Some very good tips there Peter, and with the arrival of Filemaker Go, an compelling reason to purchase the iPad. Might just wait until the next release before I do though.
John Thompson On 24/08/2010, at 7:46 AM, Peter Hinchliffe wrote: > > > On 23/08/2010, at 12:13 PM, Chris Burton wrote: > >> Hi Pete >> >> Thanks so much for you advice Pete that really spells it out for me. Just a >> few more questions regarding specifics: >> >> When I upgrade to version 11 do I then use that to open my present database >> and save it as .fp7 on my MBPro, or do I need Version 7 or 8 to do that? > > There is a prescribed "best practice" approach to convert from .fp6 files. If > your existing solution contains just a single file, simply drop its icon onto > the Filemaker 11 application icon in the dock (or wherever else you can see > it). If your solution relies on multiple files strung together with > relationships, select ALL of the files involved and drop them together onto > the Filemaker ii icon. It's very important that you select every file in this > instance if you want ot avoid headaches down the track. In either case, > Filemaker will warn you that the files were created with an earlier version > of Filemaker Pro, and save them all as .fp7 files in a location you specify. > Filemaker 11 will do all the conversion necessary. You do not need Filemaker > 7 or 8. The .fp7 file extension is still the filename extension used for > Filemaker 11 files, which is in keeping with all previous major upgrade > changes with Filemaker Pro. > > Bear in mind that while a multi-file solution will be copied faithfully, with > all files in their correct location and all relationships honoured, Filemaker > Pro has, since Filemaker 7, supported the practice of storing multiple tables > within a single file. The ramifications of this approach for the way you > think about using Filemaker are far too numerous to go into here, but there > are some excellent resources on Filemaker's site which explain it all. > >> >> Then, once I download FM Go to the ipad (is that any model with wireless?) I >> have to redo my mobile database using Go, is that right? (rather than >> uploading the old version?). >> Can this new Go database be appended to the main db on the MBPro? If so that >> would be just fantastic. > > Just as a small example for my own part, I have written a small Filemaker > file which keeps track of the various tips, techniques, helpful emails, > websites, etc that I come across on a daily basis. I now have several years' > worth of information stored in it, but it has, naturally enough, been written > for use on my standard Macs, ie, my iMac and my Macbook Pro. I am now using > that identical file on my iPhone 4. I get the same layouts, all the scripts > work the same, and I have full search on any field I want. It's the same > database. All that was necessary was to use iTunes to copy the file to the > iPhone. There was nothing else to do. > > I also have my business solution, which I also wrote in Filemaker, being > served on my iMac. Filemaker Go picks this up through the wireless network > and it works perfectly. > >> >> If I have multiple ipads (for separate jobs offshore) can I use the one >> version of Go and database? > > The current iteration if Filemaker Pro does not support synchronisation, > although that's not to say it might not in the future, and Filemaker aren't > saying. For the time being, therefore, if you have multiple copies of the > same file in use at once, data management is problem you will have to solve > for yourself. Filemaker Go is still so new that most of the FM Developer > community is working on the problem, so I think solutions and strategies will > emerge over time. > > > Cheers, > > Peter > > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au> > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au>
