Community Videos, Tips, & Techniques, Articles.

Not a fan of reading a tome on a computer screen, too many other distractions to get you thru the content that really want to read? Check out Spritz which has a Spritzlet that you can add to your browser bar and then read long form text on most web pages. http://www.spritzlet.com After a bit of practice you can be reading more then 450 words per minute, and actually retain more of what you read. Although it works for narrative text - you may need to be selective when trying to consume technical articles or codes with a lot of examples. Cheers Stephen

Do you travel a lot for your job and need the best route possible to save time and money? Learn how to connect your FileMaker solution with the Google Maps Directions API for route optimization! Free sample file and video included. https://www.dbservices.com/articles/filemaker-google-route-optimization/ David Happersberger www.dbservices.com

Little tip ... It often happens that we wish to not allow pasting in a field. It 's simple, just two steps of a script and the trigger OnObjectEnter Set Selection [ Start Position:1 ] Copy [ ] Copyng an empty selection clears the clipboard.

In my view, in the world of FileMaker Server the concerns of owners and admin with FMS11 and earlier are little different to those of FMS14 admins today. Yes, the product has developed and we now have the new appearance layer from 12 onwards, and WebDirect from 13 on. But, the underlying issue remains, how do you get to understand FileMaker Server and get the best out of it, when it is trivial to build a very "bad" FM solution that is slow and unscaleable and when FMI provides no comprehensive and clear advice? FM software does little to prevent folk using the freedom of FM in that manner, because as an "enabling" and "accessible" type of software it lacks the controls…

Here is a demo of how easy portal sorting can be done in FM12. This demo uses the calculation that Tom Fitch provided a while ago with his portal sorting technique but one can use the PositionValue custom function as well. Portal_sort_fast12.zip

Do you have a FileMaker Server with connections for WebDirect/FileMaker Go? Read this article to learn more about how you can save money before price increases in May! FileMaker Server Connections Renewal Price Increase David Happersberger www.dbservices.com

You know a language that can reply as XML, and you would like to have your own "plugin?" Here is my outline/proof of concept; example written in PHP: http://wethecomputerabusersamongst.blogspot.com/2013/10/execute-php-script-from-filemaker-with.html There is also a contributed example using Ruby, NodeJS, ASP, or your favorite language that can deliver XML over TCP/IP( with some async approaches this may or may not time out. )

Deskspace Systems Limited in the UK have just released the Review Edition of the Deskspace rwApp Responsive Web-site Builder. It is of course built 100% in Filemaker. You can find out more and download it here: http://www.deskspace.com/rwapp_features.html Cheers, Nick Like many other web site builders... the rwApp Responsive Web-site builder enables you to write and edit your pages and immediately see how your page will appear. But there are two very big differences you will notice after comparing the rwApp Responsive Web-site builder with its competitors... (1) the rwApp Responsive Web-site builder is very very fast, both to render wh…

See this article: http://www.macnn.com/articles/16/02/16/not.so.much.an.app.more.a.way.of.life.132570/

Since FM14 came out with the new button bars having the ability to calculate data on the fly on layouts for display purposes has been great - the fact that you can display data without a dedicated calculated field or extra relationships just to display a bit of information. So I am generating a document that prints a portal however the data is not connected to the portal in the traditional parent / child relationship - but rather it's showing related data for the given product kits. This invoice line item record is not "parent" to the portal of kit items. That presented a challenge - originally i had a convoluted way to generated this report using a virtual lis…

Anyone have any experience of using barcode scanners with FileMaker, ie reading barcodes on boxes with a physical scanner, perhaps connected via usb? Or Bluetooth? Intended Usage is for stock control.

Awhile ago sixfriedrice.com had a great article on using the webviewer without the web. What was missing was a way to hyperlink back to the actual database. Well it is now possible by calling the FMP internet protocol along with a script name, a parameter and a variable. This example uses the FMP url to view a related record and set a field value. (hosted file only, I have to look at local file possibilities ). Along with this feature, FMP12 has also blessed us with the ExecteSQL function which is used here to compile all the data, reducing the need for all those messy TOCs. Enjoy. PS. if anyone can solve my line numbering in the html lay…

Hey, Just wanted to let everyone know about a little module we put together for geocoding and mapping. Simple to install and free to download. I'd love to hear what people think. http://msnmedia.com/blog/2015/04/10/geocoding-and-mapping-module-filemaker-pro

I had a client who took extensive notes during phone calls and occasionally they would loose the notes because of an interuption between FMP client and server. To help with the issue I created a small script to auto-save the notes on a timed interval, while the field is active. In this example I have the interval set to 12 sec. and to give the user an indication of when the auto-save happens, I have scripted an apple notifcation for Mac (10.9+) users and a title bar change for PC users. -enjoy If you see any way of improving please post update sample. RIVET field auto-save v1a.zip

This teaching is part of the Design Masterclass course [ DESIGNmasterclass.co ], but it's not quite ready for prime time yet, and that's why we're posting here! A select group of Design Masterclass alums are set to meet with us this Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 11:30 EDT, to review the teaching in private. There are TWO slots still open for that meeting, and we are looking for experienced designers to join us for the conversation. We prefer to find: Alums of the Design Masterclass or other app design training Software designers or project managers with experience leading software teams If you'd like to join us for a 60-minute roundtable discussion, please contact me here, o…

Just one script for all buttons, all layouts and all windows. Sorts occur dynamically. Each column restores it's last sort order and a default sort order can be set for each field type. Any comments or suggestions appreciated. Smart Sort List View.fmp12.zip.001

I find the v14 breakpoint icons just a bit light, so here are two replacements to be placed in: Filemaker/Content/Resources breakpointicons_content-resource.zip

[Content moved by OP from "FileMaker 14 Script Workspace" forum] Man alive, how long have FM developers pined for something like this!!! One thing about the Script Workspace is that it continues to reveal its secrets the more you work with it. Here are a few tips that make scripting faster and more fun to boot: 1. How do you insert a Comment line? The obvious way, of course, is to type a hash (aka "number/pound/octothorp") sign (simultaneous right pinky on the Shift key — left middle finger on the 3, or some equivalent thereof on other keyboard layouts), then type your comment. But try this instead: Hit Space, followed by Return, then comment away. (Space drops d…

Version 14 has made me rethink my custom debug keys. I have attached the macros for anyone using Keyboard Maestro FMP_debug_keys.zip

Three new Filemaker icons (13, 12, 11) for your newly installed OS X 10.10 Enjoy Filemaker_Yosemite_Icons.zip

For anyone using LaunchBar (Mac) and is aware of the snippet feature, attached is a set of Filemaker Function Snippets. Since LaunchBar searches by the snippet name, I have added spaces to the file/function name to speed up the results. i.e. 'Get(ScreenWidth)' is 'Get ( Screen Width )', this mean you can retrieve the function by typing 'gsw' A snippet is a simple text file with the function inside. You can edit the file to customize the pasted results, which I have done with a few of them. To install, unzip the attached file, and place all the .txt. files into: ~/Library/Application Support/LaunchBar/Snippets enjoy More Info: http://www.obdev.a…

Solution / : Multiple Portal Row Selection Description: This file will show developers how to allow end users to "select" portal rows in a single or multi user environment and display that selection. Further it allows selection of multiple portal rows simulating general OS functionality. Solution Status: Finished FileMaker Version: FileMaker 7+, FileMaker 9+ Author(s): Genx Date: 09/11/06 Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular purpose. Do not post or distribute files without written approval from the copyright owner. All files are deemed public domain unless otherwise indicated. Ple…

Using FileMaker Pro to generate Code 39 barcodes without the need for fonts or plug-ins. By Doug West, Product/Project manager for Excelisys. This FileMaker Pro file demonstrates the use of conditional formatting with a repeating field to draw the bars of a Code 39 (Code 3 of 9) barcode. This FileMaker Pro code 39 barcode generator uses a series of 16 “slots” per character which appear as wide or narrow bars. The intermediatebarcodeBitFlags field simply tells each repetition of the repeating field whether or not to use a background fill color, creating the bars. For the repeating field to display properly, the width must be set to 1 pt for each repetiti…

http://bluefeathergroup.com/blog/importing-xml-data-into-filemaker-using-xslt-xsl-style-sheets/ I've written a new post about how to create XSL Style Sheets so that you can import data from XML data sources into FileMaker. Please let me know if you have any comments.

For those looking for a way to do caller ID integration with FileMaker . . . . Here's what I have going. The US patent office's examiners each have a unique phone number, which we have stored in a database. When a phone call comes in on our VoIP phone (our provider is Phone.com, but Call Centric looks better and better), an AppleScript is trigger, which triggers a FileMaker script to show all the relevant patent applications we're working on with that examiner. Even before the phone is answered, we know who the person is, and what application(s) he's going to be discussing. The glue between our VoIP phone and FileMaker is a Mac program called Phone Amego. I hi…

I'm pleased to announce the availability of the first group of a series of new and updated demo and example files for FileMaker 13. The first ten demos in this series are available immediately and include a mix of new techniques based on the features of the FileMaker 13 platform, along with updated versions of some of our previous demos (reworked in light of the new features). This set of demos showcases a number of our favourites among the features of FileMaker 13. Eight of this first set of FileMaker 13 demos are unlocked, so that you can access the code. Two are preview-only (code available to registered users). These include an update to version 2.0 of our UltraLo…

I've gotten a lot out of this forum, so I try to pay it forward when I can, even though it'll likely only benefit newbies. I have an "image" button that is tied to a popover. So you click the button, and you get the popover. Easy enough. Usual UI interaction is that if you click the button, the popover appears, and if you click it again, the popover disappears. Again, all typical FM stuff. FM does not allow conditional formatting of image buttons to change the color. I wanted to emphasize to the user that for the layout field in question (in the popover), data has been entered. So I created another layout object -- an oval/circle surrounding the image button…

Background. A record in a table is related by a field to a field in another table. To select the related record, I use a dropdown box that shows all the relevant field values that can be selected from. The issue is, if the desired value is not there, you want the user to be able to enter a new value, and then automatically create a record for that new value in the related table.  I was having trouble with this issue previously, and decided to take another look at it. I came across the following solution, which is worth reposting here.  http://forums.filemaker.com/posts/d11c45f9f8  Here's the relevant section.   Now, for whatever reason, this d…

Just wanted to share with everyone that there is a great way to visualize tree-like structures, using GraphViz (GraphViz.org), which is an open source command line tool. Basically, I have FileMaker create a text file indicating the nodes in the tree (corresponding to records), and the edges among the tree (corresponding to relationships).  For Mac users, the Mountain Lion version you can download at the web site also works for Mavericks; I'll be testing it to make sure it works with Yosemite, too.  You have a script generate the text file (I have a recursive script that goes to each child, until a record is reached that doesn't have children), and then call the …

Not sure if v14 will update the toolbar icons. So for now I have converted a handful of the icons to flat. OS X: right click application icon and put icons in: /Contents/Resources FMP_toolbar_icons_v0.7.zip

The recent cyber attack on Sony Pictures serves as a new, additional, and very loud wake-up call for businesses all over the world about the need to protect digital assets. Organizations who use the FileMaker Platform to manage their businesses and whose databases contain proprietary and sensitive information, business process control methods, or financial data especially need to be diligent about data protection. If you are a small business, an education institution, a not-for-profit organization—all typical FileMaker Platform customers—you are just as much at risk as are large multi-national organizations, perhaps even more so than they are. As I have noted before, F…

hey everyone. thought I would share this interesting technique. I have a solution where users email measurement data from an Ipad (the measurement app is 3rd party, not FMGo). It is delivered in the form of an attachment XML file. I created a unique gmail folder/filter for all of these emails to be sent to. Using 360Works Email plugin, check for new messages in this folder. and download attachment (to temporary location on local drive) View file location with webviewer. Pull content of file with GetLayoutObjectAttribute ("webviewer";"content"). I made my webviewer tranparent/no border and tiny. So it is hidden. Voilà! all the raw XML data whic…

There are probably other ways to do this, but you can use two Troi plug-ins, URL and File, to achieve this functionality very easily. Downside of course is that you have to buy the plug-ins. The URL plugin is used to download the PDF file into a variable. The File plugin is then used to save the variable as a file. Although File thinks it's a text file, by simply adding ".pdf" it's saved as a PDF. I read somewhere that variables can have up to 300 million characters or so, which means that this trick will work for any file up to around 300 megabytes in size. And of course, it's not limited to PDFs. Here's an example, which downloads a patent in PDF form from Go…

How many times a day do you double-click to select text in a "Specify Calculation" window, and it selects the space at the end of the text? And then if you double-click a field it consumes the selected space character, and the next time you double-click the ")" or the ";" gets selected and consumed.  I find myself fumbling over entering function parameters all the time, on the Windows platform, so I finally broke down and created an AutoHotKey script that helps me select the parameter without selecting parentheses, spaces and semicolons.  Typical Double-click gives me this selection: or this  AutoHotKey Control-key+Single-click gives me this selection: …

If you are all hooked up with iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 you might enjoy this URL schema: tel://xxx-xxx-xxxx others: facetime://xxx-xxx-xxxx facetime-audio://xxx-xxx-xxxx https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/featuredarticles/iPhoneURLScheme_Reference/PhoneLinks/PhoneLinks.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40007899-CH6-SW1

Not sure if this is new or revolutionary but I didn't find this exact technique when I was looking. In this example file, you will see a technique used to select multiple items in a popup using portals with more flexibility than using a value list. The main objective is to be able to select multiple items from different categories. PopoverPickList.fmp12.zip

Learn why and how to create FileMaker Scripts that are easy to ready. Creating Readable FileMaker Code Saves Time, Money

see recent blog post here: http://www.mbsplugins.de/archive/2014-08-27/Toolbar_functions_for_FileMake/monkeybreadsoftware_blog_filemaker Feedback is welcome Christian

Hi Guys, here is a sample to show how to make a simple notification system like in OS X, in FileMaker 13 using a Slider and a Script. Download File Original Post: Notificaciones estilo OS X en FileMaker

For anyone in the printing industry, the new features in V7 for dynamically applying color to text and so is very interesting. I have been working on an app that uses the features. I created a table with "all" of the Pantone PMS colors and their RGB values and Hex values. I am attaching an xml file with the values. originally the values came from Reed Design. Maybe someone else can benefit too. PMS_RGB_Hex.zip

I had to do this recently for a client, and thought I'd write an article about my solution to this problem. Hopefully this will be helpful if anyone else needs to make a chart with a fixed number of x-axis labels with any number of records. http://bluefeathergroup.com/blog/fixed-number-of-x-axis-labels-in-a-chart-for-any-number-of-records/

Generating a PDF from FileMaker Server is a common request. Learn how to make a PDF using open source tools. Includes video and sample file. How to Create a PDF from FileMaker Server

We here at DB Services love the BaseElements plugin. In fact we love it so much we decided to sponsor the development of HTTP POST in the plugin back at the beginning of 2012. So, as history tends to do, we repeated ourselves by sponsoring the development of the plugin again, but this time for encryption functions. FileMaker AES Encryption with BaseElements Plugin

Over the past dozen years, I have discussed in a number of venues the necessity for robust security practices and the techniques needed to implement them on the FileMaker Platform. Such discussions have as their underlying framework a fairly traditional Information Security paradigm. There are Threat Agents who seek to initiate Exploits or Threats that negatively Impact the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of FileMaker Platform systems or other Digital Assets. These attacks also can damage the Resilience of the Digital Asset. These Threat Agents exploit a Vulnerability in the design or the deployment of the FileMaker systems. FileMaker Platform developers a…

I'm not going to say that it's all going to be how-to's, but my second article is on how to install and update FileMaker using Active Directory Group Policy Objects: Installing and updating FileMaker Pro automatically with Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPO)

Introduction to FileMaker CWP I've started a new blog on my site where I'm going to be making posts related to the Atlanta FileMaker Developers Group meetings as well as other FileMaker tips and techniques. Our meeting for July was about FileMaker CWP, so I've written a getting started guide for CWP as my first post. Please let me know if this is useful or if you have any feedback. Thank you!

FileMaker Themes Best Practices In an earlier article we discussed FileMaker WebDirect and how to optimize your solution. This optimization relied on using FileMaker Themes. In this article, we explore using FileMaker 13's new feature to create custom themes and styles. A custom theme will allow you to create a custom appearance in your application while maintaining an optimized solution. Theme optimization will benefit the entire FileMaker platform including FileMaker Go, Pro, and WebDirect.

The answer might surprise you :-) It turns out that GetContainerAttribute doesn't require a container field. You can use it to get the MD5 hash of any string. There are some neat things you can do with that. And it gets even more interesting when you throw in the new ListOf summary field. I posted a blog with a video and example file on my website that covers a couple of the possibilities. http://g.eist.co/1iddRNk Thanks Todd

FileMaker Increasing Renewal Rates Renew your FileMaker licenses by June 28, 2014 to save money, as FileMaker will be increasing its renewal rates by about 15 percent. This is the first increase in renewal rates in several years.

This morning I created icons for v12 and v13 so I could tell which version was open. Thought I'd post them here in case it helps anyone. I now see that rivet already posted icons for version 12, but maybe someone will find these useful. One icon shows a "12', the other a "13".  Both are png files. For Mac users� 1) open them in Preview, and copy 2) do a get info for each version of FM, and paste  That's it! Works in dock and with com-tab.  Michael

Here is a demo of conditional value lists using FMP12 and ExecuteSQL. In the demo there is one sample of using straight text and another using IDs instead of the text. There are no relationships between the user interface and the tables of values. ConditionalVL_SQL.zip

I read periodically that folks want to have an object hide upon hover (but not require a button click). Or they want an image to appear upon hover. Here is a method to do just that (both an FMP12 file and video). It has very limited use. The labels or images must be pre-determined and established as Styles. This is presented only as another tool for the toolkit. Possible uses: Create the US state's names as an image. Then the state name can disappear when hovering on a map so roads can be easily read. These can be saved as Styles to use throughout the solution or shared with other files. Placing large Section letters A, B, C on auditorium seating where, up…

I have recently learned that there may be any number of FileMaker Server installations world-wide that are hosting files that open automatically without credentials challenge to the [Full Access] Privilege Set. The default-installed FileMaker Server Sample File is one of these; however, there are others. This is not such a good practice. Such files offer an attractive attack vector that a Threat Agent can use to inflict damage on the FileMaker Server machine or on its hosted files. If a Threat Agent can locate the server and access it, an attack can occur using these files. Most attacks occur when a Threat Agent utilizes some vulnerability to mount an exploit that h…

FileMaker WebDirect is new to the FileMaker platform and allows you to publish your database to the web like never before. Real-time updates, a defining characteristic of the FileMaker experience, have made their way to the web browser now. Read more in our new article. http://www.dbservices.com/articles/filemaker-webdirect

My FileMaker Go barcode example without using any iOS barcode reader app and it supports EAN-8/13, UPC-A/E, Code-39/128 and QR Code. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0GSczzMpv0 I hope you like it. PS: I will post later step-by-step guide.

FMI Security Webinar On February 11th FileMaker, Inc. presented two webinars on FileMaker Platform Security. I am highly gratified that FileMaker, Inc. did this. These webinars, conducted by Consulting Systems Engineer Rosemary Tietge, clearly laid out the case for following Best Practices for securing files and their data across all elements of the FileMaker Platform. I want to expand on a number of recommendations about enhancing FileMaker file security from those webinars. By way of reminder from information in a previous FileMaker Security Blog post (http://fmforums.com/forum/blog/13/entry-600-assessing-threats-vulnerabilities-and-risks-to-filemaker-pro-databases/…

Well version 13 has been release but it is the same icon as v12. Since you can run multiple version on the Mac a visual distinction always helps. I have attached a new 'FM12DApp.icns' file to put into the apps content / resources folder. After you replace it you can 'get info' on the app, select the icon in the top left corner, then copy / paste to refresh the new icon. FM12DApp-blue.zip FM12DApp-green.zip FM12DApp-orange.zip

FileMaker 13 introduced a number of very useful enhancements to the relationship graph, none of which are included in the help file or release notes. Use these techniques to increase your productivity. Check out our new article. http://www.dbservices.com/articles/filemaker-relationship-graph-what-they-did-not-tell-you

For clients on Mac os 10.9 and above only. The attached sample will push an alert to the Apple Notification Centre via applescript. RIVET AppleNotification.fmp12.zip

Here is a simple example of a popover as a user friendly dialog box.

A function to finds all the dates for a week day within an given date range. For example: We need to find what are the dates for the Thursdays in the date range starting from 1/1/2013 to 1/31/2013. In this case: The function would be defined as FindDay ("1/1/2014";"1/31/2014";5) Here the start date and end date in the function parameters are text. Here the 5 refers to the number that represents Thursday in the week. Output: 1/2/2014 1/9/2014 1/16/2014 1/23/2014 1/30/2014 And for the invalid dates passed as the function parameters would return "N" that refers to NULL. For Reference: Sunday: 1 Monday: 2 Tuesday: 3 Wednesday: 4 Thursday: 5 F…

The opacity option in the color palette, is a great way to reduce development time. In the attached example, each state (normal, hover, pressed) of the navigation buttons are filled with a certain opacity of white or black. When objects are setup like this, they will adopt the colour behind, which make the objects very modular. TheBeautyOfOpacity.fmp12.zip

This grew out from: http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/90635-change-text-background-color-of-part-of-the-field/ The attached file allows you to mark text by coloring it using the three provided buttons. The colored text is converted to highlighted text in three corresponding background colors. When done, press the Export button to export a "highlights.html" file (note: the attached "hilite.xsl" file is required for this operation and must reside in the same directory as your solution file). Open the exported file in a browser and print it from there. Select "Print backgrounds" or similar option, according to your browser, when printing. The separately attached P…

Using some of the new GetContainerAttribute function output: http://www.soliantconsulting.com/blog/2014/01/references-embedded-container-data

This is a small technique for removing extra carriage from a list of values where the No of carriage is not constant. For example , "1¶2¶3¶4¶4¶¶4¶¶¶¶5¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶6" is the input and we need the output as "1¶2¶3¶4¶4¶4¶5¶6". This simple online function will help to achieve this. Substitute ( Text ; ["¶¶" ; "¶#"];["#¶";""] ;["#";""] ) We need to be careful with "#" symbol. If the list itself contains "#" then it will create a problem. We can use any symbol or charecter (if we are sure that the list contains only numbers ) in place "#", which is not present in the list. - Thank You.

There are times when you will have a range of values in a field across a found set of records that you would like to scale to another range. Common ranges to scale are 0-1, 1-10, 1-100 etc. The input values could be anything of any range. To do this start by creating 4 global fields called oldMin, oldMax, newMin and newMax. oldMin and oldMax are the smallest and largest values in your found set. newMin and newMax are the smallest and largest values you scale the range to. Go ahead and populate the newMin and newMax values. Let's use 1 and 100 for example. To populate oldMin and oldMax I simply sort the records ascending by myValue field, go to first record and get…

Hello all Here we've posted an example FileMaker 13/12 calendar. You can download it for free and use it in your own code. Go here to read blog post. Have fun! The igeeks

The FileMaker Advent Calendar brought us yesterday a tool called "ThemeMaker" which will help to create and design themes in v13. I'd love to see your creations (with or without this tool ;o) and your feedback! pixi

Newest Version of FileMaker Platform Brings Significant Major Security Enhancement FileMaker, Inc. today released the latest version of its Platform: FileMaker® Pro 13, FileMaker® Pro 13 Advanced, FileMaker® Server 13, and FileMaker® GO 13.

This release brings many significant new features to the platform including the innovative FileMaker WebDirect™ client access. But to me the most significant enhancement is Encryption of Data at Rest (EAR). Addition of this critical and key functionality completes the FileMaker Platform Security Suite: 

 Identity and Access Management Role-Based Privileges File Access Protection Encryption of Data in Transit Encryption of…

An excellent example of how to create a password field that only shows bullets. http://www.nightwing.com.au/FileMaker/demosX/demoX05.html

Just added a blog post on what you get from Custom Function parameters... http://www.soliantconsulting.com/blog/2013/11/custom-function-parameters-value-or-reference

Solution: The Perfect Timer Description: Hello All and thank you for your interest! I have completed the Perfect Timer Demo! Please check it out! Let me know if you find any bugs or have additional features you would like to see. This file has not been throughly tested but so far I have found no problems. This solution is as simple for the user to use as I can imagine. Features include: • Tracks time elapsed over days • Uses only three main buttons; [sTART/STOP/PAUSE/CONTINUE], [EDIT ENTRY] and [RESET] • Has a real time update/loop feature to show timer is running and how much time has elapsed • Calculates time value determined by hourly …

File Name: Dotleft Project FileMailer File Submitter: Cliff Zhou File Category: Solution FM Version: Filemaker Pro 12 Web SIte: www.dotleft.com Main Features: 1. Recieve / Compose email in Filemaker. 2. Manage your email / attachment 3. Combine the management of your emails with the manage your business information ( product/client/project/Task/files&folders on your disk ) Download Links: http://sdrv.ms/14Gwa93 (I will keep updating the new version in future, so if you find the links got invalid, pls go my private website for new updated download links) welcome to leave messages on my website forums (https://moot.it/filemaker)or this topic on FMforu…

From time to time people ask me why the Privilege Set bits in FileMaker Pro are all turned OFF by default. Would it not be easier and better for security purposes, the questions go, if all these were turned ON instead? The answer is No; here is why. First, some history. Prior to the introduction of FileMaker® Pro 7 in March 2004, all of the privileges–as they then existed–were turned on by default. Developers then had to wade through a veritable sea of settings and options to limit access to their files. In the older versions of the products, a table and a file were more or less equivalent. A file could contain only one table. The modern versions of the products change…

Hello all A short blog post you may find useful: improved PatternCount searches: http://www.igeek.co.uk/blog/66/FileMaker-Improved-PatternCount-Searches.html Thanks, The igeeks Twitter: igeekUK

FileMaker Pro Recursion PT 3 - A Wrinkle in Timeliness: The Final Reckoning, By Andy Persons In my first post of this three part series, I posed a challenge: how do you update hundreds or thousands of tasks interconnected with tens of thousands of connections? In my second installment, we explored a possible solution: recursively looping through each task from the end-level tasks, tracing each one to its source, then returning back down the stack and updating the dates along the way. However, one issue was still in the way. Recursion requires that each iteration maintain it’s “scope”. In this case, the current record and found set would have to be unique for each …

Description: The demo file shows how to use VBscript to pop up a "browse for folder" OS dialog and return the path to the selected folder and a list of its files back to FileMaker. Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: FileMaker 8 Author(s) Wim Decorte Date: 02/09/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: It clearly shows the challenges of using VBscript with FileMaker on Windows: - generating the VBscript syntax - creating the VBscript file on the hard disk & executing it - returning a result back to FM (using the import engine, but not creating any new records) Disclaimer: FM F…

FileMaker Security Survey Reveals Interest and Some Confusion During early and mid-July, I posted on FM Forums a multi-question survey asking people about their use of various FileMaker product security features. I also asked for any comments or for any recommendations they might have for enhancing product security features.

The results are interesting. They reveal a high level of use of many security features; they also indicate some areas of confusion about how security features in FileMaker products work. 



 Who were the people who responded to the survey? Where were they located? Respondents said they worked in a variety of different environments:

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The eX-BizTracker 4 is now out for public beta testing, ready for you to put it through its paces! If you were one of the 100,000 plus people who downloaded eX-BizTracker v3.0, you might recall thatFileMaker® Pro template or jump-start solution’s attractive GUI and feature set. You might also remember fondly the advantage it gave your company, or if you were a consultant looking for a quick way to get something for your clients, how easy it was to customize for your distinctive business needs. If you’re new to the Excelisys BizTracker series of FileMaker® Pro templates, you won’t remember any of that, but that’s ok. The point is this: The eX-BizTracker 4 is the next gia…

Assessing Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Risks to FileMaker® Pro Databases Hosted FileMaker Pro databases are susceptible to unauthorized access, manipulation, destruction, and other forms of compromise. Developers and server administrators need to understand how to assess threats and the risks of those risk’s occurring as various threat agents seek to exploit vulnerabilities. This process starts with an understanding of the environment where the databases operate. We have a variety of digital assets that we must seek to protect. Nowadays, for the most part, the assets we are most concerned about are the hosted databases and the information in them.. We need to …

Ten Frequently Encountered Practices That Can Compromise Security of FileMaker Pro Files April 9th 2013 In our last installment, I noted: “In 2013, I will be focusing on promoting the goal of achieving that understanding [meaning understanding FileMaker Server] along with the parallel and related one of overcoming a similar lack of understanding and awareness about FileMaker security items.” In this post I want to focus on ten frequently encountered practices with FileMaker Pro files that present potential vulnerabilities that could be used to compromise the Confidentiality, Integrity, or Availability of the files and their resident data. Most of these scenar…

Video - How many and how different is your list?

A Wrinkle in Timeliness Pt 2 - Perfecting FileMaker Pro Recursion & Virtualization, by Andy Persons of Excelisys Perfecting FileMaker Pro Recursion & Virtualization Part 2 explores the use of recursion and virtualization (through global variables) in solving complex data interconnectivity challenges using FileMaker Pro 12 in a multi-user client-server environment. Using a specific case study of an Excelisys project/client in the medical manufacturing industry, Andy discusses and demonstrate the dramatic performance benefits that can be gained with the techniques involved. Have you ever had a FileMaker Pro project where each task depended on other tasks to be c…

Hello all, Hope you find this interesting - an easy way to implement a progress bar in FM12: Click here

“What's in a name? that which we call a rose,
 By any other name would smell as sweet.” —Juliet (Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2, William Shakespeare)— “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.” —Confucius— An entire series of recent studies published by well-known and well renown international security analysis and information industry firms have all made, in slightly varying language, the following key points: Data housed in files in organizations are under relentless and persistent attack by a variety of threat agents including criminals, nation states, so-called “hacktivists”, and disgruntled current or former employees. Organi…

A Wrinkle in Timeliness - Perfecting FileMaker Recursion & Virtualization, by Andy Persons of Excelisys This 4 part series article, A Wrinkle in Timeliness Pt1 - Perfecting FileMaker Recursion & Virtualization, by Andrew Persons explores the use of recursion and virtualization (through global variables) in solving complex data interconnectivity challenges using FileMaker Pro 12 in a multi-user client-server environment. Using a specific case study of an Excelisys project/client in the medical manufacturing industry, Andy will discuss and demonstrate the dramatic performance benefits that can be gained with the techniques involved. Have you ever had a proje…

If you’ve ever wanted to generate specific reports for different groups of users, but are intimidated by FileMaker’s, somewhat complicated security schema, this PDF shows you an alternative methodology that is very simple and easy to implement, using FileMaker Pro privilege sets. Recently a client, a large bail bond company, wanted to be able to add reports easily, that could only be viewed by specific employees, and without having to go anywhere near FileMaker’s security schema. This got me thinking outside the box, which is where many good FileMaker solutions come from, and I started to play a game of ‘What If? What if we could use a related value list to populate a …

With vs. 11, we can now easily display certain fields only when others meet our criteria. It requires no additional calculations and one simple self-join for all of the fields we wish to show or hide. Create a new record and type into the text field. Simply use one-row portal (with your criteria on the portal filter) as attached. UPDATE: As with any visibility technique, you may wish to apply rules if text2's data is removed and there is still a value in text3. There are many things you can do with script triggers and/or auto-enter (replace) to remove the value from text3, stop text2 from being cleared and so on ... visible11.zip

HierarchyLite - FileMaker Pro® 12 Tips and Tricks Demo of a Simplified Approach to Hierarchal Portals! Another FREE FileMaker Pro 12 Tips and Tricks Demo file showing an even more simplified approach to hierarchal portals by Doug West, Product/Project manager of Excelisys. Doug has now made this advanced technique, originally developed by our own Andy Persons, even easier! "HierarchyLite" is an EXcellent FREE FileMaker Pro 12 Tips and Tricks demo file which outlines how to create those cool hierarchically organized portals in FileMaker Pro 12, similar to the Mac Finder’s list view or Window’s Explorer view. The general idea of this simplified no-frills version is to mak…

What is this course? Remote FTS Training Course Offered On-Line. Remote classes offer students the same benefits of a traditional classes such as asking questions and in-class exercises but without the cost of travel and time away from work. All you need is an internet connection! The courses incorporate the many new features of the FileMaker 12 product line throughout the modules but stress good programming skills for FileMaker 7, 8, 8.5, 9, 10 and 11. Major course features: Planning a FileMaker Solution Developer Skills Advanced Developer Skills FileMaker Server Security Who should take this course? The first three modules are design…

This event will be March 3rd - 6th (Sessions 4th & 5th) For Details: http://pausepdx2013.wikispaces.com This post has been promoted to an article

I may add some notes later. CrossTab11.zip

File Name: Sample FMGo File File Submitter: Ocean West File Submitted: 05 Feb 2013 File Category: FMGo This is a sample test of the file download system on fmforums.com navigate to this site directly from iOS and you will be able to download the file to FMGO Directly. Click here to download this file

When trying to add tab stops to a field there is no inherent way to visually see if you have it actually lined up correctly. Yes you have the value position in the appearance tab on the inspector. But that is from the position of the left edge of the field not the layout. And you just have to guess where to place the tab stops. When in layout mode you don't have any tab stop formatting bar on a field but you do on a text object. So here is a quick recipe to set your tab stops. Step 1. Format your field - style it the the way you like. Step 2. Create a text object on the layout add some sample text and use option tab (Mac) to add the tabs between th…

Unskilled and Unaware Nearly fourteen years ago two Cornell University psychologists authored a definitive study titled Unskilled and Unaware of It. Their core thesis was that persons who were unskilled in any number of domains suffered a dual burden. They reach erroneous conclusions and make incorrect and unfortunate choices on the one hand. And second, their lack of knowledge and competence robs them of the ability to recognize their errors. They are incorrect; yet, they believe that they are correct, and they are unaware of their errors. In the broader FileMaker community and among significant portions of the broadly-defined FileMaker developer community, t…

Attachment shows how to use the Get(CalculationRepetitionNumber) function to perform recursive calculations. 1103074058-RecursiveRepeaters.zip

FileMaker Inc has released the a revision for Mac and Widows for both for Client and Advance FileMaker, Inc. has released FileMaker Pro 12.0v3 and FileMaker Pro 12.0v3 Advanced. This update addresses issues regarding layout design and rendering, printing, plug-ins, scripting, container fields, portals, and more. http://thefmkb.com/11239 Stephen

FileMaker Server 12 BackUps Frequently Asked Questions FileMaker® Server 12 has a number of new features for creating backups of databases it hosts. As evidenced by questions raised at the 2012 DevCon and as evidenced by a number of items posted on various FileMaker lists, there is a good deal of confusion still about how the new backup system works. Wim Decorte and I have authored a short set of Frequently Asked Questions along with their answers about this topic. You can download the attached PDF that contains this information. Among the questions we address are these: How have backups changed in FileMaker® Server 12? I want to schedule an incremental o…

Hi, I just posted a new entry on 1-more-thing blog, presenting a 'revolutionary' technique allowed by FileMaker 12. It completely changes my life as a developer, and makes it possible to create very efficient online solutions using FileMaker Pro/Go. It's all explained in this video.

A small sample of a window sliding down from top of screen just enough to hide title bar. I have only tested on FMP12 osX 10.7 This is a modular script to apply to an offscreen window. I usually position my offscreen windows top position to: '- Get ( ScreenHeight )' to hide the osX native window drop shadow. Many possibilities, enjoy RIVET slide down window.zip