1. Dealing with Linux Web Hosting Issues

    September 25, 2009 by Biran

    Normally, when migrating a website to a Linux web host (since it’s usually less expensive than using a Windows OS), the conversion is simple. After they have your site up, you can just use their web-based file interface and/or FTP to upload your files. However, if things don’t immediately work after that and you receive an nondescript error message (e.g. 403 Forbidden), there are a few areas to check and make sure are set up correctly.
    First, make sure that there is no .htconfig or .htaccess file. Although not all web hosting companies support either or both of these files, if [...]

  2. FileMaker CSV Export with Headers

    by Chuck

    CSV files are by far one of the most common types of delimited text files and thus a popular option for exporting data. The frustrating thing about doing CSV exports from FileMaker is that there is not an option to include field headers, but there is an easy solution. Merge (.MER) files are CSV files with file headers and a different file extension.
    If you are doing a quick export, you can simply rename the file after your export is complete. If you are scripting your export and specifying the path you can tell it to use a CSV extension by [...]

  3. On File Corruption

    September 18, 2009 by Biran

    When developing a FileMaker Pro file used on a volatile server or external drive, you may see a file perform strangely. Visual symptoms I’ve encountered include:
    -a record that can’t be deleted
    -a script that can’t be modified or deleted
    -found sets that are different from what’s actually listed
    -constraining records based on a certain field stops working
    -replace field content leading to an error message
    -new tabs don’t show full tab labels, even when the tab margin is stretched past the label
    This is a sign that some aspect of the file has been corrupted, which only occurs when the FileMaker file is shut down inappropriately [...]

  4. Continued Compatibility Issues With Snow Leopard & Previous FileMaker Versions

    by phin

    Snow Leopard’s compatibility issues are not unique to FileMaker 10 products, but are in fact widespread to previous versions of FileMaker. If you were to run FileMaker 9 products with Snow Leopard, you will noticed that the Pro and Advanced version have some common issues with FileMaker 10. Below is a list of issues that are linked to a solution:

    The .fp7 files do not open.
    Rosetta is required to install FileMaker Pro 9 or FileMaker Pro Advance on Snow Leopard.
    Unable to export Excel (*.xls) format.

    If you are using FileMaker Pro 8.5 or FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced, you will not be [...]

  5. Layout Based Script Triggers Part 1

    September 17, 2009 by Sameer

    When I first learned about triggers I was at a loss of how we can use them effectively in a system where most items/processes/tasks are user driven. As I did more study, and then attended the Foundation Train the Trainer class, I came to realize that triggers could enhance the user experience in ways we would not have considered previous to FileMaker 10.
    It doesn’t matter what solution I am working on, there will always be situations where the user will enter Preview Mode, and want to print some sort of report, or even create a PDF file for email purposes. [...]

  6. Server Logs with Regards to Server Scripts

    September 16, 2009 by Sameer

    I have been working on an auto import process in FileMaker for a client, and came across some interesting behavior when working with scripts off of a FileMaker Server. As Chuck mentioned in a previous post, scripts require that files you are working with either reside in the Documents Folder or the Temporary Folder of the server. If they do not the FileMaker Server side script will not be able to access the file, and incidentally the server logs will reflect an error code 101, file cannot be found. When working with logs, like many other programs that have logs, [...]