Prefences Table_Do I need to relate it to EVERY table?

[BruceJ]

I'm having a brain fart...

I'm setting up a Preferences table with company logos and other reference info, like sensitivity settings for a MetaPhone match, etc.

I know I can only have ONE record and they should Not be globals (hosted multi-user database, FMP version 8.5).

[color:red]My QUESTION

Do I need to set up a matching relationship with every other table that's going to draw from the preferences record?

[LaRetta]

Hi Bruce,

Since Preferences is only one record, I use globals to mirror each standard field (which can be modified in Browse mode). You can use global calc or global with auto-enter (replace) and it will update any time you change the referenced field in that single record. Then a relationship is no longer necessary because globals are available from anywhere - just ask for their value instead of the Pref field it references.

[BruceJ]

Thanks for the suggestion to use globals.

My concern, when this is hosted on a server, user A changes the preferences, but they only change for user A don't they?

I understand that globals are ideal for a single user application, but if I want to global to cross over for all users in a multi-user environment, won't this get bungled up when it's hosted on the server?

I know in the my past lives, the only way to get a global to show up for all users, was to take the application off of hosting, change the globals while in a single user environment and then host it back up on the server again. Of course this isn't practical since I'm not going to be living in the server room.

Perhaps there's some secret to only having one record with globals in it that I'm not aware of.

[Fenton]

The secret is in LaRetta's post. In later versions of FileMaker there is an option to set the Storage of a calculation to Global. The calculation itself would be just pointing to a regular field (in 1 record table). Regular field means "same for everyone", global means "accessible from anywhere."

I use this a lot for things like graphic buttons, logos, etc.. It has one downside, which is that in a hosted environment it seems to take a little while to show the change to clients, seconds. Perhaps the server needs the time to write it to disk. But it's odd if your client is watching it.

She also mentioned using a global which uses auto-enter with replace to do the same. I have not used that (yet). I wonder if it would revert to the single-user value?

It is a little confusing when you say a user can change these "preferences." It would work if you intend that change to be for everyone. Otherwise I'd put individual preferences for a user in their own record in a User table.

Edited July 13, 2009 by Guest

[BruceJ]

I know this can't be that complicated, but let me make sure I get clarity on this because if I'm wrong, it will be too late to fix in the multi-user environment and will not be under my control to host and edit.

My Understanding:

In my preferences table with one record, I add regular fields (not global) and then in the same table, I add calc fields, stored globally that pull from the regular fields.

Then, in the other tables that I want to use the preferences, I just refer to the global field even though it is in an unrelated table.

When hosted on a server, one changes the regular fields in the preference table, record 1 and the global updates of course and is applicable to ALL users?

I believe that I understand that the reason for creating the calc version of the global is so that it updates for all users and not just for the user that made the changes.

Did I understand this correctly? I've tested it in the single user environment and it works, but I don't have an easy way to check it on a server environment without dragging out another PC and making a mini LAN.