Prove you are Right
Leave guesswork to the novices!
Don’t leave things to chance, don’t scan through code to see if it right, check scientifically to test for zero errors and prove you are right!
There’s no better buzz!
import.log and fmLogAnalyser
Have you imported scripts into a file, or inserted some steps into a script? or pasted some fields into a table?
In these cases FileMaker writes to the import.log file.
However, since this is nearly unreadable you can use fmLogAnalyser to check if any errors occurred.
Have you pasted something into a layout, and want to check if it has broken?
How to port code and prove you are right
Some things in FileMaker are not easily portable, because you can only create them manually. Some things
Here is an overview of which methods to use when porting different things:
| Thing | Live Methods (Best First) | import.log | To prove you are right… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom function | Clipboard / Import | Partial | Copy back to fmCheckMate and check for breakages |
| Table | Clipboard1 | Yes | Check fmLogAnalyser |
| Field | Clipboard2 | Yes | Check fmLogAnalyser |
| Table Occurrence | Manual | - | Compare TO-names with fmDBAnalyser and fmTextDiff |
| Relationship | Manual | - | Compare relationships with fmDBAnalyser and fmTextDiff |
| Value list | Clipboard | Yes | Check fmLogAnalyser |
| Theme | Import (never clipboard3) | Partial | Check fmLogAnalyser |
| Layout | Manual | - | Manual check only |
| Layout part | Manual | - | Manual check only |
| Layout object | Clipboard | No | Copy back to fmCheckMate and perform Layout Analysis |
| Script | Clipboard | Yes | Check fmLogAnalyser |
| Script step | Clipboard | Yes | Check fmLogAnalyser |
| Custom menu set | Clipboard | No | Copy back and compare with fmTextDiff |
| Custom menu | Clipboard | No | Copy back and compare with fmTextDiff |
| Custom menu item | Clipboard | No | Copy back and compare with fmTextDiff |
| Account | Manual | - | Manual check only |
| Privilege set | Manual | - | Manual check only |
| Extended Privilege | Manual | - | Manual check in Security dialog |
| File Options | Manual | - | Manual check in File Options |
| Style | Manual | - | Manual check in Theme Styles |
| External Data Source | Manual | - | Manual check in Manage External Data Sources |
| File Reference | Automatic / Manual | - | Manual check in Manage External Data Sources |
| File Authorisation | Automatic / Manual | - | Manual check in Manage External Data Sources |
| Script Trigger | Manual | - | Manual check in Layout Setup or Object Inspector |
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Use MrWatson’s special method to transfer tables with 99.9% accuracy ↩
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If you need to maintain internal field IDs use MrWatson’s special method to undelete fields. ↩
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Themes should not be copied via the clipboard as this issues the theme a new internal ID, breaking the updateability of the theme from the original source file. Use the import method instead to maintain updateability of the theme from your theme master file. ↩