FileMaker tips, techniques, and news.
By Jeremiah Kincaid Posted on March 13th, 2012 in FileMaker
One of FileMaker's strengths is how you can update a live system immediately. Utilizing this strength, however, requires knowledge of what you can do safely and what you need to be more cautious about while working on a live FileMaker database system.
There are three areas to beware of when working on a live system:
In FileMaker, table locking means that users cannot create records in a table. Even if you have the table locked, users will still be able to edit and delete existing records to their hearts' content.
The following scenarios will lock tables:
Other scenarios to keep in mind:
Of the 3 "gotchas" in working with a live system, table locking is the most disruptive. But, as long as you understand FileMaker's behavior in all scenarios, you'll be fine.
Tip: A table will only be locked if there's an on-creation auto-enter serial number in the table. You may consider using a universally unique identifier (UUID) via an auto-enter calculation field to avoid table locking.
It's our experience that, of any changes made in a live system, the one most likely to fail to reach connected users is making new TOs. New fields, new scripts, new layouts, new value lists: Not a problem. New TOs? Usually a problem.
To guarantee that new TOs reach connected users, have everyone affected restart the FileMaker database.
This "gotcha" is the least problematic from a will-the-application-run-correctly? standpoint, but it's arguably the most agitating from a user's perspective. Anytime schema or a layout is saved, any users currently on that layout will be thrown to the layout's default tabs (technically, that layout's control panels' default tabs). A bit jarring, just try to avoid making changes every 2 minutes.
The following scenarios will throw users on default tabs:
While working on a live system is generally advised against, the reality is that many times as a developer, you'll have no choice. Even then, updating a live system is more often than not the quickest and most effective way to get things done. Understanding how to safely update live systems will not only make you a better developer, it'll make the FileMaking experience more enjoyable for your users, too.
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Jeremiah is a Certified Salesforce Architect and Consultant who has been with DB Services since 2007. A Purdue University graduate, Jeremiah earned dual bachelors in Chemistry and Philosophy. His educational background and natural smarts gives him the ability to be successful both in the trenches of scripts as well as in collaboration with co-workers and clients. A rarity, indeed.