Developer’s Guide (Mac OS)

Preparing solution files 3-13
Converting and upgrading solution files
This section assumes you have developed a solution in the FileMaker Pro
2.1 SDK and want to upgrade your current end-users to FileMaker Pro 3.0
SDK. This lets you take advantage of the many new features in FileMaker
Pro 3.0, such as relational capabilities and more robust scripting.
To upgrade your solution files:
1. Convert the 2.x solution files to FileMaker Pro 3.0.
2. Add new features to the solution files, such as relational capabilities.
3. Create scripts to import data from your end-user’s 2.x solution files
to the new solution files.
Converting solution files
Start by opening the FileMaker Pro 2.x solution files in FileMaker Pro
3.0. The 2.x files will be renamed (“Filename old”) and the converted
files will keep the same name. If the solution files use lookups or
external scripts, the converted files will continue to work together. If
your end-users need to import their data into the new solution files, save
a copy of the converted files. Later, you will create scripts to import data
from the 2.x solution files.
Adding new features
Carefully plan how you will change your solution files. For example,
you might eliminate lookup or repeating fields to take advantage of the
new relational capabilities in FileMaker Pro 3.0. If you’re changing the
database structure significantly, it might be easier to start a new solution
file rather than to upgrade the existing database structure.
Some tips to keep in mind:
1 You need a key field to establish relational links. If you are upgrading
a solution that does not have a key field, you might need to create a
temporary solution file, import the end-user’s data, assign a unique
key, and then import that data into another file that has relationships
based on the key field.