A client has come to us asking if we can provide a filemaker swipe or card push entry system which will obviously log members going to and from the gym, but also when they swipe the card through the door must unlock, I'm sure you all understand the idea as it is used a lot, but is there a viable integrated filemaker solution?, are there companies that create such a card swipe system that can open doors, and talk to a filemaker database??

Not sure if it will open the door, but check out www.wmotion.com.

They have a smart card system for filemaker.

I use it in my solution for security in the database.

No card, no entry to the database.

HTH. Let us know how you get on. Sounds intriguing.

Phoned them an hour ago, only the seceratry was there she is getting them to call me, but im not holding out muck hope, cause I dont think it will work, but hey!!

I'm not sure if FM has a section to insert ESC codes like you would send to a printer (ie. 027) but I developed a POS system, with Alpha4, that opened an electronic cash drawer which was attached by a serial cable to the computer. When the user printed a sales reciept, I programmed an Escape code sequence that was sent throught the serial port to open the cash drawer.

Possibly the same type of signal you would need to open the electronic lock on the door.

HTH

George

PS. If anyone knows how to pass esc codes from Filemaker during print routine, could you please post?

[ April 10, 2002, 02:45 AM: Message edited by: George ]

Not sure if this is what you mean, but you can use the FM Send Message script step to open other applications or run programs written in Basic or C.

I am sure if you someone can make "Billy Bass" fish speak and sing from FileMaker, I am sure you can get someone to come up with a method of opening a door.

I don't know much about electric door strikes (I think that's what they're called?)... but I'd be willing to bet that you could get one with a serial interface. Then simply use a serial plugin (like the one from Troi) and a serial adapter from Keyspan (for Mac) to communciate with the device.

Most door strikes are more primitive I think... simply requiring a circuit to be connected. I am sure there are serial devices out there that would act as a switch.

You might even be able to use an X10 solution. The X10 command would be activated by an Applescript.

Another thing I just thought of is that you would want a script to be activated automatically when someone swipes a card.

There are two types of magnetic stripe readers I know of... those that emulate a keyboard and those that use serial.

If it emulates a keyboard, it's a question of whether you can program a postamble (like a bar code scanner) to activate a script after a scan... I'm really not sure.

If you get a serial one though, you should be able to setup the Troi plugin to activate a script whenever data is received.

Keyspan makes a 4-port serial/usb device so you could connect both the door strike mechanism and the magnetic stripe reader to that device, and control them both with the Troi plugin.

...Kewl idea by the way!

Jason

About 2 years ago I installed a proximity card reader which is used to allow entry to a secure area. The door is "locked" with an electromagnet and released when a card or key fob is presented near it.

A log of all activity is kept and can be printed via an infrared port.

Whether or not the info can be exported into filemaker is not something I've tried, but the hardware with cards etc was not that expensive.

If you want more info on the hardware end of things, I'll be glad to help.

-jack