I have a system set up with an item database and a picture database. In a layout in the item database I have a portal to the matched picture in the picture database. When I view the item database in FM Pro 8.5 itself the picture shows up as it should, keyed by an item number. But when I view using Web Sharing where the picture should be I see ''. Both tables are open, both databases are set to allow web sharing. Yet the portal contents are missing when web shared. Any ideas about what I might do to fix this?

Hi and Welcome to the forums!

When you say web sharing, you mean IWP over the web (not on your LAN) right?

Yes. Used Safari and Firefox as the web client.

Okay, it's nothing to do with the client you're using. You have to add another file path to your photos -- Namely your external ip address followed by the file name.

File References are evaluated from client side, so if it's looking for 192.168.0.1 -- It obviously won't find it.

Ahh.. I will try that when I get into work tomorrow. Thanks for the tip - I couldn't find anything like that in the documentation. I know that all that is in the portal is the file name '::photo' which works fine locally.

Again, thanks. I will try that when I get access to the data base at work tomorrow.

Sorry, I was referring to the file path for your file reference to the photos .fp7 file.

You don't have to change anything else. If you're still confused let me know and I'll clarify.f

Edited February 11, 200718 yr by Guest

HI. I assume you mean that when I create the portal in the original data base I need to put a pathway in the portal reference somehow. I had just assumed that if one created a portal for a field in a related data base that when the web version was activated that it would display the contents of the portal without any additional editing. The FMP reference material seems to imply this should work. So I might be confused here. When I bring up the primary data base all its field appear in the web version, only the portal field from the related data base isn't 'showing'.

How are you accessing your photos file at the moment?

On the host machine I have the two databases running - the item database and the photo database. The two are related by an item number. On the host machine I can see the photo in a portal field in the item database - so related items are being displayed as they should. Also on the host machine both databases are set to allow web sharing, but the photo database isn't set to show up in the web database list. Again, all appears fine on the host machine.

I have the item database listed in the shared databases. When you click on it in a browser the default layout appears with all the fields of the item database. But where the portal field is located in the items database all you see on the web version is ''.

Yes, yes yes...

Lets just establish a few things though:

1) You have two distinct FileMaker FILES -- i.e. one file called MainFile.fp7, one file called Photos.fp7

2) You have the Photos FILE referenced in the MainFile via the File referencing option File Maker allows (e.g. in MainFile, File > Define > File References... )

Are those two things true?

Correct on the two files. The photo field in the Main database was placed there using the Insert Menu - Insert>Portal.. where I inserted the photo field from the photo database.

In response to question 2 - both databases are set up the the Define databases. I do now notice that when I am there there are a series of example pathways I hadn't noticed before. I can see that the default pathway is only for the host machine. I will define the pathway to the photo database when I check it out on Monday. Thanks for the pointer.

For the Photo database I also set up a file reference using the IP address (in addition to the simple path that was set up when I originally selected the photo file - i.e., file::Photo.fp7). However I still have the showing up in the web client.

Any other ideas?

Thanks...

These all point to the same file:

file:Backend.fp7

fmnet:/192.168.111.10/Backend.fp7

fmnet:/211.27.103.38/Backend.fp7

The first is a local machine reference -- i.e. the same computer, and in this case also the same folder as the other file.

The second example has the Backend sitting on a server in a LAN environment, this includes access via IWP.

The third has the backend sitting on a server ina a WAN environment, i.e. when you access via the internet from outside your office. The IP here is your external ip address that you type into your browser.

Thanks again. I tried setting up a pathway to the host machine as suggested for the second file (my Photo.fp7 file) and still get . I must be doing something stupid here.

Can you send some screen shots or something, this should be working, and it's not clicking with one of us here... Send a screen shot of your references in the the main file.

Hi, Art,

Have you got this issue resolved? I am having the same problem and I have my file reference using ip address too. Please share your knowledge. thanks.