Refreshing Screens Simultaneously

[Jarvis]

I have a database that is installed on web based server in California. (My cabinetshop is in Washington State)

I make extensive use of columnar type list layouts.

I use these to post and monitor status of work orders.

This database is accessible from several locations.

The work orders are posted then accessed via scripted start & stop buttons. The scripts all terminate with a Commit Records/Requests statement. I do this to make sure nobody can inadvertantly leave a record open & preclude others from acting on that record.

I am having a problem sometimes getting the screens to refresh on all of the client stations. I can, for example, delete a record on one client station but still have it show up on another.

[color:red]Is there a way to ensure that all screens are updated simultaneously? Is there some missing script or plugin that I need to toggle the miscreant workstation?

Thanks for any input,

Jarvis

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Just to clarify here,you are accessing this sytem by a Web browser and not by FileMaker Pro client. Correct?

Steven

[Jarvis]

I am not sure if I understand your question, Steven.

(I'm a better cabinetmaker than programmer)

I have filemaker licenses on three separate machines.

I access this database by the following commands:

FILE > OPEN REMOTE > Network File Path > fmnet:/hostIPAddress/filename.

Is this what you asked?

Jarvis

[IdealData]

For clarity Jarvis you are using FM Client to access your database, as you say you use File>Open>Remote.

I have recently experimented with remote DB hosting, and found a small time delay when updating, although barely noticeable.

Maybe there is some undue delay.

You have already taken correct action and precautions to ensure records are not locked out.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

The question was whether you were accessing your files by FileMaker Pro or by a web browser. Solving your issue with the screen update requires knowing that.

You appear to be accessing via FileMaker Pro, so be sure of the following:

1. Server cache set to maximum.

2. Server cache flush interval set to1 minute.

3. Client side FileMaker cache set to 12MB, not the default 8MB.

4. Preferably 1GB free disk space on the workstations running FileMaker Pro.

5. Port 5003 open on your firewall.

If you don't have a lot of bandwidth between your offices and where the server is housed you may experience some delays in refreshes, but they should not be as significant as you describe.

If this problem persists then there is likely something else happening.

Steven

[Jarvis]

Thanks Steven.

I will check those settings when I go back to the shop.

This database is hosted on a shared server but is scheduled to move to a dedicated server today or tommorrow. I don't know if this makes a difference but it might give me some ability to influence the settings.

When I do a simple test of a conditionally formatted button it seems to always work fine.

In my database the start-stop buttons present themselves via portals that also depend on conditional relationships. It could just be that this whole thing is so byzantine that it gets confused.

Thanks again for your help.

Jarvis

[Steven H. Blackwell]

It could just be that this whole thing is so byzantine that it gets confused.

That's a key point, very key. Because of what is called the Lazy Calc syndrome, screens often will not refresh automatically when something that depends on a calculation happens. This can be particularly true if any of the dependencies of the calculation are in a different file, or even in a different table.

When you get the dedicated server, let us know how that influences the behavior.

Steven