14 FileMaker Pro Advanced Development Guide
Importing table schema
1. Open the database file into which you want to import a table.
2. Choose File menu > Define > Database > Tables tab.
3. Click Import.
4. In the Open File dialog box, select the source file.
5. In the Import Tables dialog box, select the tables you want to
import from the list and click
OK.
6. In the Import Summary dialog box, click Open log file to see a more
detailed log of the procedure or click
OK to close the dialog box.
Note If you created fields or tables and want to import them into the
same file, close the Define Database dialog box once before
importing.
Using custom functions
Use the Custom Functions feature to create custom functions that can
be reused anywhere in the database file in which they are created.
Once formulas are written for the function, they don’t have to be
rewritten to be applied to other fields or used in other scripts.
You can maintain and edit custom functions and the formulas they
contain in one central location. Any change made to the custom
function will be copied to all instances where that custom function has
been used.
1 Any users of the database file that contains a custom function can
use the function if they have the proper permissions.
1 Custom functions will run in both FileMaker Pro and FileMaker
Pro Advanced, and across multiple platforms, but they can only be
created and edited in FileMaker
Pro Advanced.
1 Newly defined functions appear under their own category in the
functions list of the Specify Calculation and Define Custom Functions
dialog boxes.
1 If you do not wish to reveal your custom functions, you can disable
the display of them in these dialog boxes.
1 If you do not have full access privileges and attempt to edit a
scripting or field calculation that uses a custom function that is
restricted to full access accounts, you will see the string
<Private
Function>
instead of the custom function. You cannot change the
calculation when
<Private Function> appears in the formula.
Creating custom functions
You must have Full Access privileges to the currently active database
to use the Custom Functions feature.
To create a custom function:
1. Choose File menu > Define > Custom Functions.
2. In the Define Custom Functions dialog box, click New.
3. In the Edit Custom Function dialog box, for Function Name, type a
name.
Custom function names have the following qualifications:
1 Names must be unique.
1 Names cannot exceed 100 characters in length.
1 Names can contain spaces, but you should use underscores
instead.
4. Build a formula.
For more information about building formulas, see Help.
5. If the formula requires parameters, type the parameter name in
Function Parameters and click the Plus button.
You can edit or delete a parameter name by selecting it in the list and
clicking the
Edit or Delete buttons.
