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FileMaker 7 Products Q & A

PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2004 3:01 pm
by John Sindelar
Will CC Calendar, Gantt, etc. run under FileMaker Pro 7?

As with most sophisticated systems built in version 6, CC Products can be converted to FileMaker 7 with some effort. However, FileMaker 7 changes the way any number of functions and structures behave and these changes can lead converted systems to behave unexpectedly.

(Converting CC Products actually works surprisingly well, check out this thread for more information: Converting CC Products to FM7.)

FileMaker Inc. offers a white paper on conversion; we strongly recommend developers read this before converting their systems: †filemaker.com/techbriefs A second, longer PDF can be found here.

One of the biggest issues to consider involves how difficult it may be to maintain a converted solution. If the amount of entropy in a converted system is sufficiently high (lots of redundant code, etc.) it may become very difficult to make changes to the system down the road.

Furthermore, addding new features to a converted solution can cause unintended effects. For instance, in FileMaker 6, scripts ran only in the file the script was written in. FileMaker 7 allows a script to run in any table in that file. So, adding tables to your converted files could allow any script in that file to be run on the new table.

Cleveland Consulting offers a Migration Evaluation Service to help developers get a handle on the issues involved in converting large installations.


Will you be developing new versions of the CC Products to take advantage of FileMaker 7?

Yes! We have been developing new versions of these products in FileMaker 7 over the last year. We are completing our work on CC Calendar which will be released first, followed by CC Gantt Charts. CC Calendar will offer a host of new features in the Pro Version, including Banners, a To-Do list, Year Views, and more.

We will announce new products on the FileMaker lists and through our own mailing list; be sure to subscribe to stay informed.


Will special upgrade pricing be offered to users of existing CC Products?

Yes. However, we have not yet announced pricing for the new products. All CC Calendar users who have purchased the calendar since FileMaker announced FM7 on March 9th will receive a free upgrade to the FM7 calendar.


Would you be able to help us convert our existing CC Product implementation?

Deciding whether to convert or rebuild is a complex issue. We do offer consulting on this issue and recommend you read about our service and read Danny Mack's white paper on the issue. At this point we are not planning to undertake conversions of smaller solutions outside the migration service mentioned above. Our focus is on developing the best and most thoroughly tested Calendar in FileMaker 7, which we believe will serve users better than converted systems.


What if I have more questions?

Please feel free to post them here so that others can see the answers. Simply click "Post Reply" and ask away.

Filemaker Pro 7 and CC Calendar

PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:18 pm
by Mark Jones
I just installed filemaker 7.0. In my Church Boys Scouts Solution 33 related databases converted ok with the exception CC Calendar and the only thing that isn't working is in the free version is the employee initials.

It is only displaying the top employee intitials results in the the calendar monthly or daily views.

If I changed all my appoint.fp7 files employee initials to the first data in the employee initials field it would display them all in the calendar.

Is there a simple fix to fix this one error as the rest of it shows to be ok.

I appreciate your product and it makes scheduling our Royal Ranger (Church Boyscouts) Calendars a lot better than any method I have used before.

This is the conversion log and shows the errors.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, Version: Pro 5.0 - 5.5.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 8 file references were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 3 relationships were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, The ìTodayî function was replaced with a ìTodayî field and a startup script to update it.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 3 calculations were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 0 container objects were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 1 layout images were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 14 fields were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 143 records were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 7 indexes recreated.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 2 access privileges were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 1 value lists were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 9 layouts were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, Verify Windows Print Setup settings: Print Daily View Part 2.
3/25/2004 7:09:44 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, Verify Windows Print settings: Print Daily View Part 2.
3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, 37 scripts were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: Calendar 2.
3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: exportappoint.
3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Appoint.fp7, 0, Conversion completed.

3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Conversion started.
3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Version: Pro 5.0 - 5.5.
3/25/2004 7:09:45 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 13 file references were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 12 relationships were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, The ìTodayî function was replaced with a ìTodayî field and a startup script to update it.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 46 calculations were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 15 container objects were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 16 layout images were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 69 fields were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 6 records were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 1 indexes recreated.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 2 access privileges were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:46 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 3 value lists were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 17 layouts were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, 64 scripts were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: LABcontac.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: LABJTS.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: LABnavig.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: LABnavig 2.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: RelatedItemsA.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: RelatedItemsB.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: GanttItems.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: SamplePeople.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: SampleProjects.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calendar.fp7, 0, Conversion completed.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Conversion started.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Version: Pro 5.0 - 5.5.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 7 file references were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 1 relationships were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:47 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 1 calculations were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 0 container objects were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 0 layout images were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 4 fields were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 11 records were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 4 indexes recreated.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 2 access privileges were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 2 value lists were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 2 layouts were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, 3 scripts were converted.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: Contents.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: Docs.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: Defs.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: HelpLink.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Deleting unneeded file reference: GanttController.
3/25/2004 7:09:48 PM, Calstaff.fp7, 0, Conversion completed.

If you have a quick fix for this script error can you point me to the right script so I can fiddle with it...

PostPosted: Sun Mar 28, 2004 4:13 am
by John Sindelar
Hi,

The free version of the calendar actually converts quite well and, on my end, doesn't exhibit the problem you're describing. I can filter appointments by any "staff" name and the correct appointments appear in the portal. Appointments with multiple staff members work also.

Of course, I may be misunderstanding your description of the problem, but it sounds like it comes from either a modification you made to the calendar before conversion, or from converting an older version of the calendar. If you think it's the latter, I'd encourage you to download the latest free calendar, convert it, and compare the filtering in that file with yours. That will likely show you how to fix the problem.

Otherwise, please post a mode detailed description of the issue as I'm not completely clear on what these two phrases mean: "only displaying the top employee intitials results " and "If I changed all my appoint.fp7 files employee initials to the first data in the employee initials field".

Conversion

PostPosted: Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:00 pm
by Mark Jones
Thanks. The cc calendar files work great under my 5.5 version. I will try another conversion and see what happens if that doesn't fix it I will go with a new download.

The year view would be a nice feature with the calendars appointment notes below each month. I was doing this manually for several years but it was a pain. The days that had things planned were hightlighted by a circle and the dates description was placed below that month.

Lets say I had the 28th of Jan in my appoint.fp5 file. In the new Year view it would show the 28th of Jan highlighted with a circle and right below Jan month it would say 28 Marks bday

It was a very popular calendar style. Your CC calendar is a wonderful improvement for me in all other aspects of the calendars use.

I added 6 more views. A 3 colum text listing of appoint.fp5 small print can hold approx 180 entries on one page, A Larger Text View of appoint.fp5 and in calendar I added Full page and Legal Sized with no idx fields (showing) and more room for text.

Thanks for the help. Now that I know you were able to get it to convert... I will try again!

Mark Jones
[email protected]