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Closing shared files

Before a shared file can be closed by a host, all clients must close the file. FileMaker Pro allows you to prompt networked clients to close the shared file when you do one of the following: close the file, change the sharing conditions for the file, exit FileMaker Pro, or perform a task that requires all clients to close the file. If a client does not respond to your request to close a shared file within 30 seconds, FileMaker Pro attempts to close the shared file on the clients’ machine.

To close a shared file:

1.	On the computer hosting the file, choose File menu > Close.

2.	If any clients have the shared file open, you see a dialog box listing those clients. Click Ask to send a message to these clients requesting that they close the file.

Clients see a dialog box requesting that they close the file.

 

If	Then FileMaker Pro
Clients click Cancel	Waits for those clients to close the file
Clients click Close Now	Closes the shared file on the client's computer. (If other FileMaker Pro files are open, they are left open.)
Clients do nothing	Attempts to close the file after 30 seconds, if it can be closed safely

Once all clients have closed the file, FileMaker Pro closes the file on your computer.

Tip  As the host, you can send a message to all clients accessing the database. Choose File menu > Sharing > Share with FileMaker Clients to open the FileMaker Network Settings dialog box. Select the shared database from the Currently open files list. Click the Send Message button, type a message in the Send Message dialog box, and click OK.

To quit FileMaker Pro when you're hosting a shared file: Choose File menu > Exit (Windows), or FileMaker Pro menu > Quit FileMaker Pro (OS X). If you see a dialog box listing connected users, click Ask. Once all clients have closed the file, FileMaker Pro closes the file on your computer and then quits.

Related topics 

Opening files as the host