maryj152
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printing table occurances in filemaker pro 10
Is it possible to print the table occurrences associated with the tables in a database? There are so many that the relationship graph isn't as easy to read as I would like (Printed most of the TO's are about 2 feet by 3 feet plus a supplement of about 1 foot by 2 feet). And one of the tables has so many that I can't see them all on my monitor....
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You are probably quite right about multiple TOs having the same relationship and people not checking. And once it gets beyond a certain size or a certain degree of clutter people are even less inclined to check. Using the Database Design Report as well as third-party tools like "Inspector Pro" which analyze and present the DDR results more graphically, can help you determine if various TOs have an "References" anywhere and whether you can delete them entirely, or switch those references to another TO that you'd like to keep. A lot of times people will create TO, start do something and then never finish it, or create one layout based on it that is then no longer used. With the DDR and other tools you can determine those References and Dependencies and clean things up by actually being able to delete TOs, layouts, fields, etc. that are not use.
You should be able to rename TOs to whatever you want without affecting things unless you have used one of the "by name" functions, e.g. "Set Field by Name" in which name of a field starts out as text or a calculation rather than being a linked field references (e.g. Contacts::NameLast) which changes globally when you edit the table, TO or field name. The "by name" script steps are really useful but are not used very often so the chance is low that you'd have a problem changing TO names. I often do a lot of name cleanup when starting with a new file because it gets me familiar with what's there and unifies the naming convention so it's easier to work now and in the future.
You should be able to rename TOs to whatever you want without affecting things unless you have used one of the "by name" functions, e.g. "Set Field by Name" in which name of a field starts out as text or a calculation rather than being a linked field references (e.g. Contacts::NameLast) which changes globally when you edit the table, TO or field name. The "by name" script steps are really useful but are not used very often so the chance is low that you'd have a problem changing TO names. I often do a lot of name cleanup when starting with a new file because it gets me familiar with what's there and unifies the naming convention so it's easier to work now and in the future.
ASKER
I don't have Advantage, just basic 10. Will "Insprector pro" work?
I'm assuming you meant "Advanced" rather than "Advantage", but the answer is no. Inspector Pro requires the DDR, it just does further analysis. I'm not sure if this is an option, but given the scope and scale of what you are doing, you might also want to look towards moving the whole project to FileMaker 14. If you join the "FileMaker Community" as a Business Partner, your membership includes a copy of FlieMaker 14 Advanced.
ASKER
I am in Illinois, state funded organization. With the budget problem chances of an upgrade are not likely.
Thanks for the help. Will be in touch next time I get stuck.
Thanks for the help. Will be in touch next time I get stuck.
Something to consider is that FileMaker now offers Annual Subscription licenses rather than traditional "Perpetual" licenses. This allows you to pay a significantly lower annual cost, only buy the number of licenses you need, and always have the most recent version. You might be able to find the budget for something less expensive than perpetual licenses. Also, FileMaker, like most software companies offers special pricing for State agencies and may already have a special site-wide or state-wide license agreement with the state gov't such that you could acquire licenses via the state's IT department.
ASKER
Thanks for the info. It will be up to the powers that be.
ASKER
TO that would work.
If I change the TO's name will all the layout/fields links still work? I might just leave them as they are for now until I finish with the ongoing changes that need to be made for "re-purposing" (what a word) of the database.