, but I'm making some headway. I'd much rather be able to do this on my main computer instead of having to switch back and forth to my test machine for my various job tasks. If I could have my new .fp7 file with the converted .fp7 files on my main laptop without creating all sorts of problems it would be more than great.

Does anyone have any information on why that happens with .fp5 files on my windows network?

DDReese:

Your FMP7 files are inaccessible by FMP5/6 clients, so you don't need to worry about them. You DO have to worry about .fp5 files being accessed, as you have found out. To prevent the chaos you have encountered in the past, make sure that your .fp5 files are in a non-shared folder. Also, make sure that you are NOT sharing those files (via FileMaker Sharing) if/when they are open on your own machine - this is what causes the worst headaches, as the networked clients can access your files by mistake (rather than the ones on the server) and all hell breaks loose.

Whenever I'm doing the kind of thing you're talking about - parallel file development - I physically disconnect the development machine from the network, in order to be as safe as possible...

-Stanley

Thanks for the quick reply! I do the exact same thing with my FM6 development, I have an extra laptop with both NICs disabled and unplugged. A few years ago when I started this I was going absolutely bonkers with that problem, it was insane. I've since learned my lesson.

Now, to get some work done! :D