So I've just discovered the way global fields are handled when hosted on a server (if they filled out by a client, the values are only for that session and they disappear on database reload). I've seen a couple of places that mention one of the work-arounds which I'd like to try. But I can't quite figure it out since the advice seems to be for much older versions of filemaker - is there a way to do the solution below in FM11?

"One caveat: with FMServer 5.0v2, with the new feature that allows Defining Fields if you're the only guest, if you go in as a guest, and while you are the only guest you also open the Define Fields box, any global values you change during that session will become the new initial values, even though you are a guest. And, this only happens if you change the global values *before* you go into Define Fields. It's as if, when you go into Define Fields, FMP decides "ok, this must be the boss", and closes the file as if you were the host, thus resetting all global values to the whatever is current."

Thanks!

Jen

Regardless of version, if you only ever hold user-session specific information in a global field, you'll be sweet-as.

The question then becomes "How do I store information that has to persist between sessions?"

Search for "preferences table" on the forums. Basically it's a one-record table, with data stored in "normal" fields, that can be related to other tables through the x-join (or alternatively through a process where a script is run at startup that loads values into global fields).

If you are looking just starting with a "default" value-like behavior, you can un-host the file...open it in your client version of FM...set the globals...close the file and re-host on FM Server. Each time a user connects to the database, the globals will hold the value you input when it was not hosted.

It doesn't help if you are talking about user specific values...in which Vaughan's tip is the way to go. A preferences table is a good way to go, in either case. It allows you to set the values easily and change them. And you can just load them where you need them.