Exporting/Importing Value Lists

[dante_in_calgary]

Hello Gang,

I'm migrating from FM5 to FM8 and rebuilding the solution from scratch (ugghhh - don't get me started).

Does anyone know a way that I can transfer the extensive set of value lists that I have into the new solution?

thanks in advance.

[JerrySalem]

There STILL isn't an easy way that I know to move value lists. There are some functions to get value list values at least.

You may want to try converting the file to 8 and leaving it out there as a 'value list lookup table'.

For myself, I have a table, and have the users enter value list items in records, this way they are tranportable. There is more work to create and maintain them, and they are only alphabetical.

Jerry

[Rodriggo]

In fact I have an FM v. 2 pro from Claris since 1994 and a lot of information stored.

Can I export the information to any of the next versions of FM the newest if possible? Or import to this one from my olf FM?

Which is the latest OS version that would allow me to open FM v. 2 and the latest FM version so as to export or import the information if possible this?

[Ender]

Hi Rodriggo,

If you want to pull in the existing structure and layouts, you would need FM3, FM4, FM5, FM5.5, or FM6 to convert the file to one of those versions first. Then you can convert it to FM8.

If you just need the data, you can export the FM2 file to text, then import those records into a new FM8 database. This might be the best way to go, as it forces you to create the structure from scratch using the new FM8 model.

[Lee Smith]

Ender has provided a few ways to convert this Version 2 files.

version 2 will open in classic.

There is another way. It has been a long time since I used v2, but as I recall, there wasn't a lot of bells and whistles in it. So, if you don't have access to any of the versions mentioned, you can use the Export option of Merge in v2 (the option includes thefield names and data), and the this file can be opened directly in v8.

HTH

Lee

[Rodriggo]

Thanks Ender, but I am not sure that repetitive entries will be recognized. I have exported from Word doc to my FM2, and only the first entry is exported, but not the repetitive rest.

Would FM7 recognized that? But still I'll try exporting repetitive entries from FM2 to word.

Regards.

[Rodriggo]

Thanks Lee, but as I explained to Ender, the problem are repetitive entries which doesn´t seem to be exportable from word documents. I will be most appreciative of any suggestion.

Regards

[Ender]

I don't know what Word docs have to do with anything, we weren't suggesting using Word for any of this. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "repetitive entries". If you need to split repeating fields, I believe there is an option to do this during the export.

[Lee Smith]

Using Ender's suggestion should keep your repeating fields intact. When you convert a file, whether it is version 2, or a more recent version, FileMaker keeps this stuff in place.

If you don't have access to any of these version mentioned, let us know, and one of us can convert them for you.

HTH

Lee

[Rodriggo]

My FM2 manual is an spanish version. So yes, I meant repeating field and document, as Ender made it clear. About splitting repeating fields to export them, I'll try that, but then can I import those values to the the newest FM?

Many thanks Ender and Lee.

[Ender]

If you split your repeating fields, you'll get a duplicate record for each repetition. This is fine if you're normalizing your structure anyway in the new version (using related tables instead of those pesky repeating fields.) You would import the relevant fields from the text file into each table, and where needed remove the duplicates. If you want to keep your repeating fields in the new version, you ought to do the two stage conversion instead of the text export.

[Rodriggo]

Ender, I have just exported the repeating fields into a word document and then all the way around back into FM2. So now I have to buy a FM7 o 8 and to do the same process, which I hope will work as fine. I must say that I did the try using a 1993 Mac Powerbook, with an old that Word and the FM2 by Claris. The new FM I plan to buy is to be installed on a PC. I have no doubt that FM must have changed a lot, but I hope that elemental things (creating fields and presentations) work just like in the old FM2.

Many thanks to you and many thanks to Lee.

Rodrigo Tala.

Santiago, Chile.