Script Editor Cut, copy, paste problems in FMP A 16 and FMP 19 under Mac Sequoia

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These commands, both via keyboard shortcuts and menu items, are not working in the Script Workspace. Whatever I cut or copy, the same five lines that I remember copying days ago, keep getting pasted. This is in FileMaker Pro Advanced 16.0.6 and FileMaker Pro 19.6.3.

At first I thought it was an Apple problem, but it isn't, it's just FileMaker. And it's only in the Script Workspace; I can copy and paste all I like in fields.

I have two plugins, CNS Menu and MBS Plugin. First I disabled one, and tried again, still unsuccessfully, then I disabled both, and for a brief moment cut-copy-paste was working again. (I restarted FileMaker after each change.) I tentatively enabled one plugin, and it still worked, then the other, then both, and it still worked. Hooray, I thought! But no. As soon as I reopened FileMaker after closing it, the problem was back.

I reinstalled FileMaker 16.0.6. That was a process in itself. Updaters that worked before kept insisting that what they wanted to update wasn't there, and it definitely was. Anyway, I ended up updating it from with in the app.

As you can imagine, this is making any kind of development extremely long winded, as well as open to error.

I know they're not the most recent versions, but I'm retired and only use them privately, so I don't need, and can't afford up to date versions.

Any help or advice gratefully received.

FileMaker Pro Advanced 16.0.6

FileMaker Pro 19.6.3

Mac OS Sequoia 15.7.5

Apple Studio 2022

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It sounds like the plug-ins are conflicting with one another. This may be because of changes in the operating system.

If things work smoothly when either one is on, but fail when both are on, you'll have to make a choice between them.

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MBS Plugin is up to date? Version 16.x?

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Thank you. But I should have made it clear, it's still happening now, without either plugin. Also, I've never installed any plugins in FMP 19, and it happens there too.

Strangely enough, in another User on the same machine, it works fine. And that has Troi DIalog and Troi File, not CNS Menu and MBS Plugin. I have had problems before with different Users acting in different ways for no apparent reason, and not just in FileMaker. Perhaps due to Apple's habit of randomly changing my settings without informing me, especially in Finder. Or is it just me?

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Thanks. No, it's 15.0. But I don't think MBS Plugin is the problem. I thought I'd found the answer, but I was wrong.

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  1. If I were up against a situation where FMP copy/paste is hanging on to stale data for one user account on a machine, but not all accounts, I would consider clearing out the local cache for the user account experiencing the problem to see if that helps.

Soliant has a blog post about that here:

  1. Out of curiosity, I might use a plugin to inspect the XML which is being copied while in the script editor. I would do this to see if I could determine whether the issue happens at the point of copy, i.e., no matter what one attempts to copy, some stale data gets put onto the clipboard, or if the issue happens at the point of paste, i.e., the clipboard contents are properly set, but no matter what those contents are, other script steps are being pasted.

  2. I'd also be curious to know if copying/pasting entire scripts (from the list of scripts in the left-side pane) still works ok, i.e., the problem is limited to just copying/pasting script steps.

The curiosity points above, admittedly, may not solve anything, but the hope is that seeking an enhanced understanding of the symptoms could provoke a helpful idea...

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Thanks for that. Unfortunately, there is no DBCache folder. There are ContainerCache, which is empty, DBFileThumbnails, also empty, and QuickStart, containing the appropriate .fmp12 files. I even created a DBCache folder, to see if that would force anything, but no.

I tried the "Delete cached temp files" in FMP 19, but it didn't work, as there was nothing to delete.

Then I used AppZapper to delete both FMPA 16 and FMP 19, and I deleted all the other files in the folders in Applications. I couldn't find anything in Preferences or Preference Panes, and there were a couple of things in Application Support/FileMaker. Then I reinstalled both apps. Problem persists.

Short of creating a whole new User, with all the stress that would entail, especially with email and browsers, can anyone think of anything else I can do? Many thanks.

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HUGE, GROVELLING APOLOGY!!!

I have wasted not only hours and hours of my time, but some of yours too. :frowning:

It would appear that this is a .fmp12 file problem, not a FileMaker problem. There are some of my user files that work absolutely ok, and some that don't. So we're looking at some kind of file corruption. I used to use FMDiff before it ended, and I can't afford BaseElements now I'm retired. But I will recreate these files from scratch, and fingers crossed, they should be fine.

As my Dad used to say, "assume makes an ass of u and me"!

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Good luck with recreating it (and welcome to the Soup, by the way)!

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Maybe a custom menu?

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Thanks! and Thanks!

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Thanks, but fortunately that's not necessary, as it was a file problem, not a system one. If FMDiff was still around, this would have been identified earlier.

Strangely enough (2), the same thing happened a few days later, only the problem this time was that one particular script step (New Window) in one script was coprrupted, and caused FM to crash. So I rebuilt the file. Again!