Combining Multifile into One with FM Advanced

[kiwipaul]

Hi All, I have a reasonably complex application built over many years made up of 20 separate files/db's all with many relationships to several of the other files/db's.

I am thinking of combining all the files/db's into one, and I understand Filemaker Advanced (I just have FM Pro) lets you import tables, and copy/paste layouts & scripts.

However in the FM Advanced doco I see no mention of importing realtionships. Does this mean you have to manually recreate every single relationship, and find and debug every instance where you've used that relationship?

This looks like a daunting task when I have so many files/db's and so many relationships.

Have I missed something in the FM Advanced doco, or is there another way?

Edited May 9, 2008 by Guest

[Fenton]

Relationships must be created manually. Each external file also needs a File Reference, which you normally create the first time you put a table occurrence (TO) for one of the external file's tables on the Relationship Graph, but it is actually somewhat separate. So a TO is actually 2 things, a file reference as well as a specific table; then you add the relationship itself, which the "line" between 2 TOs. So I'm not surprised that FileMaker would have trouble copy/pasting this from one file to another.

You are not going to want to build your relational structure exactly the same as the one you had in 6 anyway. The "multiple table" capability, the "multiple criteria" per relationship, the "expansion of operators", etc.... calls for a new and simpler structure. It is simpler because it will have less pieces and be more robust; but possibly not as simple to understand at first.

You do not need FileMaker Pro Advanced to import tables, nor to copy/paste layouts, nor to "import" scripts. But you need it to copy/paste parts of tables (fields), or parts of scripts (steps). The latter is important when doing a conversion. Because if you have scripts that currently bounce between files to do something, you will want to recreate that as a single script within one file (perhaps with modular subscripts, but still likely within one file). Being able to paste one script (or parts thereof) within another makes this doable.

Not to mention Script Debugger, which lets you walk thru scripts one step at a time. Invaluable. So you need FileMaker Pro Advanced. You'd be nuts to try this without it, in my opinion.

As to whether it's best to put everything within one file, or have a few files, that's hard to say. It partly depends on what you've got. If there are some "modules" of files that have a lot going on between them, but not much going on with files outside their group, then you might want to do them as one separate file.

[Fitch]

It's also essential to run MetadataMagic on your files before you convert them.

[kiwipaul]

Sorry I hadn't updated my profile. I'm on FM 8.5 and Win XP. The applications were converted from v6 a couple of years ago.

From what I'm reading there is no way to automate or semi-automate the integration of many external tables into only one, because there is no way to auto transfer many external table occurances and relationships into the one table.

[kiwipaul]

I'm on FM8.5 and XP with an app converted from v6 2 yrs ago. I'm now reading your site regarding FMRobot v2. It sounds like what I'm looking for.

How does it handle this situation? Suppose you have 4 external files/db's (I have 20) A,B,C,D. You import B external in the new "Master" being A. Can you reapply TO's/relationships between A&B now internally in A, then externally with B&C, then when you bring C into A do the same thing and so with D?

[Fitch]

It's not my site, I'm not affiliated with New Millennium. I think the answer to your question is yes but you'll have to ask them, I haven't looked at FMRobot lately.