Title
Open and save file in container
Post
Hello
We store Word docs in FM12 container fields. I want users to be able to open the files in Word, edit and save them as required, and for the users always to access the latest version of the file.
But when the files are opened (by using Export Field Contents), a copy of the file is opened, not the original file, so any changes in Word are not saved as they are overwritten by the original FileMaker version the next time the file gets exported from FileMaker.
I've tried storing the files as file references, but the same problem - it's not the original file that gets opened but a copy each time.
I can't see why there's not a simple "Open" command for a container (as well as Export Field Contents) that just opens the original file. Or is there another way around this?
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
Marcus
Two cents:
I think 90% of your problem will be the administrative management of issues, latest, who gets to edit now, what happens to conflicting edits, etc; nothing to do with the FM aspect of the problem.
If you want to do exactly as you asked, namely: click to open the Word document, edit it, save, and when the next user clicks to open they see the updated version, etc that is easy. Simply make a button that uses Open URL and set that to be the filepath to the Word document. It will open, allow edit, save, and when you click the 'Open' button next time it will be the new version.
You could include the 'Record Locking' feature by setting the 'Booked out to' field, and checking for that before you let the next user open it.
The users will have to get into the practice of 'Unbooking' the documents they have currently 'booked ou', but it is an easy housekeeping task to verify which docs are currently booked, and by whom.
This simplicity of course means that there is no version tracking. That could be good or bad. Of course all the suggestions depend upon good admin practices by the users.