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Author’s note: Inevitable comparisons will be drawn between the new While function and the venerable CustomList custom function, which I wrote about at length several years ago. Preliminary testing indicates that CustomList is faster under certain circumstances and While is faster under others. In my opinion, both of them belong in your developer tool kit. […]
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Michael Layne from Gearbox Solutions presents on FileMaker’s new JSON functions. He does a deep dive into FileMaker’s new JSON functions and demos several examples of how they are using JSON for passing parameters, populating form data, validation and rollback, managing session info such as value lists as global. Michael also demos REST client and REST server with new data API.
The post FileMaker JSON, REST, and the Data API appeared first on Blue Feather - FileMaker Developer, Android, We
[ Edit: 3/16/2016 - With the help of some other people, we have been able to recover, or recreate some of the original images from original thread. ]
Security is always a big topic when it involves data, or people, or possessions. Recently, over on the FileMaker Community, there was a very beneficial discussion regarding security. Unfortunately, that discussion was the victim of a necessary action...and was deleted. It was deleted, because the discussion was tied to a video that, as was det
Hacking Your Own FileMaker Platform Solutions
Should FileMaker Platform developers mount hacking attacks on their own solutions? At first glance, this may seem an odd question. But I believe that the answer is “Yes, we should.”
Consider this. As developers we see our solutions from a totally different perspective than Threat Agents see them. Without practicing our own hacking skills, we can become blind to the vulnerabilities a Threat Agent can exploit to compromise the Confidentiality
FileMaker Kanban is the latest tool that offers familiar functionality for users and flexibility for the developer. It offers great functionality and organizes your data visually into lanes and cards.
The post FileMaker Kanban: Organize Your Data appeared first on Geist Interactive.
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No Access? Watch the preview video here. AccordionMenus_Pre.mp4
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AccordionMenus.zip
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By Matt Petrowsky
When you’re designing in a small cramped space, and you’ve got a lot to put on the layout, you can always go for that native Popover button widget to store the extra info.
But when all that information needs to feel somehow connected to each other, just using a bunch of Popover buttons on the layout may not work well. In these cases, it’s best to go wit
When you’re designing in a small cramped space, and you’ve got a lot to put on the layout, you can always go for that native Popover button widget to store the extra info.
But when all that information needs to feel somehow connected to each other, just using a bunch of Popover buttons on the layout may not work well. In these cases, it’s best to go with an Accordion menu.
This familiar design pattern is very easy to accomplish within FileMaker and, when done right, can be a simple matter of c
We made a heat map in FileMaker! Learn how to use vector-based SVG button icons for some very flexible custom charting. Includes a video, sample demo file and SVGs for all 50 states. https://www.dbservices.com/articles/heat-maps-in-filemaker/
dbservices.com
No Access? Watch the preview video here. FriendlyAlphabetFiltering_Pre.mp4
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By Matt Petrowsky
As a developer, it’s often hard to get out of a mindset where your response of “It’s simple silly, you just search for a portion of the word, not the whole word.” to the question of a particular search not providing a user’s expected results.
This type of response may come from a user when they mention they know the user “Petrow
As a developer, it’s often hard to get out of a mindset where your response of “It’s simple silly, you just search for a portion of the word, not the whole word.” to the question of a particular search not providing a user’s expected results.
This type of response may come from a user when they mention they know the user “Petrowsky” is in the database but it doesn’t come across verbally that they’re really searching for “Petrowski” - which obviously doesn’t match the version ending in a “y” ins
Welcome back for a second dip into the developer bag of tips and tricks. A few of today’s entries assume familiarity with part 1, so if you haven’t already checked it out, I invite you to do so before proceeding. We begin today with a couple ExecuteSQL tips. Tip #1: Get to know COALESCE The […]
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By Matt Petrowsky
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If it hasn’t happened to you yet, then it will at some point. Your FileMaker solution will simply grow and grow and you’ll be adding complex layers of security and access as you develop.
As you add that security, your users may report back that they can’t do what they’re supposed to do. Maybe they’re locked out of a given layout with a giant gray screen with the small words of “No Access”.
U
If it hasn’t happened to you yet, then it will at some point. Your FileMaker solution will simply grow and grow and you’ll be adding complex layers of security and access as you develop.
As you add that security, your users may report back that they can’t do what they’re supposed to do. Maybe they’re locked out of a given layout with a giant gray screen with the small words of “No Access”.
Ughhh! What does your user do now? Why should you even be dealing with this issue?
What you really need
No Access? Watch the preview video here. SimplifiedSearchQueries_Pre.mp4
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SimplifiedSearchQueries.zip
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By Matt Petrowsky
As a software/database developer, one of your primary goals is making your solutions easy to use. This means users should be able to perform common queries by simply clicking buttons which run the queries automatically.
This is probably something you already do. But, the big question is this, “Do you make it easy on yourself for cre
As a software/database developer, one of your primary goals is making your solutions easy to use. This means users should be able to perform common queries by simply clicking buttons which run the queries automatically.
This is probably something you already do. But, the big question is this, “Do you make it easy on yourself for creating those simple queries?” Many developers will create a unique script for each of the various queries, and in some cases this is just fine. It’s when you start fe
No Access? Watch the preview video here. DeveloperTipsTricks_Pre.mp4
By Matt Petrowsky
As with all mastery of any trade, it’s a matter of familiarity with the tools, along with practiced skill, in which a craftsman can hone his or her proficiency. In development, it’s often a matter of knowing which tools are available, and how to use them, which may make the difference.
In this video, I showcase the tools I use, their most important features and how I personally use them. If becomin
As with all mastery of any trade, it’s a matter of familiarity with the tools, along with practiced skill, in which a craftsman can hone his or her proficiency. In development, it’s often a matter of knowing which tools are available, and how to use them, which may make the difference.
In this video, I showcase the tools I use, their most important features and how I personally use them. If becoming a more efficient and capable FileMaker developer is one of your goals then make sure to watch th
Our 2016 FileMaker training courses are scheduled!
Our trainers are Certified FileMaker Developers, who have been developing custom solutions at Skeleton Key for many years. Please visit each page for information, dates, and to register.
If you would like an individual invoice, please contact us. We offer a multi-person discount for companies that would like to send more than one trainee. Please contact us with interest in this discount. We offer on-site training for companies that qualify.
Have you heard of FileMaker's New Product Idea Space on the Community? Learn more about it and why we love it! Video included. https://www.dbservices.com/articles/filemaker-embraces-crowdsourcing/
dbservices.com
Over the last few years I’ve been collecting miscellaneous tips and tricks with the thought of eventually aggregating them into a blog posting, and it appears that day has finally come. Ideally there will be something new and useful here for developers of all levels, from the neophyte to the most grizzled of FileMaker veterans. […]
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No Access? Watch the preview video here. SendingEmailMerging_Pre.mp4
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By Matt Petrowsky
What would a database solution be without the ability to send email? Well, it would be a database solution without the ability to send email - but who wants that right?
Email is obviously an integral part of our modern day communication. And, despite what the Twitters, Facebooks and Instagrams of the world would have you believe, email
What would a database solution be without the ability to send email? Well, it would be a database solution without the ability to send email - but who wants that right?
Email is obviously an integral part of our modern day communication. And, despite what the Twitters, Facebooks and Instagrams of the world would have you believe, email is here to stay.
The easiest way to add email support to a FileMaker database is to simply use the Send Mail script step. But, that’s boring, and sometimes it d
By Matt Petrowsky
As we’ve all likely heard before, a movie isn’t just great because of the cinematography, it’s the sound that counts just as much. What you hear, not just see, is what makes the difference between good and great.
So, if sound is so critical to a movie, then the analogy to a FileMaker layout is color. Sure, anyone can move and arrange fields and objects into some semblance of order. And, using FileMaker’s layout objects to furnish your layout for the best possible user
As we’ve all likely heard before, a movie isn’t just great because of the cinematography, it’s the sound that counts just as much. What you hear, not just see, is what makes the difference between good and great.
So, if sound is so critical to a movie, then the analogy to a FileMaker layout is color. Sure, anyone can move and arrange fields and objects into some semblance of order. And, using FileMaker’s layout objects to furnish your layout for the best possible user experience does take a bit
Time to look for a technology that fits your needs, but not sure where to begin? Check out our comparison of FileMaker and QuickBase. YouTube video comparison included. https://www.dbservices.com/articles/filemaker-vs-quickbase/
dbservices.com
In a recent discussion at the FileMaker Community a question was asked about why a FileMaker developer would choose NOT to use SQL-friendly field names. It's an important question that I believe many FileMaker developers often answer incorrectly. Here's a bit about how my view of naming conventions has changed over time.
For reference, a SQL-friendly field name in FileMaker would be a name that:
starts with a letter
contains only letters, numbers, and underscore characters
is not
No Access? Watch the preview video here. SavingWindowState_Pre.mp4
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SavingWindowState.zip
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By Matt Petrowsky
When developing in FileMaker, the feature set it offers accounts for a good number of common tasks and provides easy solutions for most of these problems. There are a few issues, however, which FileMaker either hasn’t addressed or wants to leave up to the developer.
One of these is saving the current window state. This applies to tab panels, sl
When developing in FileMaker, the feature set it offers accounts for a good number of common tasks and provides easy solutions for most of these problems. There are a few issues, however, which FileMaker either hasn’t addressed or wants to leave up to the developer.
One of these is saving the current window state. This applies to tab panels, sliders and moving from layout to layout or when closing the file. The desired result, for the end user, is to simply return to where they left off when re
