Re: Import Layouts across Tables in 8?
- From: epiphany <epiphany@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 06:19:06 -0400
Bill wrote:
In article <1147818372.692404.313010@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,Best description of the conversion process I have seen! ! !. . Thanks
"tubster" <tonyone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Moved from 5 to 8 but with some files created in 2!
New to the FMP 8 database design of incorporating multiple tables into
one file. I have consolidated 5 files:
Master (main file)
Invoice
Receipt
Housing
Agents
Invoice and Receipts are just data repositories and their contents is
viewed within portals in Master. However, Agents and Housing were
formerly used as both standalone and linking files i.e feeding data to
Master.
2 questions
1) Is there a way that I can get some or all of the former layouts of
these 2 files (Housing and Agents) and bring them into Master without
recreating them?
2) Are these 'consolidated files' accessible independent from Master?
If so, how/where are they stored?
Maybe I have my concepts mixed up and it is better to keep Housing and
Agents separately?
Any advice much appreciated
First, how did you actually make the conversion from 5 to 8?
The recommended method is to batch convert the whole solution in one operation, by dragging all the .fp5 files to the FMP8 icon, so that they all open and convert together. They will still be separate files, but will have the same relationships among them that existed in the .fp5 solution, and the same layouts, scripts, value lists, etc. Some cleanup may be needed.
You now should have a functional solution in FMP8, that has the same multiple-file structure and functionality of the .fp5 solution. I will call this collection of converted files {convert.fp7}
Then, to consolidate the data tables into a single file, you have to recreate the separate files as tables in your FMP8 master file. You may be able to import the table schema from the separate files of {convert.fp7} to do this, and you can then import the data. I know you can import the table schema in FM8 Advanced, but I'm not sure you can in FMP8. Then import the data from the {convert.fp7} files.
After you have the tables consolidated into one table, go to the relationship graph and get the relationships set up. You can do most of this by simply re-pointing the table occurrences of the separate tables of {convert.fp7} to the new local tables in Master.fp7 that you just created. However, you can also take advantage of the very significant relationship improvements in FMP8 to make the solution more elegant, simpler, etc.
After you have all the tables, table occurrences and relationships set up the way you want, you can copy and paste layouts from the separate files of {convert.fp7} to the consolidated Master file. You have to first make a Blank layout based on the Table Occurrence of interest, then paste the corresponding layout to that blank layout. You will probably have to clean up some of the layout objects some, such as field identification, etc.
You cannot copy and paste layouts directly from an FMP5 solution to FMP8; you have to first convert as described above, then copy and paste the layouts from the converted files to the appropriate blank layouts of the consolidated Master.fp7 file.
Be aware: With multiple tables and Table Occurrences in one file, a layout has what might be called a parent Table Occurrence. It is essential that you use Layout Setup to establish the identity of the parent Table Occurrence for any new layout, including the blank layouts into which you will paste the converted layouts from the other files of {convert.fp7}.
You can import scripts from {Convert.fp7} to the consolidated Master.fp7. You may be able to import value lists also.
Imported scripts must be modified to take into account the multi-table structure of the file. The way a script step operates depends on the context of the Table Occurrence at the time the step operates. This context is specified by the Layout in effect at the time. So the scripts must contain the Go To Layout step at the start, and any time you want to change the context Table Occurrence.
After you have gotten the consolidated Master.fp7 file the way you want, and are confident it is working, you can trash the file references to the other files of {convert.fp7} that were automatically set up when you did the batch conversion from the .fp5 solution. Make sure you have all the data properly imported from the {convert.fp7} files into the appropriate tables of the consolidated Master.fp7 file, and then you can trash the other files of {convert.fp7}
There are white papers on the FileMaker web site that talk in more detail about file conversion & migration, going from a solution in an earlier version of FileMaker to FMP7 & 8.
It is really important for you to have a good understanding of how to design a solution in FMP 8 before you attempt the conversion & migration of an older solution. The capabilities of FMP 8 are so much greater -- and different -- than FMP 5/6 and earlier, that it is practically a brand new piece of software. Learn about it and take advantage of it!
Bill Collins
.
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