Open dialog box can hang if desktop has alias to remote server (4 Comments)

Issue report by Dr Bev

Product

FileMaker Pro

Version

v12 & v13

Operating system version

10.10.2

Description of the issue

I have found a bug in both FileMaker pro 12 and 13.

​If you have an alias on the desktop that is an alias to a remote server, it can take the Open dialog window a long time to load if your remote server is slow or inaccessible.

Here's how I found my bug:

On the desktop of my laptop is an alias to one of my university's remote server. At home, I have to connect to my university's VPN before the server can mount/be located. Most of the time, I don't use the VPN since I don't usually need to access the remote server. I just connect to the internet through my home's native network.

Here is where lies the trouble. If I'm not on a VPN connection when the Open dialog window for FileMaker Pro is active and I have navigated to the desktop, FileMaker Pro will hang for minutes (maybe 10 to 20 minutes) trying to access the remote server.

Mind you, I didn't ask FileMaker Pro to access the remote server. Simply because I have asked FileMaker Pro to display desktop items, it seems that it tries to connect the remote server through the alias. So it beachballs for tens of minutes until it gives up and then returns control to the user.

Steps to reproduce the problem

1. Create an alias to a remote server and place the alias on your desktop
2. Find a way to make the Mac unable to locate the server (e.g., turn off your network connection)
3. Open FileMaker Pro and go to File > Open
4. Navigate to the desktop from the dialog window

Expected result

Items displayed

Actual result

FileMaker hangs for tens of minutes until it gives up and finally the user to control the window.

Workaround

Delete alias of remote server from the desktop