I'm trying to figure out if it is possible to link two filemaker pro 8 databases.

What I would like is to be able to search one database as a read-only user, and have a button to import desired entries into the current database.

The reason I want to do this is that my lab has its own private databases, but students in a course will have their own database completely unrelated to our lab, except they will need to read-only access.

I was hoping there was a way to create a one stop type thing for the students so they could search ours and their databases from a single database file without having to make a duplicate of our database. We currently have our databases setup on a server.

Any suggestions?

You should be able to do this. They do not need write (Edit) access in the main database. But they will need the [x] Export privilege checked on in the main file. The reason for this is that the [x] Run script with full access option (at the bottom of the script dialog) only applies to the current file. So it will not enable you to import from a protected file; a PITA sometimes, but it would certainly be a security hole if it worked otherwise. [if anyone knows another method, please tell us.]

So, since they have Export privileges you'll need to make sure they have Menu commands of "Minimum", so they can't see/use the Export menu command in the File menu. And you'd likely want to remove access to some of the scripts. If you remove their access to a script they will no longer even see it in the Scripts menu (which is cool).

I would think you'd want some extensive testing of those records before letting them Import however. Otherwise what is to stop them from importing duplicates. Something like capturing the found set of IDs into a global, then seeing if there are any matches, or using the Go To Related Record, with the [x] Found Set option and seeing if it finds any, or Import Matching, or a Loop with a test. Or should we just let them suffer for their mistakes :/-]