Pause/Resume Script

Pauses a script so the user can perform other tasks in the current window.

Options 

  • Indefinitely pauses the script until the user clicks Continue (a button created by FileMaker Pro in the status toolbar) or presses Enter.
  • For duration pauses the script for the number of seconds you specify.

Compatibility 

Product Supported
FileMaker Pro Yes
FileMaker Go Yes
FileMaker WebDirect Yes
FileMaker Server Yes
FileMaker Cloud Yes
FileMaker Data API Yes
Custom Web Publishing Yes

Originated in version 

6.0 or earlier

Description 

This script step can, for example, wait for a user to enter data, and then guide the user from screen to screen, prompting for data entry as needed. You can also use Pause/Resume Script to help debug your scripts, for example, to see what value is in a field at a particular point in a script or to evaluate the progress of a script.

The Pause/Resume Script script step operates on the foreground window of the file from which the script is performed. If the script’s current window is hidden, Pause/Resume Script brings that window to the front and shows it.

The For duration value must evaluate as a number, which is the duration of the pause in seconds. If you use the Specify Calculation dialog box to determine the duration, the calculation result must be a number or your script will not pause.

To give you more control over a user's actions when a script pauses, FileMaker Pro makes some menu commands unavailable to users. You can define buttons to let users perform actions not available on the menus.

Notes 

  • A Pause/Resume Script script step unfreezes a Freeze Window script step.
  • In FileMaker WebDirect, if the Pause/Resume Script step pauses a script and the web user is idle for longer than the session timeout specified in Admin Console for FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud, the web user’s connection closes and the script ends early, which may lead to unexpected results.
  • In Custom Web Publishing and the FileMaker Data API, this script step is supported, but you should avoid using it. If the script remains in a paused state until the session times out, then the script will not be completed.

Example 1 

Goes to the Print Invoices layout and pauses. The user can click a Continue button on the status toolbar or the layout to print the records.

Copy
Go to Layout ["Print Invoices"]
Pause/Resume Script [Indefinitely]
Print [Restore: Printer; With dialog: Off]
Go to Layout [original layout]