Passwords & shortcuts on 5.5 System

[Corinne Bailey]

Hi everyone,

We have a 5.5 Server hosting database files here and few users who access these databases.

One guy created the databases with different passwords and since they have been hosted by the server he can't find how to change the passwords.

Also can shortcuts be created to databases but still having the server has a host?

Could anyone share any light please.

Thanks muchly.

[d94dsj]

Corinne,

In order to change passwords, you must close the files on the FM Server, and open them locally with a master password from a FileMaker Pro client - either on the server or with another computer. Then you can access the settings for changing passwords and groups. I think the file must be set to single-user as well (it won't hurt anyway).

The best way of defining a "shortcut" is to make a simple "opener" database and distribute it to the clients who wants to access the FM server database. What this "opener" database does is that on startup, it is set to run a script on startup, a script which performs an "open file" script step which points to the correct file on the server. Then the opener file just closes itself. More specific instructions on how to do this is available by searching the FM Forums for "opener" I would think.

Hope this helps,

Daniel

[andygaunt]

Hi,

when you are running FM Databases on a server, you cannot change the passwords while they are being hosted.

You must close the files down, and then on the server open in a local copy of FMPro client.

You can now change the passwords.

As to shortcuts, you can create a launcher to open files hosted by fmserver.

On a remote machine, create a new file.

Open scriptmaker and write a script called launcher.

Clear the current steps and then choose Open from the file commands. Click on host and select the file.

Repeat for all files you wish to open.

You may want to capture an error in this file though, in case the server is down. Otherwise when the script tries to open that file and cannot find it, you will get an error and the launcher will be broken.

Set Error Capture [on]

Open [Click specify then hosts and select the file you wish to open]

If [ Status(CurrentError)= 100

Show message " This file is not running on the server. Contact someone" [OK]

End If

Close [No file specified]

Then, exit scriptmaker and open the document preferences.

Set this script to run when the database opens

You can now give this file to everyone who needs it, and they can use that to open the databases.

HTH

[Steven H. Blackwell]

OK, fellows, this information is NOT correct. Any file hosted by FileMaker Server can have its password CHANGED, provided that action was not blocked when the password was defined. What you can not do however is to create or delete passwords while the file is hosted.

There is both a menu item and a Scriptmaker step that allows password changing. If you want to do this in all files that are part of a solution at once, use the DialogMagic plug-in from New Millennium. http://www.newmillennium.com

HTH

Old Advance Man

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Do not for any reason create shortcuts or aliases to FileMaker Pro files hosted by FileMaker Server. There should be NO way to access those file via the OS networking capability.

The opener file is OK.

Old Advance Man

[d94dsj]

>>OAM

I stand corrected.

But still, since they cannot change the passwords in this situation, they must probably perform the steps that I and Andy wrote about - I would think that that access right is blocked in the "Define passwords" section.

Daniel

[Steven H. Blackwell]

quote:

---

Originally posted by DanielS:

>>OAM

I stand corrected.

But still, since they cannot change the passwords in this situation, they must probably perform the steps that I and Andy wrote about - I would think that that access right is blocked in the "Define passwords" section.

Daniel

---

Yes, there is an option in FileMaker Pro 5.5 that blocks a user from being able to change a password. It is there at the specific request of IT departments.

If it is not there, then users can change their passwords.

Hope this clarifies.

Old Advance Man