Developer’s Guide

Distributing FileMaker Pro runtime database solutions 5-7
During the recovery process, the FileMaker Pro runtime application:
1 creates a new file
1 renames any damaged file by adding Old to the end of the filenames
(for example, Contact Manager is renamed to Contact Manager Old).
1 gives the repaired file the original name
If users experience unusual behavior in the recovered files, they
should revert to a backup copy that was made before the file became
corrupt, or contact you for technical assistance.
In your printed documentation, you should tell your users what to do
once a file has been recovered. Tell your users to:
1. Recover the damaged solution file.
2. Open the recovered solution file in the runtime application.
3. Save a compressed copy — choose File menu > Save a Copy As. In
the dialog box, choose Compressed Copy (Smaller) from the Save A
(Windows) or Type (Mac OS) drop-down list, name the file, and
click Save.
Give the compressed file the same name as the original filename.
Distributing updates to your runtime
database solution
If you make feature enhancements or modifications to the primary
file of your runtime database solution, you can distribute the updated
file to your users without needing to rebind it. If you change the name
of the primary file, however, you’ll need to rebind the file and
distribute a new version of the runtime application along with the
updated file. To distribute new or updated auxiliary files for your
runtime database solution, you need to bind them first using the
original binding key.
If you forget the original binding key for your runtime database
solution and want to update or add a file, you’ll need to rebind all of
the database files with a new binding key and redistribute the entire
solution.
To distribute an updated primary file:
1. Open the original primary file (before it was bound) in
FileMaker Pro.
2. Make the changes to the primary file. If necessary, create an Import
script so users can import their existing data into the new primary
file. (See “Importing data into an upgraded runtime
database solution” on page 2-17 for information.)
As long as the binding key and the filename have not changed, you
don’t need to rebind the primary file.
3. Send your users a copy of the new primary file with instructions to
replace the old primary file in the runtime database solution folder.
To distribute a new or updated auxiliary file:
1. In FileMaker Pro, create the new auxiliary file or open the original
auxiliary file (before it was bound) and make changes as desired.
Recovering a runtime database solution file