How to update Finder

[PapaRed1]

Have made several data changes today (Jan 31,2023) to an app today and want to copy the file to my iPhone and iPad. I typically use the Finder, select the file, and click on "Share", copying using AirDrop. I noted after copying the file, that the data had not updated on either iPad or iPhone.
Checking Finder, I saw that the subject file was dated yesterday. Is there a procedure to update the lists on Finder?
I have closed the application, shut down and restarted the iMac, but the Jan 30 date (with the unchanged data) remains.

Hopefully I have stated my issue clearly. The app shows updated information on my Mac, but AirDrop to iOS devices does not copy the updated data.

 

[MacInWin]

What changes? How did you make them? How did you save them? Is it possible that you saved them to some different location? Is it possible you didn't save them? Maybe they have a different name?

From what I can see, the file was not saved today, but yesterday. The file you are showing is an fmp12 file, which is FileMaker Pro. So is that a FileMaker file or an app, as you said? I'm confused...

 

[PapaRed1]

So how does one save a file on a Mac? If I select File on the top menu bar, I don't see a "Save" option. Does click on "Close" save the file? What happens when I click on the red dot? The application does not close. In order to close the application one must click on the small red dot below the icon in the Dock and select "Quit"

 

[PapaRed1]

Am not trying to confuse you - only educate me - FileMaker Pro is a database file, I changed dates and calculations in some of the fields. I selected "Close" from the top Menu bar, clicked on the little red dot in the upper left corner and the little red dot on the dock. The File (I understood you Mac folks used the term "app") shows the corrected data. It was last updated on Jan 31, 2023. When I "Quit" the application, reboot the computer and restart the File, the file displays the correct information. The finder displays an older (Jan 30, 2023) file date. Finder allows me to select "Date last opened" and "Date modified" and I thought that would display the correct date of the file. I was looking for an "Last Updated" option, but didn't see one.

 

[toMACsh]

If you're in Finder, there will not be a Save option in the File menu. If you're in an app that allows you to created files, there will be a Save option.

Your last statement is correct for apps that allow you to have more than one window open at a time, or more than two files, depending on the type of app. For apps that do not allow two windows at once, clicking on the red dot will Quit the app.

Thus, if you are in an app that does allow more than two windows/files to be open at once, clicking the red dot will close that window or file. If only one window was open, the app does not Quit. Now, if you want to open another file in that app, it doesn't have to go through the process of opening the app. The new file opens more quickly.

Somebody was typing faster than me…

 

[toMACsh]

The finder displays an older (Jan 30, 2023) file date.

Where? In List View? In the Get Info window? Date created or date modified?

 

[PapaRed1]

In order to update the files on my iPad and iPhone, I select the file name in Finder and select Share. The iPhone and iPad receive (via AirDrop) the unchanged data instead of the updated data. It's not an issue since I have a workaround - it's just another thing I can't get my head around with Mac.

 

[PapaRed1]

I don't see a "Save" option on my FileMaker Pro menu bar.

Selecting "Save a Copy as" I can save the file eliminating the save in the "TPMS Save" name. THEN Finder shows the correct date file. So, I'll ask the FileMaker Pro folks how to "Save" a file. I'm used to using Save instead of red dots.

 

[PapaRed1]

From what I can see, the file was not saved today, but yesterday. The file you are showing is an fmp12 file, which is FileMaker Pro. So is that a FileMaker file or an app, as you said? I'm confused...

Based on your comments, I attempted to find "File" in Finder, but could only find "Application". There I found my fmp12 file, and it was the wrong date. After my workaround, (always have a back-up plan) the correct date appeared. Finder is a bit confusing to me, but then I've been accused of strait-line thinking in the past.

 

[MacInWin]

I don't use Filemaker, but on your image there is an option to "close" the file. I suspect that saves the changes you have made as it closes the file. You'll have to look at the user guides, or help, for Filemaker to be sure, but I'm fairly confident that is the step to take.

Some other things you said that need to be addressed:

I selected "Close" from the top Menu bar, clicked on the little red dot in the upper left corner and the little red dot on the dock.

The little red dot does NOT close most apps. It just pushes the app into the background, still running. To properly quit an app, there should be a menu item on the top bar when the app's name is in the upper left corner of the screen. That location is where you can see which window has what is known as the "focus" of the system at the time. So, if it says "Finder," then Finder will see the various things you may do with the mouse, trackpad, keys. If it says "Filemaker," then Filemaker will see the actions, etc. The dot below the icon for the app on the Dock shows that it is still active, even if there are no windows for it showing on the screen. Clicking the dot should make no action, but right clicking it is actually a right click on the icon itself and leads to a menu that does typically have "Quit" on it to quit the app.

The File (I understood you Mac folks used the term "app") shows the corrected data. It was last updated on Jan 31, 2023.

No, an app is an application. Apps may create files, or not, depending on their function and what you do with the app. For example, Pages is an app that can create word processing files and documents. Pages is an app. It saved documents in files with ".pages" as the type. Clicking on a ".pages" document will open Pages (the app) for edit. The documents are NOT saved IN Pages, but on the system, usually in the user's own folder area, wherever the user directs it to save. Ditto for Filemaker. It's an app that creates files with ".fmp12" as the type. But those files are NOT apps, just documents/files that are associated with the app and which will launch the app when double clicked.

When I "Quit" the application, reboot the computer and restart the File, the file displays the correct information. The finder displays an older (Jan 30, 2023) file date. Finder allows me to select "Date last opened" and "Date modified" and I thought that would display the correct date of the file. I was looking for an "Last Updated" option, but didn't see one.

I don't know what you mean by "the file displays the correct information" because "the file" is somewhat ambiguous. If you properly exit an application, most of them will prompt you to close any open files that may exist. Generally you get to save, cancel or delete the changes at that time. From your image of Filemaker, I suspect that if you clicked on "Close" it will close the database you have open. Then to quit from Filemaker, you would click on the name "Filemaker" in the upper left corner and on that menu select "Quit" to quit the app.

What I think is happening is that you are NOT saving the changes properly. Hence, the date of the files don't change.

 

[IWT]

@PapaRed1

As an addendum to Jake's post re Quitting an app:

I opened the Pages app. Wrote TEST, as below. Then Clicked on the Red dot and this is what you see:



I get the same if I type Command = Q. It won't let me Quit unless I say "Where" I want it to be put (Desktop in my case) and it reminds me that I have not given it a name - currently "Untitled".

The options are to Save it to the Desktop with/without a proper Title - OR - Delete the article completely.

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As Jake said, Clicking on the Red dot doesn't always Quit the app, merely hide it in the background. It may Quit it in some cases but you can't be sure.

One way to be sure of quitting/completely closing an app, (Pages in this case), is to Click on the "Pages" icon in the top menu bar adjacent to the Apple icon . This is what the dropdown menu shows:



NB "Quit Pages" at the bottom. Click on that.

Also Note: alongside the "Quit Pages" to the right - is the Keyboard combination for achieving the same result Command + Q. Saves a bit of Mouse work.

What I've described applies to all apps in general.

HTH

Ian

 

[PapaRed1]

Thank you for your responses. I concur with all that you said. I've been using FileMaker since 1997 (ver 4.0) on various PC's, and "Close" was used to "Save" the file and exit the program, application or app - whatever the correct name is.
When I switched to Mac, I assumed the menu options remained the same, and continued to use the "Close" menu option. Sharing with iOS devices shared old data. Not the recently changed data.
This morning I ran a test making changes to the FileMaker data, and "closed" FileMaker. In Finder, the "Date Last Opened" indicated yesterday. I reopened FileMaker, and on the menu I selected the "Save as" option where a dialog box asked where to save, etc. I changed the suggested file name to "TPMS.fmp12" (without the save) and now Finder reflects today's time and date.

 

[PapaRed1]

The red dots don't always react the same. Wonder why?

 

[PapaRed1]

FileMaker does not have a Command Q option on the File Menu. However, I tried the key stroke Command + Q and the FileMaker program quit and the little red dot on the Dock went away! Amazing. (Finder did not update the Last Opened time and date. For me, Finder is useless for finding file information.

 

[MacInWin]

The red dots don't always react the same. Wonder why?

It is a failure of the application creator to follow Apple guidelines on the user interface. That said, sometimes even Apple doesn't follow the guidelines--try App Store for example. The red dot does close the store completely. However for 90%+ of apps, the red dot works as we described, pushing the app into the background, running. The little dot below the icon on the Dock is not red, but is there to indicate that the app is, in fact, running, even if invisible. I think Apple may be moving away from that design as the red dot DOES close Pages completely as well.

For me, Finder is useless for finding file information.

Actually, Finder is THE way to navigate the system and find out what the file/folder status is. You are just not saving the documents properly or Filemaker has a defect in how it saves things. Your workaround, I think, could lead to a real mess of duplicated versions of your databases spread all over your system.

I would recommend you find a user group online for FileMaker users with Macs to see what is the proper way to close and update databases.

 

[PapaRed1]

Finder is of no help finding what the file status is. File Manager it ain't. But then, Apple is a bit different.

 

[MacInWin]

What "status" do you think Finder is not showing you? Finder is the heart of the macOS system, you need to learn how to use it. And yes, Apple is different, that's why most of us moved to it.

 

[PapaRed1]

The "status" is the correct Date Modified. The crux of my issue. When I update a database file, the current modified date is not reflected in Finder. Therefore when i select the file to copy ("Share") to an iOS device, the file is copied via AirDrop, however it is not the current dated file.

 

[MacInWin]

The "status" is the correct Date Modified. The crux of my issue. When I update a database file, the current modified date is not reflected in Finder. Therefore when i select the file to copy ("Share") to an iOS device, the file is copied via AirDrop, however it is not the current dated file.

As I have said before, I do not think you are actually saving the changed file and that is why the date is appearing to you to be wrong. Find the correct way to save Filemaker files and the date will be fine. Finder is NOT wrong, it is showing the last date the file was modified. You can also see the last time a file was opened, which may be different if it was opened and then closed with no changes. I know you say you have used Filemaker for years, but then you are apparently new to macOS, so the way it worked in Windows, or whatever, is NOT how it works in macOS.

 

[PapaRed1]

According to FileMaker HELP:
Saving and copying files
By default, FileMaker Pro automatically saves and commits changes to your data as you work, so there is no Save command. You can, however:
•save a copy of your file as a backup
•save a clone of your file with no data
Some actions do not cause a file to be saved. For details, see "What FileMaker Pro doesn’t save," below.
What FileMaker Pro doesn’t save
FileMaker Pro doesn't save changes to the state of a file, if they are the only changes you make while the file is open. For example, here are some changes that are not saved:
•Displaying a different record or layout
•Sorting records or modifying a sort order
•Performing find operations such as Find, Show All Records, Omit Record, or modifying a find request
•Showing or hiding the status toolbar
For example, if you open a file, sort records, and then close the file, FileMaker Pro does not save the sort order. However, if you open a file, add a new record, sort the records, and then close the file, FileMaker Pro saves the sort order as well as the new record.

Thank you for your kind assistance. I'll figure this out.