Uploading files to FileMaker Server

Sharing files on a network > Uploading files to FileMaker Server

Use FileMaker Pro to transfer database files to FileMaker Server. If a database uses container fields that store data externally, FileMaker Pro also uploads the externally stored data.

Note Before you can upload files, you must have the account name and password for the server administrator or for a group administrator that has the privilege to perform actions on databases. See FileMaker Server Help or your server administrator for more information.

For instructions on uploading files to FileMaker Cloud, see FileMaker Cloud Help.

To upload files to FileMaker Server:

1. Click Share in the status toolbar, then choose Upload to FileMaker Server.

Or, choose File menu > Sharing > Upload to FileMaker Server.

2. For Hosts, choose the type of host you want displayed in the list.

Choose	To display
Favorite Hosts	Hosts you previously added as favorites.
Local Hosts	FileMaker Server hosts located on your TCP/IP subnet.
Hosts Listed by LDAP	FileMaker Server hosts available through LDAP.

For information about adding favorite hosts or specifying an LDAP server, see Opening shared files as a client.

3. In the list, choose the host you want to upload files to.

Or, for Host Address, type the host’s domain name (as host.domain.com) or IP address.

4. Enter your FileMaker Server Admin Console account information, then click Next.

You can use the name and password for either the server administrator or a group administrator.

To add your account information to your vault (Windows) or keychain (macOS), select Save password in Credential Manager (Windows) or Save password in Keychain Access (macOS).

5. The server address and destination folder appear at the top of the dialog box. You can change the folder or create a new folder.

FileMaker Server hosts database files in a default folder (MainDB) and two optional additional folders (Additional_1 and Additional_2). If you are a server administrator, you can see all folders. If you are a group administrator, you can see only the folders that your account allows you to see.

To	Do this
Change the destination folder	Click Change. In the Change Folder dialog box, select a different folder, then click OK.
Create a new destination folder	Click Change. In the Change Folder dialog box, select a folder in which you want to create a new folder. Click New Folder, enter the name, then click OK. Note You can create a new folder in only the default or additional database folders.

For more information on folder locations and administrator accounts, see FileMaker Server Help.

6. Select the files you want to upload.

To	Do this
Add files to the upload list	Click Browse, select all the files that you want to add to the upload list, then click Open.
Exclude files from the upload list	Clear the checkbox next to any file that you don’t want to upload.

7. For each file, look in the Status column. If FileMaker Pro detects a problem with a file, it updates the status for that file and clears the checkbox. Confirm that all the files you want to upload are selected.

8. If you want the files to be available on the server for clients to use immediately, select Automatically open databases (on server) after upload.

9. Click Upload.

When the upload completes, FileMaker Pro updates the status for each file to indicate whether the upload was successful.

10. To open an uploaded file in FileMaker Pro, select Open with FileMaker Pro for the file. Then click Done.

FileMaker Pro opens each selected file. The filename and the server name appear in the window’s title bar.

Notes

•When you upload a file, the connection to the host is encrypted using SSL. If security is important in your environment, your server administrator needs to install a custom SSL certificate.

In the Upload to FileMaker Server dialog box, you may see a lock icon that indicates the security level of the connection. See About the security lock icons.

•If password-protected files are required by the server, you cannot upload a file that has:

•a Guest account using the Full Access privilege set

•a Full Access account with an empty password

•a Full Access account with the password stored in the database using the Log in using option in the File Options dialog box (see Setting file options)

•You can’t upload a file that already exists in any FileMaker Server folder (filenames must be unique for the entire server regardless of the folder or subfolder).

•You can upload encrypted database files to FileMaker Server, but FileMaker Pro does not check them for consistency, and FileMaker Server cannot open them automatically after they are uploaded. An encrypted file must be opened by a server administrator or a group administrator with the privilege to perform actions on databases.

•If you select Automatically open databases (on server) after upload, FileMaker Server checks whether the file has some form of sharing enabled when it opens the file. If no sharing is enabled, FileMaker Server automatically enables sharing via FileMaker Network (extended privilege fmapp) for the Full Access privilege set. However, if you enable any sharing—for example, if you enable only the fmwebdirect extended privilege for sharing via FileMaker WebDirect—but do not enable fmapp, then you will not be able to access the file with FileMaker Pro.

•If you cancel a multiple-file upload in progress, files that are completely uploaded remain on the server, partially uploaded files are removed from the server, and FileMaker Pro does not upload any remaining files. The Status column in the Upload to FileMaker Server dialog box indicates which files were uploaded successfully.

•After the upload completes, FileMaker Pro sets a flag in the local version of the file that indicates the file has been uploaded. When you try to open the local version of the file, FileMaker Pro prompts you to choose whether to open the local version or the hosted version of the file on FileMaker Server.

•FileMaker Server may not be able to open uploaded files automatically in these cases:

•The limit on the number of hosted files has been reached.

•The filename extension is not .fmp12 or is not registered on the server.

See FileMaker Server Help for more information.

•For information on how to remove or download a file or remove a folder from the server, see FileMaker Server Help.