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FileMaker Pro basics
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ILEMAKER PRO HELP 38
• To skip renaming the old file, make sure the Rename old file checkbox is cleared, then
click OK. It’s not necessary to rename the old file if it includes the .fp7 filename
extension, because your converted file will have the .fmp12 extension.
• To rename the old file, select Rename old file. Either accept the default name (which is
the original filename appended with “Old”), or enter a new name. Then click OK.
Note If a filename includes a period (.), other than the one that precedes the filename
extension, remove it. If a period exists in a filename, FileMaker
Pro won’t add the .fmp12
extension to the converted file.
6. In the Name Converted File dialog box, enter the filename that you want for the new file.
If you did not rename the file in step 5, the default filename for the new file is the old filename
(with the .fmp12 extension, if the original filename had an extension). If you renamed the file, the
default filename for the new file is the new name (with the .fmp12 extension, if the original
filename had an extension).
7. Click Save to start the conversion.
During a prolonged conversion, the File Format Conversion dialog box appears and shows the
conversion progress. If a file being converted contains indexed fields, you can save time by
clicking Skip when the index is being re-created, which postpones indexing until later.
8. Using a text editor such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (OS X), open the Conversion.log
file located in the folder that contains your converted database.
The Conversion.log file is located in the same folder as the converted file. The Conversion.log
file contains a journal of the conversion process that you just completed. Much of it contains
status messages that indicate the different file components that were converted. It also may
contain error messages that indicate areas where you may need to make manual corrections to
the converted file before testing it further.
Related topics
Troubleshooting conversion problems
Reading the Conversion.log file
Converting multiple files at once
FileMaker Pro 13 can convert multiple files at the same time. You should use the multi-file
conversion method when you need to convert a database composed of multiple related files, or you
simply have many FileMaker
Pro files that you want to quickly convert without being prompted to
individually rename each file.
When you convert multiple files at the same time, FileMaker Pro prompts you to specify a folder
where you want the converted files to be saved, leaving your original files unchanged.
FileMaker
Pro automatically names each converted file without prompting you. FileMaker Pro won’t
overwrite any existing files in the folder. Instead, it adds a number to the end of the filename, and
increments that number if necessary until a unique name is found.
There are several ways to select the files that you want to convert; you can drag and drop the files
(or a folder containing the files) onto the FileMaker
Pro 13 application icon, or you can select
multiple files in the FileMaker
Pro Open dialog box.
Note If a filename includes a period (.), other than the one that precedes the filename extension,
remove it. If a period exists in a filename, FileMaker
Pro won’t add the .fmp12 extension to the
converted file.
To convert multiple files at once: