Developer’s Guide

32 FileMaker Developer’s Guide
Documenting the installation procedures
You’ll need to provide instructions to your users on how to install
your runtime database solution. Here’s a list of things you should
document:
1 Provide written instructions for copying or installing your solution
to your users’ hard disks.
1 Include software and instructions specifying how your users can
decompress your solution files.
1 Include information about the minimum equipment and software
requirements.
For suggestions on other information to include with your runtime
database solution,
“Providing user documentation” on page 33.
Starting runtime database solutions
After a user has run the installation program for your runtime
application, the files are installed on the user’s hard drive. The
solution’s three-character filename extension is registered with the
operating system (Windows) or in the system preferences
(Mac
OS X). This registration allows the operating system to locate
and launch the runtime solution if the user double-clicks the primary
or auxiliary solution files. If a primary or auxiliary solution file is
double-clicked before the runtime application has registered the
extension, the runtime application won’t be found.
Important Your users should start your solution by double-clicking
the runtime application icon, not the primary file icon. Double-
clicking the icons for the primary or auxiliary files might result in
errors, depending on whether there are other copies of the runtime
application on their hard disk. If your users have more than one
solution on their computers with the same three-character extension
and they double-click the icon for the primary file, the most recently
installed runtime application is opened, which may not be the correct
application for your solution’s primary file.
Each time the runtime application is opened, it looks for the primary
file that has been bound to it. If the primary file can’t be found, the
user is asked to locate the primary file.
Caution your users that they should not rename the primary or
auxiliary solution files. If they do, relationships and external scripts
may not work properly.
Note When you make a change to your solution, make sure that your
users can import their data into your updated solution. Include a
script attached to a button to make it easy for your users to import
their data into the new solution files. For more information,
“Importing data into upgraded runtime solutions” on page 26.
Recovering damaged files
Power failures, hardware problems, or other factors can damage a
FileMaker database file. If your database solution becomes
damaged, your users will need to recover the damaged file. When the
runtime application discovers a damaged file, a dialog box appears,
telling the user to contact the developer. Even if the dialog box does
not appear, files can become corrupted and exhibit erratic behavior.
Once you know which file is damaged, you can recover it using the
Recover command, if you have FileMaker Pro or FileMaker
Developer installed. If your user only has the runtime application,
however, the Recover command does not appear in the File menu of
the runtime application.
To recover a damaged file:
1 On Windows machines, press Ctrl+Shift while double-clicking the
runtime application icon. Hold the keys down until you see the Open
Damaged File dialog box.
1 On Mac OS X machines, press Option + 3 while double-clicking
the runtime application icon. Hold the keys down until you see the
Open Damaged File dialog box.
Double-click
to start
Primary file icon
Runtime application icon