Administrator’s Guide

5-16 FileMaker Server Administrator’s Guide
Recalculating the Today function
in hosted databases
The Today function in FileMaker Pro updates whenever a database
file is opened. If a database file you’re hosting with
FileMaker Server contains fields that use the Today function, you
must close that file and reopen it each day for this function to
recalculate correctly. See the FileMaker Pro 5 User’s Guide for
information on the Today function.
Tip You can avoid using the Today function by creating a calculation
field that uses the Status(CurrentDate) function in FileMaker Pro.
If you have the Server Administration plug-in installed on a client
computer, you can use the FileMaker Server remote administration
capability to recalculate the Today function as described below.
Mac OS: You can alternatively open and close the database using the
local administration capability as described on page 5-11.
To recalculate the Today function:
1. Log on to a Windows client computer or a computer running the
Mac OS located on the same network as your FileMaker Server
computer.
2. Click the Start button > Programs > FileMaker Pro 5 (Windows) or
double-click the FileMaker Pro 5 application icon (Mac OS).
3. Click Hosts and select the name of your FileMaker Server
computer.
4. In the Remote Administration window, select the database
containing the Today function in the Files or Folders tab, then click
Close File.
5. Click Open File, select the file that you just closed, then click OK.
Closing and reopening the database in FileMaker Server causes the
Today function to be recalculated by the next FileMaker Pro guest
who opens the hosted file.
6. Choose File menu > Close to close the Remote Administration
window.
7. In FileMaker Pro, choose File menu > Open.
8. In the Open dialog box, click Hosts.
9. Double-click the file containing the Today function to access it as
a guest.
A message appears stating that the Today function is being
calculated. This process may take some time depending on the
number of records and other database calculations in the file.
Tips
1 You can automate the process of opening and closing files by
setting up a schedule in FileMaker Server to run a .CMD script
(Windows) or an AppleScript (Mac OS). For more information about
running scripts on a schedule, see chapter 6, “Scheduling
administrative tasks with FileMaker Server.”
1 Windows: You can use the Schedule service provided with
Windows to perform these steps each day. See the sample files in the
RCToday folder in the Examples folder, inside the
FileMaker Server 5 folder, and the Windows documentation for
more information about the Schedule service.
1 Mac OS: You can automate how you recalculate the Today
function in hosted databases using the sample AppleScript named
Recalculate Today Function located in the AppleScript Examples
folder inside the FileMaker Server 5 folder.