Hi,

I'm designing the ability to update versions into a runtime solution by exporting the data and importing it into the new version, but I can't seem to figure out how to export and import global fields. I understand that in a normal Export Records command that global fields will be treated as non–globals and hence every record will have the same entries, but is there any other way to get the global fields into my new version?

In addition, is there any way to export/import container fields, or will my customers have to go through and insert the items all over again?

Thanks!

--Myles

You can run a script on the new file that directly imports the records directly from the old file. No need to export and then import. As for global fields. You may want to consider a script run at open to set the starting values you would like. As for containers they will import just like any regular field.

Thanks for responding. I'm not sure though what you mean by "set the starting values you would like". Can you clarify?

Actually, I can't really speak to how globals import or export from a runtime. I run a database hosted on FM Server. The globals in this case reset with each new session to whatever values they contained before the file was hosted. So I run an open script that includes setting the initial values of any global fields that I need to. I would think that when directly importing from your old file into your new file, if a global has a value it will be imported.

Hmm, that wouldn't work for me; the person getting my runtime inputs their own globals (things like their name, address, etc.), so would need to have those carried over. When I attempt to do this however the values don't seem to be entered into the global fields. Could I use a Set Variable function for each global field maybe?

yup, set variable can be used to set the global fields. u can run this in the startup script when the file opens.

... the person getting my runtime inputs their own globals (things like their name, address, etc.)

These should be persistently stored in a preferences table, not global fields.

Container fields cannot be exported or imported except from FileMaker files (ie, not via intermediate csv or tab data files).

Thanks everyone for the suggestions -- they helped me work it out...