Get the Client Name?

[Tony25]

The name of the host computer can be obtained with...

[color:red]Get(HostName)

How do other users get the name of a client computer connected to the FileMaker Network?

Thanks for your help.

[bcooney]

It would be helpful to know why you'd need this info. There are two get functions to look at:

Get (AccountName) which returns the account that was used to login to the system, and Get (UserName) which returns the name in FM Pref of the client.

Who are the "others" that need to see the client computer connected? Do you mean the FM Server Admin, who can see who's connected using the server admin software. Or, do you want other logged in users to know who's also logged in? If so, you could set a flag field in an Open Script in your users table to indicate that they are logged in.

[Tony25]

Thanks for your reply.

I use the names to identify the machines on the FimeMaker Network. Their IP addresses are used to create unique links to machine specific records (the user's own local preferences for example). But I use the names to make it obvious which one is which for the administrator to refer to.

Using Get(HostName) returns the Compiter name as set in Control Panel. This might be "Reception" or "Room 1", etc.

Using Get(AccountName) or Get(UserName) returns the login name or installation name for FileMaker. In our case these are our company name, so it doesn't vary between machines.

A function like Get(LocalName) or Get(ClientName) is what I need but I don't think it exists?

One way around it is during the startup script on the Client machine. It can get it's HostName locally before it joins the FileMaker Network and then paste that in as the machines name in a later script. That's fine, but it doesn't work if the record needs to be recreated once it has already joined FileMaker Network. Then Get(HostName) is the network host, not the local machine.

I hope that helps? Thanks.

[mr_vodka]

Perhaps you can use a VBScript to return the name but this will require it on the client computer.

[comment]

I use the names to identify the machines on the FimeMaker Network. Their IP addresses are used to create unique links to machine specific records (the user's own local preferences for example).

I wonder why you would choose to use machine identity for this, instead of person identity. Databases are used by people, not by machines. A user may have their computer replaced - should they lose their preferences as a result? A user may leave and the computer may be assigned to another - should the predecessor's records be associated with the new employee? A user may login on another computer, perhaps even from a remote location - what then?

I believe the "standard" solution for this is to use Account Name, while making sure every user has their own unique account.