Reference > Script steps reference > Control script steps > Pause/Resume Script
 

Pause/Resume Script

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

See also 

Options 

Indefinitely pauses the script until the user clicks Continue (a button created by FileMaker Pro Advanced in the status toolbar) or presses Enter.

For duration pauses the script for the number of seconds you specify.

Compatibility 

 

Product 

Supported 

FileMaker Pro Advanced 

Yes 

FileMaker Go 

Yes 

FileMaker WebDirect 

Yes 

FileMaker Server 

Yes 

FileMaker Cloud products 

Yes 

FileMaker Data API 

Yes 

Custom Web Publishing 

Yes 

Runtime solution 

Yes 

Originated in 

FileMaker Pro 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 Advanced 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 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 a FileMaker Cloud product, 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.

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

Related topics 

Script steps reference (alphabetical list)

Script steps reference (category list)

About formulas