Can't copy/paste in ScriptMaker any more

[Kent Searight]

Hi all,

Is anyone else experiencing this problem with FMP 8.5 Advanced on Mac OS 10.4x? I can no longer copy and paste in ScriptMaker. For example, if I copy a script step (using Copy button or Command-C), the step goes to the clipboard but I can't paste it using Command-V. It only works with the Paste button. That's just mildly annoying. Where it gets really annoying is when I copy text in the Specify Calculation dialog (using either Command-C or Copy from the Edit Menu), I can't paste anything in the dialog. The Paste command in the Edit menu is grayed out, as if there weren't anything compatible to paste from the clipboard, but I know that the text is on the clipboard because if I open a Text program I can paste what I just copied.

I've reinstalled FMP 8.5 Advanced, repaired permissions and it hasn't made any difference. This is frustrating as heck, since I have to type text from scratch in some lengthy calculations that have commonalities that i should be able to paste and then modify.

Anyone have any ideas that might help? Has this happened to anyone else?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

[Kent Searight]

No one else is getting this weird behavior in FMP 8.5 Advanced or has any idea on how to fix it?

[LaRetta]

Hi Kent, I'm not 8.5 but I had tried on vs. 8.0v1 on 10.4x when you first posted. I could not paste multiple script lines into text editor. As far as I've known, copy/paste in ScriptMaker was only for pasting between scripts. I'm new on my Mac and may not even be using the right text editor (I used paste special and don't know how to 'view' the clipboard contents).

I planned on installing 8.5 on this Mac this weekend and will test it then, if you still struggle with it.

LaRetta

[Raybaudi]

Hi Kent

I can see two different problems here...

...For example, if I copy a script step (using Copy button or Command-C), the step goes to the clipboard but I can't paste it using Command-V. It only works with the Paste button.

This is normal: no FileMaker version allowed to past script steps on text editor; the advanced version can paste, but only into a script.

...Where it gets really annoying is when I copy text in the Specify Calculation dialog (using either Command-C or Copy from the Edit Menu), I can't paste anything in the dialog. The Paste command in the Edit menu is grayed out...

... but Command-V isn't disabled !

[Kent Searight]

Hi to both,

I tried to reply to LaRetta earlier but I think that this website was experiencing problems. Anyway, what I wrote was:

Hi LaRetta,

Thanks for the response. Just to be clear, what I'm experiencing is an inability to paste anything in ScriptMaker using "Paste" or Command-v. I can't even paste anything into the "Script Name:" field.

This is so frustrating, as it's happening only on my main (and preferred) workstation. I have a feeling that some component of FileMaker is buried in a system library or preferences and I need to remove it and reinstall FM to get rid of this problem.

Do you have any idea what/where all the files are that need to be removed from a Mac machine in order to do a clean install of FM?

To Daniele:

I realize that script steps can't be pasted into a text editor. But if a script step goes something like:

If [ IsEmpty (fieldA)]

then I can copy the calculation specified i.e. IsEmpty (fieldA), and paste that into a text editor. That's what I'm referring to. Unfortunately, if I were to copy that in ScriptMaker's Specify Calculation dialog, I woudn't be able to paste it into another Specify Calculation dialog, although I know for a fact that it's on the clipboard.

Trust me, I know what can and can't be done in ScriptMaker with respect to pasting. But all of a sudden FM is displaying this bizarre behavior and I need a way to correct it.

Edited February 1, 2007 by Guest

[Raybaudi]

Hi Kent

I'm trusting you :

BTW: only now you say that this occurs on only one machine !

[LaRetta]

Hi Kent, I misunderstood as well and assumed 8.5 allowed copying all script-steps now. :^)

Do you have any idea what/where all the files are that need to be removed from a Mac machine in order to do a clean install of FM?

I've only had my Mac for few weeks, sorry no. With Windows, these types of oddities happened far too often and a three-finger-salute usually resolved it. Very strange indeed and I'll try to replicate for you as quickly as possible. Heck, I don't even know HOW to reboot a Mac other than turning it off (which I've never needed to do)! ROFLMFAO!

As an aside ... I responded mostly to let you know I was willing to try, although I'm still a Mac-baby. IIRC, I had similar happen once on Windows system. I realized I was logged in without full admin rights. Ha ha.

LaRetta

Edited February 1, 2007 by Guest
Added an aside

[Kent Searight]

BTW: only now you say that this occurs on only one machine !

I realize that I should have been more specific. Sorry about that. I wrote my original post during a frantic period of trying to meet a deadline :

Hey LaRetta,

Welcome to the world of Mac users. I definitely prefer Mac over Windows, but lately there are so many gremlins playing tricks on all my machines, I'm wishing that I'd chosen a career in wood carving :

[Kent Searight]

Well, I've narrowed the problem down to the following:

Only happens with 1 file

Only happens with that file when the client machine is a Mac

I thought it was specific to only one machine, but it appears to be specific to Macs.

What do you guys think? File corruption?

[mr_vodka]

I'm wishing that I'd chosen a career in wood carving :

Well this just ordinary guy seems to be able to do both well. LOL.

Link to Ray's site

[Genx]

Lol

[Kent Searight]

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Ray, but from what I've seen of his FM work he's anything but ordinary.

Appears to be a pretty decent wood carver, too!

[mr_vodka]

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Ray, but from what I've seen of his FM work he's anything but ordinary.

Appears to be a pretty decent wood carver, too!

I was being sarcastic. :

Everyone knows Ray's work in the FM arena. It just seems strange, considering his past achievements and obvious FM skills, that he is actually a wood sculptor first.

[Kent Searight]

I figured out that the problem is with the file. The good news is that I have a backup that functions properly...the bad news is that I had to go back 2 weeks before I could find a file that wasn't bad and I've made a significant amount of changes to the file in the past several days.

Who would've thought that ScriptMaker could be affected at the file level? Anyone have any ideas before I commit many hours to redeveloping the backup file to bring it up to where it should be? I'm paranoid about using anything from the bad file, like copied script steps, etc. Anyone have an opinion on that?

[LaRetta]

Interesting, Kent, and it fits actually. The time it happened to me, I thought it was because of privileges. BUT I remember now that I discovered corruption in that file a week later. It allowed me to open ScriptMaker but not copy/paste calcs in it. I should have put that together; it wasn't privileges at all.

I'm very sorry you have to go backwards. It is painful, I know. I recently had to go back 3 weeks and lost approx. 100 hours of work. I was working on live version which had earlier experienced a problem (while served) that I didn't know about. I've recently switched to only working on production copy and migrating. I never want the good version out of my sight again. And if it even blinks, I trash it and start again. I back it up every hour.

I SERIOUSLY considered taking up basket weaving when it happened.

I was sorely tempted to copy some scripts and objects over but (with secret regret) stuck to designing it over again. I kept feeling that, to bring in corruption and AGAIN face re-working it (and losing many more design-hours), wouldn't be worth it.

LaRetta

Edited February 2, 2007 by Guest
Added sentence

[Kent Searight]

Do you think that anything could be salvagable from the bad file, i.e. copying the text in calculations but not the script steps themselves in which the calcs appear?

What about copying layouts? Think that's okay or too risky?

[LaRetta]

It is all guesswork. I copy/pasted some calcs. But NO layout objects - I know corruption can stick in the objects. It was the most painful FM experience I've had. I recovered the file, printed my graph and all scripts I had added and got to work. I wouldn't even trust script steps because, even back in vs. 6, I've heard (and experienced once) bringing back in scripts (importing) that were corrupted. Copying the script-steps might be okay but I was unsure so didn't do it.

It ended up that, the time it was taking me, it was easier to re-create. AND, doing it the second time gave me an opportunity to improve it in a few areas. :^) Yeah, and I had some complex, rockin' layouts which bit the dust. It still hurts to think of it. That was only a month ago.

Edited February 2, 2007 by Guest
added a bunch

[LaRetta]

So now we know ... corruption can affect copy/paste.

thought it was specific to only one machine, but it appears to be specific to Macs.

Well, when it happened to me, it was on Windows machines. So copy/paste can be affected on BOTH platforms when corruption happens. And this is on 8.0v3 as well (FMS 8.0v4) so is not limited to 8.5. I wish you the best in your re-creation, Kent. I kept repeating to myself, "Doing it twice is like practicing my skills." No ... it didn't help much but I used whatever I could grab at the time for support.

L

[Kent Searight]

This definitely falls under the category of "Live and Learn" for me. I was so set in my thinking that it was a problem at the application level that I let the problem continue on the file for over a week before catching it just today.

[Fitch]

Kent, before throwing in the towel try saving a compressed copy.

[Kent Searight]

Hey Tom,

I tried that yesterday. I also tried Recover and Save As Clone. I even tried all of the above on both platforms, because about 2 years ago on a different file I had file corruption showing up in a value list on Windows only. When I saved a compressed copy of it using Mac, the compressed copy "cured" the corruption and the file behaves normally to this day. No such luck this time though.

I've taken LaRetta's advice and printed out everything I need to recreate from the old file and I've already resigned myself to at least one solid day's work.

Thanks for trying!