Sharing files on a network > Uploading files to a FileMaker host
 

Uploading files to a FileMaker host

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

Note  Before you can upload files, you must have an account that permits uploading.

For FileMaker Server, you must have the account name and password for the server administrator.

For FileMaker Cloud for AWS, you must have the administrator user name and password.

For FileMaker Cloud, you must be signed in to FileMaker ID as a team manager.

Each type of host may have different requirements for the files you are allowed to upload. See FileMaker Server Help and FileMaker Cloud product documentation in the Product Documentation Center.

To upload files to a FileMaker host:

1. Choose File menu > Sharing > Upload to Host.

2. In the left pane, click Show next to the type of host you want displayed in the list.

 

Choose

To display

Favorites

Hosts you previously added as favorites

Local

FileMaker Server hosts located on your TCP/IP subnet

<FileMaker ID team name>

Your team's FileMaker Cloud host

If you're not signed in to FileMaker ID, click Sign In.

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

Or, to add a host, click Add favorite host button and type the host's domain name (as host.domain.com) or IP address.

4. For a FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud for AWS host, enter your account information, then click Sign In.

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

5. To change the destination folder or create a new folder (if supported by the host), click Change.

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 list, then click Open. Or, drag files to the right pane.

Exclude files from the upload list

Clear the checkbox next to any file that you don't want to upload.

You may be asked for the encryption passwords for the files you're uploading.

7. For each file, look in the Status column. If FileMaker Pro Advanced 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 host for clients to use immediately (if supported by the host), select Automatically open files (on server) after upload.

9. Click Upload.

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

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

FileMaker Pro Advanced opens each selected file. The filename and the host name appear in the window's title bar.

Notes 

When you upload a file, the connection to the host is encrypted using SSL. If you're using FileMaker Cloud for AWS or FileMaker Server and security is important in your environment, your server administrator needs to install a custom SSL certificate.

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

You can't upload a file that already exists in any folder on the host; filenames must be unique for the entire host regardless of the folder or subfolder.

After the upload is completed, FileMaker Pro Advanced stores in the local version of the file that this file has been uploaded. When you try to open the local version of the file, FileMaker Pro Advanced prompts you to choose whether to open the local version or the hosted version of the file.

If you cancel a multifile upload in progress, files that are completely uploaded remain on the host, partially uploaded files are removed from the host, and FileMaker Pro Advanced does not upload any remaining files. The Status column in the Upload to Host dialog box indicates which files were uploaded successfully.

FileMaker Pro Advanced does not check encrypted database files for consistency before uploading them.

Related topics 

Opening shared files as a client

Setting permitted hosts and plug-ins preferences

Setting up container fields to store data externally

Open Upload To Host script step