Scanning & applying changes

[rob]

Not sure where to put this question but if I delete a field, it says it is scanning for references and provides a skip button.  And then when I click ok to leave field definitions, it says it is applying changes to layouts and seems to go through all layouts again with a skip button.

 

What happens if I skip?  I can't find anything about it.  Can anyone provide me where I can find what it means?  Does it mean the changes won't be applied to the layouts?  Or refinances won't be changed if I skip?  How hard would it be for them to put a single sentence below the skip button giving some indication of what it means?  Well, I won't rag on about it but sometimes FMI is lazy in not putting simple text which can help us even when they have GOBS of space.

 

If it is obvious answer I am sorry to bother the forum with it but I searched for skip and find nothing and I do not know what else I can search for which might give me the answers.  

[ggt667]

Why not try? make 1000 layouts with 2 calc fields on them, then delete one of the calc fields and try to interrupt the process, see what happens.

[rob]

Make a thousand layouts?  Are you kidding?  You mean there is nowhere that this is explained?  Nobody has asked this question before?  

 

Have you made a thousand layouts and tried it?  Do you know the answer?  I suspect the answer is no to both questions.  I am afraid your answer really isn't an answer at all.  I appreciate the try anyway.  

[David Jondreau]

I'm not sure why there's a skip button for field references. If there's a field reference (say that field is in a script or a calculation field), you'll still get a warning message. I don't know what "skipping" there does.

 

For "Applying layout changes..." I do know that filemaker sometimes ties a textbox label to a field, so if you change the name of the field that label will also update. It's not well defined how FileMaker knows a textbox is supposed to be a field label. The textbox needs to be the name of the field and in close proximity on the layout. You can have multiple copies of that textbox and they will all change. It's not a particularly well-though out feature.

 

If you skip the dialog, those labels will not update. I presume the same applies to changing the field name. The labels won't update, and maybe the field won't disappear from the layout?

 

I always skip it.

[rob]

Thank you, David, I appreciate the answer.  I am going to write to FileMaker and try to ask where I find the information which says what happens here.  They should at least post that information somewhere.  Giving someone a 'do this or don't do this' with absolutely no indication of what it does or what it means if you do not do it is completely silly.