Open Files from Portal Rows

[pajonate]

Hi,

I have a portal that lists in each row different db filename in spec. folder and layout name in that db (all of that coming from another table). I need to have one script that will take that name and open that file only. I am trying to avoid creating scripts for opening each db, bc it might be a lot of them at the end and if I add db to the portal than I'll have to make new script which I don't see practical. Also, this is not the complete problem that I have, it's only a part of it, so advice that the users should go to File-Open DB is not acceptable.

The basic idea is, user opens a table with portal inside that lists only the layouts that the user can access (that proble is solved already) and their db names. I need t have a button in each row that will open that db and go to the specific layout. Going to the spec. layouts when the file is open can be done with variables and globals (which I know how to do), but I can't go to the spec. file, bc FM doesn't allow me to use variables for the file reference or filename.

Any suggestions how to trick FM to allow me do what I need?

Edited November 17, 2006 by Guest
typos

[Fenton]

There are many objects in FileMaker now where you can "go to object, or do action by name." We can now even Import and Export using a script Variable. But anything requiring a real File Reference still requires that it be manually created, and Open File is one of those, as is Perform Script; which are the two that would do what you want.

It is possible to open files with the OpenURL step, if you specify the file path as URL syntax.

If this is all Macs, you could use AppleScript in a calculation or a Perform AppleScript step to open the files. It could also go to a layout, or it could call a FileMaker script. You would have to pass AppleScript the complete file path, in Mac syntax, in order to open the file.