Creating file paths
In FileMaker Pro, you can specify file paths to an external file or a FileMaker data source.
Note  A FileMaker “data source” was called a “file reference” in pre-9.0 versions of FileMaker.
Each named file or FileMaker data source can consist of one or more file paths. Use multiple file paths when you want FileMaker Pro to search a list of potential files.
For information on adding a FileMaker data source and specifying file paths, see Connecting to data sources.
FileMaker Pro supports the following file path formats:
 
The network path to a shared FileMaker Pro file
Note  FileMaker Pro does not support URL protocols as file paths.
Examples of single file paths
 
Examples of multiple file paths
Use multiple file paths when you want FileMaker Pro to search a list of potential files. File paths are searched in the order in which they appear. FileMaker Pro opens the first file it is able to successfully locate, which completes the search. Each file path must be on a separate line.
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Example 1: In this example, a FileMaker Pro database must work on two different operating systems: a Windows system that accesses local Windows files, and an OS X system that accesses local OS X files. On both platforms, the database must access a local file named test.xlsx.
filewin:/C:/ExcelFiles/Hosted/test.xlsx
filemac:/MacintoshHD/ExcelFiles/Hosted/test.xlsx
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Example 2: In this example for a scripted record import, a FileMaker Pro database should access a file that is hosted. However, because the host may not be available, you also reference two alternate files, one hosted by a different server, the other stored locally on your hard drive. If the first network file is unavailable, FileMaker Pro will search for the second network file. If the second network file is also unavailable, FileMaker Pro will search for the local file.
fmnet:/192.168.10.10/Databases/test.fmp12
fmnet:/192.168.100.120/Databases/test.fmp12
file:../Databases/test.fmp12
Variables
You can use variables in file paths. Variables let you specify file or folder paths dynamically for many scripts, for example, the Export Records script step. See Using variables.
Use the Set Variable script step to create local and global variables.
You can also use the Let function to specify variables in calculations.
The scope of local variables is limited to the current script. The scope of global variables is limited to the file in which the global variables are defined, for as long as the file remains open.
Examples of using variables in file paths
Assume the following variables:
$fileName = "test.xlsx"
$username = "JohnSmith"
$targetDir = "Documents/Clients"
$chosenType = "filewin"
$$source = "file:Documents/2014/demo files"
$driveLetter = "G:"
$searchList = "file:old results.txt
     file:../archived/old results.txt"
 
Notes
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To create platform-specific file paths, begin the file path with either filemac or filewin. FileMaker Pro only searches the platform-specific file path that corresponds to the operating system on which the FileMaker Pro application is running.
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To create a file path for use with the Insert PDF script step or the Insert Picture script step, begin the file path with image, imagemac, or imagewin.
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To create a file path for use with the Insert Audio/Video script step, begin the file path with movie, moviemac, or moviewin.
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FileMaker does not recommend using an asterisk (*) as a wildcard character in network file paths as it slows FileMaker network traffic. When possible, replace an asterisk with the appropriate IP address or use variables in file paths. If you have converted a database from a previous version of FileMaker Pro, review the converted data sources and replace any asterisks with known IP addresses or network file paths.
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