File-Level Access Security

Troubleshooting

Forgotten Admin Password

What can I do if I forget my Admin password and no longer have [Full Access] privileges?

Unfortunately, you're out of luck. In the past, FileMaker was able to open its own databases and provide access again, but this is no longer technically possible given the encryption used.

We recommend that you create two accounts with [Full Access] privileges and make sure that you (or a single person in your organization) aren't the only one who can gain full access into a database file.

Converted Passwords

I have converted my files from FileMaker Pro 6 to FileMaker Pro 8, and it appears my passwords no longer work. Why might this be the case?

Passwords in FileMaker 8 (and FileMaker 7 before it) are case sensitive. In versions prior to 7, passwords were not case sensitive. For instance, "fish" might open your database when "Fish" is the actual stored password. To remedy this problem, simply return to your database in FileMaker Pro 6 (or earlier) and change the offending password, and then reconvert the files.

Database Doesn't Appear on FileMaker Server

I am hosting a file on FileMaker Server. It's open and I know my [Full Access] admin account information, but the file doesn't show up in the list of databases available on that server.

Remember that to access a FileMaker file remotely through the network, you will need to turn on the extended privilege for FileMaker Network Access. Even though you have a [Full Access] account, by default no extended privileges are enabled for any accounts within FileMaker.

Closing and Reopening File for Testing

I'm trying to enable security settings, and I keep having to close and reopen the file to do proper testing. Is there some better way to test other accounts?

We strongly recommend that you create a logout script and button for your users to use. Then, after that's available via whatever interface you choose, we recommend folding some conditional logic in for you as a developer. If, for example, you hold down the Shift key in the following script, it will perform a relogin step without forcing the user to close and reopen the file:

Logout # purpose: Logout with relogin for testing # Shift key performs relogin If [ Get ( ActiveModifierKeys ) = 1 ] Re-Login [ ] Else Close File [ Current File ] End If #