Open Multiple Filemakers

[mikegfy]

Is there any way to open filemaker 7 developer and another version of filemaker? I have 7, 7 developer, 8, and 8.5 but only one can be opened at a time.

[Lee Smith]

There must be something wrong with your system. I ususally have at least two versions of FileMaker open all of the time. I have had v6, v7, v8 Advance , and 8.5 Advance open at the same time without any problems.

Lee

[mr_vodka]

Hmmm...

Are you sure about this Lee, I thought that you couldn't have 8 and 8.5 open at the same time. I am not able to.

[Genx]

Lee's on Mac. Windows only lets you have one version of FM open full stop. Maybe one version of advanced and one standard version, but you can't have 8.5, 8 and 7 developer / advanced open at once on windows.

[Lee Smith]

I have had two copies of Advance 8 open at the same time, many times. Now it is usually one each of Advance 8, and Advance 8.5. When I shut down, the first two things that are openned are v6, and v8.5, and they remain open all day, every day. Then, depending on what I'm working on, the other versions (7 and 8) are open too.

I have never had a problem doing this.

Lee

Edited February 14, 2007 by Guest

[Genx]

... Mac

[Lee Smith]

I read your first Reply. It wasn't necessary to repeat it.

It would be nice if someone else comfirmed what you, and/or I have posted.

Lee

[Genx]

Sorry... I thought you had missed something.

I wish FM registered their apps as different apps -- Because FM seems to have registered it's unique identifier as the same for all versions, you can't even have 8 and 8.5 open at the same time. And on that note, if you have 8 and 8.5 installed on the same machine, in my case the file association breaks between .fp7 files and FileMaker -- Which means i have to manually open FileMaker then run my file, pain in the butt!

[mr_vodka]

Well, Maybe on Windows I think it is extention based. I cant open more than one version of (.fp5) 5.5 or 6 as I can not open moer than one copy of (.fp7) FM7, 8, 8.5 Pro or Developer.

[mikegfy]

Ok, so it comes down to windows I can only open one at a time, and mac you can open as many as you want. I guess there is no known workaround for it on windows.

[IdealData]

Try enabling another account in Windoze.

[mikegfy]

Yeah I thought about that. I was trying to get around switching users back and forth. It would work fine for me, but this is for an end user. Who knows what they'll end up doing.

[sbg2]

Windows only lets you have one version of FM open full stop.

I think you meant FileMaker did not program the ability to have more than one version of FM open full stop. I don't seem to have the same type of problem with other Windows based Apps.

[Genx]

Where as mac lets you have multiple versions of anything open.

[IdealData]

I doubt that your users want to run multiple copies of FileMaker - more likely thay want multiple windows to operate in.

You can open muliple window instances of any file with the "New Window" menu option or script step.

Edited February 16, 2007 by Guest

[sbg2]

Thats nice but its still not a problem with the OS its the lack of programming in the App.

Try an analogy...

5% of the screws in the world can accept Pozidrive drivers and also accept Philips drivers.

95% of the screws only accept Philips drivers.

If your screw driver supplier only gives you Pozidrive drivers is this a problem with the screws or with the tool?

[mr_vodka]

Well since we are on the topic, the most logical path does not always have its way due to external circumstances such as forced economics. The Robertson screw is far more superior than the US industry standard screws, but due to the manufactering costs and the reluctancy of changing over from the Phillips and Flat head as the standard, it does not succeed in the US.

Wiki

[sbg2]

... but due to the manufactering costs and the reluctancy of changing over from the Phillips and Flat head as the standard, it does not succeed in the US.

When Henry Ford tried out the Robertson screws he found they saved considerable time in the production of cars but when Robertson refused to license the screws to Ford, he realized that the use of the screws would not be guaranteed and stopped using them[citation needed]. This largely explains why they never became established in the United States.

[mr_vodka]

Yes early on, this was true, but there was still plenty of time available to move towards a better product since the days of Henry Ford. My point was that not always does the the product that is superior win out. It is all about marketing and leverage. Betmax vs. VHS comes into mind, as does the current battle between HD-DVD vs. BluRay or the battle between gaming systems.

A software development company can only develop based on the tools that are given to them. So an inferior product may have a larger market share but does the fault lie with the company's whose product is based off the inferior product or the product itself.

How often does Windows allow the user to install multiple versions of the same application?

[Genx]

Thats nice but its still not a problem with the OS its the lack of programming in the App.

Macromedia Flash / Fireworks / Dreamweaver etc. -- One Application only windows, many on mac...

Photoshop -- Likewise...

Microsoft Access -- It's even worse than FM, not only one App, one file too..

These are some of the most successful corporations... they all run single App on windows...

And LOL! What about the actual name -- Windows eh?

And besides that, I can't see any logical reason as to why you would want multiple versions of the exact same application open for an end user.t -

Edited February 17, 2007 by Guest

[sbg2]

Macromedia Flash / Fireworks / Dreamweaver etc. -- One Application only windows, many on mac...

Photoshop -- Likewise...-

Yes, all Adobe products (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat etc.) seem to behave this way.

Microsoft Access -- It's even worse than FM, not only one App, one file too..

These are some of the most successful corporations... they all run single App on windows...

Not sure about different versions of the App, but the same version works...

Multi Apps

And besides that, I can't see any logical reason as to why you would want multiple versions of the exact same application open for an end user.t -

You have obviously never experienced the beauty of 2+ large monitors on one computer. But then again there was a time people thought "who would need to run more than 1 total App at once?".

[Genx]

I don't argue for the need as a developer, I argue as to why the hell you would do it for the end user.

[mr_vodka]

The only reason that I could possibly see it for is during the middle of migrating over to an entirely new system (such as FM6 to FM7/8). Sometimes it is just easier to allow the users to finish up their old projects in the old system and open new ones in the new system.

[Genx]

Yes, all Adobe products (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat etc.) seem to behave this way.

... Macromedia has only recently been acquired by Adobe... Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, have always exhibited this behaviour far before the acquisition.

[Lee Smith]

I don't argue for the need as a developer, I argue as to why the hell you would do it for the end user.

Pull your head out of the developer world for a minute, and put yourself in the end user's.

Believe ir or not, some users have other needs for FileMaker than the solutions you provided them, and the other solutions may require a different version of FileMaker.

Lee

[Genx]

Again, I'm not talking about different FileMaker versions, I understand that some end users work over different FM versions and I'm personally annoyed that I can't open 7, 8 and 8.5 at once.

The argument however has changed to whether FileMaker should be a windowed app or not. I only argue that if your End User has 4 versions of FileMaker 8.5 open just to support your solution, there's something wrong.

[Oyseka]

But can you open different windows with different usernames and passwords. I am trying to open a file with the admin password and then show new windows with restricted access usernames and passwords

Edited to subscribe

Edited February 25, 2007 by Guest

[omegagoh]

Dear All,

Please don't get emotional.

Everyone believe in what each experienced. As we are all "meeting" via the forum. It may a bit difficult to convince the other of what you experienced. I think even a screen capture may not convince the others, unfortunately.

Please note that I will not discuss about the why of having multiple versions installed in the same machine but the operation of running them.

Basically, there are two considerations when running multiple versions of FM:

1. Running multiple versions concurrently.

- For example, FM6 and FM8.5.

- The main problem relates to the port number for sharing over the web.

- A simple solution is to use different port number for different versions.

2. Usually, the latest compatible version has the precedent for openning file.

- For example, if you installed FM5, FM5.5, FM6, FM7, FM8 and FM8.5 on the same machine.

- Then double-click to open a .fp7 (compatible in FM7, FM8 and FM8.5) file. It will open in the FM8.5.

- If you double-click to open a .fp5 (compatible in FM5, FM5.5 and FM6) file. It will open in the FM6.

- As the latest compatible version has precedent, the lower compatible version may need to be started manually. Then open the file from there.

Personally, I also run multiple versions of FM (v6 and v8) in the same machine (Win/Mac) without much problem.

I do admit that there is little problem running (multiple versions) on Mac than Win. I think most Mac FM users will agreed with me. But there should not be much problems running multiple versions on Win either.

Please enlighten me at [email protected] if you have more technical detail on this issue as I don't login often.

Thanks,

Omega Goh

The FileMaker Specialist

Speedy Scaleable Solutions