Jackie Another little note on the conversion. In 10 you can convert the whole solution by going File Open, pointing at the folder with all the v5 files in it and then picking the convert and open option. If the solution is multi file and there is a lot of file::file linkage you may get a lot of "can't find file" messages. "Don't Panic!" (to quote Douglas Adams). Just ignore them and let v10 do the whole conversion. They all get sorted out once the last file is opened.
And one more thing. v5 has passwords while v10 has accounts and passwords. After conversion a file that had "jackie" as the admin password now has an account called "jackie" with the password "jackie". It can get way more complex if you have groups set up in v5. See www.filemaker.com/downloads/.../fm8_converting_databases.pdf for more detail. See page 34 for illumination. You will note that they recommend doing the conversion on cloned or sparsely populated files. I have always done the conversion on the real files with real data as time constraints sometimes preclude the intermediate steps - the 122 file conversion had 5 dbs with 500K records - as the import dance can take more time that is available. You can get a "free" copy of Advanced at the Filemaker Devcon in San Diego this year. Just need to pay conference fees, hotel and travel expenses. Stephen ---------- "The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." — (Bill Watterson). On Jan 7, 2010, at 9:19 AM, J. wrote: > Will, Lee, Richard, Geoff, Stephen.... > > Thank you all for your information! I was so sure that I had to transfer it > to FM7 and then up. Since not, now I just need to put FMAdvanced for 2-3 > users in my budget and move forward. (btw, does that ever go on sale? > [doubtful]) > > Thank you again! > Jackie > > > > on 1/6/10 10:28 AM, Geoff Graham at [email protected] wrote: > >> On Jan 5, 2010, at 5:21 PM, Stephen Wonfor wrote: >> >>>> Hi Jackie >>>> >>>> Will and Geoff make good points. Here's a different take on it. >>>> ... >>>> (Adding Refresh Window Steps that convert to Select Window and Exit >>>> Record steps where you need a Commit after a cluster of SetFields) >> >> I did forget that the Commit Record script step often has to be >> sprinkled liberally into converted scripts; the 3rd major gotcha of >> fp5 - fp7 script conversion. It's the new window model, Jackie, that >> allows multiple windows to have multiple "current" records. FileMaker >> 6 and before only allowed one current record in the whole application; >> a set of scripts that bounced back and forth between files implicitly >> committed the current record data simply by exiting the script. (mostly) >> >> Now these tools the pros recommend; they will help for sure. They will >> also add a layer of complexity as you see everything you may or may >> not have wanted to know about your database. If I'm guessing right, >> you are a power user who has built or maintained their own custom >> database, learning as you go. As soon as you get to a point, say, >> where none of your scripts are working and you realize that you need >> to add a bunch of Commit Records, and it occurs to you that it would >> be swell if there was a way to spray them into all your scripts >> automagically; then you are a MetaDataMagic potential customer. At >> that point you will be able to decide that a dozen or two scripts will >> take about an hour to update and thus MDM is not worth the $300 to >> you; or alternatively, that your tangled mess of hundreds scripts is >> hopeless, that MDM is a huge bargain; and you know exactly what it is >> that you want it to do for you. >> >> Speaking of tools, I would recommend that you get the latest FM >> Advanced. You really will need the script debugger to step through and >> test scripts. You don't "have" to have it, in the same way you can >> rebuild an old Ford engine with only a pair of channel-locks and a >> screwdriver, but I wouldn't want to do it. >> >> Stephen ( and most of these wonderful people ) is a real pro; if >> anything I have said seems to conflict, then I would go with what he >> says. :) Btw, nice concise four stepper from Darren there Stephen; >> that's very handy. Thanks. >> >> Geoff >> >> ps. Converting an old file, I went to the file references in FM10 to >> clean those old paths to long forgotten drives, and saw a reference >> from my old machine to an old external drive I had forgotten about. >> Aha! That's where that project I worked on years ago is hiding. Now I >> just need to remember where that old drive is... > >
