GoZync3

Integration

These are the notes for GoZync 3. Docs for the latest version of GoZync--GoZync 4--can be found here. GoZync 4 is a free upgrade and is highly recommended (hint: it's faster).

Overview

Before you add GoZync to your solution, we strongly recommend you play with our sample files and do at least one real "Zync" of data before you get to work. If at all possible, do this on your iPad/iPhone and FileMaker Server/Host so you can see how this will work when you're done. This will also ensure you can see your server / host from your mobile device: something you'll want to know before you needlessly tear into some scripts wondering what's wrong.

(Not that we've ever done that.) =)

Step by step instructions for uploading and playing with the sample files can be found here Getting Started.

Organizing your files.

While you'll eventually put your hosted files on your host or server – and the local files on your iPad, iPhone, or laptop – you can do the integration either all on your server, all on your desktop, or with some files served and some local.

There are only a few things that have to be true about your setup:

• Your mobile file has to be "next to" (in the same folder as) GoZyncMobile.

• Your hosted file needs to be "next to" (in the same folder as) GoZyncHosted.

• And GoZyncHosted and GoZyncLicense need to be in the same folder as each other. this is how GoZync ships, with files beside each other in their "Local" and "Host" folders.

• You can rename some of the files if you need to.

To get started with the integration, place the files where you want to work with them and open them all. You'll need the three GoZync files open and have both your hosted and mobile file open.

If you don't have a mobile file yet, take a minute to make a copy of your hosted file and rename it to something like "MyFileMobile"; that will be your new mobile file. You can refine it later, removing scripts, tables, and layouts that your mobile users don't need.

Field and Layout Names.

As part of this integration you'll be pointing GoZync at some layouts in your solution, and creating some new layouts in the GoZync files. Here are a couple things to keep in mind, and possibly to change before you go any further:

None of the fields in tables you zync can have "strange" characters in the field names. In particular #, •, ~ and ! in field, table, or file names will break GoZync, so change those before you get started.

FileMaker can't tell the difference between a layout folder and a layout. So if you want to sync a layout of yours called "Contacts" and it's in a layout folder called "Contacts," things will break. Please change your folder name to something like "Contacts Folder" before you get started.

And while FileMaker will let you have more than one layout with the same name, GoZync won't, so rename any duplicate layout names you have that may be Zynced.

Getting to Work

Backup your files and get started

1. Back Up Your Files.

This is not a drill. If you're doing all this on the server, download one of your server's backups and verify that you can open it without issue. If you're working locally, save a compacted copy of all the files you'll be working with, zip them, and tuck that under your pillow.

1 of 4: Starting the Integration: the Main Layout to Sync

You may be syncing lots of tables, and lots of different kinds of records, but you'll configure them one at a time. Choose the first table you'd like to work with and let's get started selecting the layout to sync and teaching GoZync about it here.

2 of 4: Related Tables

You may not have related tables – they're not supported in the free version, for instance, or you may have a flat file. But visit the second tab to see if GoZync sees any related tables you need to configure. Tab 2.

3 of 4: Pasting in Fields and Scripts

You'll have to add a couple of things to your files: Tab 3 of 4.

4 of 4: Wiring up the relationship graph in the GoZync files

Connect your table occurrences to GoZync: Tab 4.

Wrapping Up

You've finished integrating one layout, what's next?

Just a few more things to check out before you can test your sync....

Field mapping. If your host and mobile tables have different field names, you'll want to select the layout again from the dashboard, proceed to the integration, and click on the Field Mapping tab (the 5th of 4 tabs). =)

Look here for more details on setting up Custom Field Mapping.

Other tables. You may have other layouts and table occurrences you want to sync. You can set those up now, but it might be nice to see a sync run before you dive back into these integration instructions for a new table.

Zync options. Before you run a Zync, set up the Zync Options for the layout you just integrated.

Testing your first zync. That's it... time to play. Here's how.

Going Further

Now that the sync is working..

Add the zync buttons from our example file to your mobile file.

Copy and paste the sync buttons from our example files to yours. Modify the script parameter as needed. Learn more about these scripts and the parameters they accept here: Zync It.

Getting the files to your users: uploading your file for distribution.

Once you're done with your mobile file – or done for now – learn about how GoZync can help with distributing mobile files.

Triggering Syncs from Related Records in your mobile file.

If your mobile file has related records (like an invoice has line items), then you need to make an extra change to your file to ensure that if only a line item is modified, GoZync still sees the parent record as modified and thus ready to Zync. More here: triggering syncs