Misusing FileMaker Online

[Keith M. Davie]

If you are a FileMaker developer, there is something of which you need to be aware. This requires you using Netscape. Go to:

http://www.fmpdesigns.com/dbonline.html

and select the Online Demo.

Click on "Calls" and enter the password.

click "New"

Select an id from the pop-up menu. Assign a priority. Enter you clever message.

After you click "Add Record", and the results page loads, click your "Reload" button. Repost Form Data? Yes. In fact "Reload" and repost four or five times. Then click "Find"

When you get to the Find page, find the pop-up menu to the right of "Name" which contains the name you previously selected, and click Find.

You should see a table which displays the multiple records which were formed by the client using Netscape's Reload button. If you click on the "date of call", the next page will give you a record of your message, etc. Note the field "Activity ID". Click the back button and select the next "date of call". Note the field "Activity ID". Different record number but the same data.

How many multiples do you want to deal with in your solution? What kind of problems can result? How often is the wrong record likely to be accessed?

Peace

Keith M. Davie

[Vaughan]

Keith

A very simple solution is to generate a unique field code in each record that gets inserted in the form (perhaps a time stamp or something). The first record that gets created is OK, but the second record will cause a validation error on the field code (not unique) and not be created. Problem solved.

[Keith M. Davie]

Vaughn, Thanks, I know a couple of solutions. It's not my site. It is (or was) an example of a problem of which developers need to be aware (imo).

I think they have attempted to fix it, but I haven't tested it myself.

I haven't really seen any discussion of this issue here, and yet I would suggest that may be because, as we develop a browser solution, we often use only one browser and fail to see what it looks like and does in other browsers.

So I thought I mention the (I like to call it) "Netscape Reload" problem and the creation of either multiple records or incomplete extra records, all of which (a) take space to store and (: pose the potential for problems by their existence.

;-)

Peace

Keith

[Keith M. Davie]

As to the solution of a field with a unique data-bit for each record, whether that unique data is a time stamp or some other unique marker, if one is clicking a button which avers the "Repost form data", and if the "form data" includes the instruction to submit using the -new action tag, then a new record will be created with a new unique marker using the data previously entered.

If, on the creation of a new record, a new unique marker is created ...

Peace

Keith M. Davie

[Vaughan]

Ahhh... generate the unique marker (like time stamp) while the form is being loaded. That way they'll have to reload the complete form to bypass the check.

[Keith M. Davie]

Please, how do you generate the marker while the form is being loaded? I don't follow this.

Peace

Keith

[Vaughan]

Use a -view or some other action to create the form, and throw in a hidden field with, say, [FMP-CurrentDate] and [FMP-CurrentTime] in it. In the database, validate this field to be unique.