Community Videos, Tips, & Techniques, Articles.

Not really a Filemaker related but for viewing or reading large documents online this may help you get through it faster, with more comprehension. this site http://www.spreeder.com/ basically you copy a few paragraphs of text and then go to the site and paste it in and press play and you can speed read the text at nearly 300 words per minute. Also has a handy bookmark-let for handling the pasting for you Enjoy. s

I have posted a new video that demonstrates how to get the Large Type goodness found in Apple's Address Book into your FileMaker database using Quicksilver and AppleScript. http://www.gaslowitz.net/filemaker/blog/2008/07/video-quicksilver-for-large-type-functionality/ Michael Gaslowitz FileMaker Developer [email protected] 404.606.1863 LargeType.zip

The fourth in a series of six demos planned to follow the release of the FileMaker Pro 9 Bible, is now available. This new demo combines several advanced techniques to produce a data-driven document generator. It allows you to create templates in a text field (containing merge tags, dynamic and contextual data and even FileMaker calculation syntax!) and then seamlessly merge them with data in your solution to produce a variety of different (and data-dependent) documents from a single layout. Using this technique, your solutions no longer require an extra layout for every new document - or every slight variation of an existing document. Moreover, end users can w…

So is anyone out there using Excel (with ODBC) for reporting? Even for simple reports, Excel affords a lot to the user (Pivot Tables, Charting, auto-filtering for interactive refinement, further computations auto-filling down next to the data, etc.) I've started playing with a pretty simple Excel and some Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros that allow you to specify the DSN and Query in your workbook. The FM ODBC driver is VERY tetchy about what it will take as input compared to SQL Server ODBC driver, but if you can live without OUTER JOINS (not supported) you can make some interesting interactive reports in Excel that are live to the database. The …

Ok, I've been playing with FM Pro 9 for the first time after about 3 yrs away from FM Pro... I had really wanted to use SQL Server as the backend, but ultimately FM Pro isn't there, that said there are a lot of analytics I want to do that aren't easy with FileMaker, but are with SQL Server. Further, the ODBC driver for FM is somewhat poor. Anyhow, I have started on some open source Ruby scripts that help you pull data from FM via ODBC and put it into SQL server (or for that matter any ODBC data source) for further analysis. The gist of the solution is that I used a simple text file (YAML format) to describe the FM Pro database and my desired SQL CREATE form…

Just a note to let you know I've recently posted a new demo file on the NightWing web site. It shows the basics of a system for providing a multi-lingual interface, making it easy for users to switch the interface labels back and forth between different languages. You can find a link to the download page near the top of the main demos page at: http://www.nightwing.com.au/FileMaker/demos.html The demo is an additional supplement for readers of the recently released FileMaker Pro 9 Bible, as the technique is one of the many described in detail in the book (see Chapter 10 - Building Advanced Interfaces). However with or without the book, the demo will likely sti…

In the FileMaker Pro developer community there is a general lack of clear understanding about the need for the correct type of security in FileMaker Pro solutions. There is too much focus on passwords and not enough focus on the protection of assets and the mitigation of adverse impacts of breaches. There is also too much focus on the creation of “custom” “security” systems and not enough focus on identifying threats and the risks of their occurring. There is too much complaining about how “hard” it is to have good security and not enough appreciation about the adverse impact of having the wrong type of security. Read more at the FMCollective blog her…

Solution: Access Manager Database Description: Hi, I have been working on a security file that will allow our clients to be able to manage their own users and passwords in Filemaker along with any contact information etc. The only people that will be given access to this layout will be the "Administrators" of the system. Here is what I have come up with. The problem is that when the client reaches their license limit (in this file, I have set the license limit to 5 users), they may want to re-use some of the existing licenses. So they would re-type over an existing account that is no longer valid. Currently, there is no way for the system to identi…

Special Program During Developer Conference to Focus On Evaluating Database Security Needs “Assets, Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Risks: What Type Security Is Right For You?” Tuesday, July 15th 11:15 AM to 12:30 PM Sonoran H Ballroom JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Phoenix AZ Presented by Steven H. Blackwell Database security should focus on protecting your digital assets and on preventing threat agents from exploiting vulnerabilities to attack those assets. Security should also focus on mitigating the adverse impact those breaches cause to your assets, your organization, your operations, your reputation, and your people. Heavy security is not n…

Updates: 2006-03-15: Latest version 4.0 is added (see bottom for AuditTrail-r4_0.fp7.zip) 2006-01-20: Version 3.02 is Here 2005-03-30: Added revision 2 of file in this post I spent part of Saturday searching for an audit trail example that makes use of FM7's new features, thinking that an FM7 implementation could be considerably simpler than an FM5/6 version. While I found a couple of excellent examples posted by Ray Cologon and Ugo di Luca, they weren't quite what I was looking for, so I spent the rest of the day trying to come up with a different version. I've posted the result here. It works without scripts, lookups or relationships. And while it onl…

This might make your day. close_window_trigger_script.zip

I had my calendar posted here a while ago: http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/172191/ Now it's completely re-done with new features. - week starts sunday or monday - all colors are adjustable - event dates are showing in bold Let me know if there are any questions Calendar-8.5a.fp7.zip

Solution: Find Locations by Postal Code within specified distance Description: This example allows you to locate all customer (or other) records that have a postal code located within a specified distance from a target location. Solution Status: Finished (Revision 1) Pre-requisites: FM 7 or later Author(s) BobWeaver Date: 03/28/08 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: See the introduction page in the file for instructions, etc. 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 …

SUCCESS! Thanks to some help and encouragement by Comment. I don't know how to link this to a short thread under Relationships, but this is my result... I think this should be a stable solution... -/ See attached file. It's ugly, but seems to be totally functional! One important thing I haven't done yet, which is not really the point here, is automatically update gParentID. That's a no brainer for me now, and I know I can carry the logic from this study file over into my actual working file. I do think that my mess here can be cleaned up. If there are any ideas, I would love to hear them! Summarize_Grandchildren.fp7.zip

Solution: March Madness Description: A basic application to score March Madness brackets. Beware, it's a bit rough and hasn't been thoroughly tested - I usually use it until I find a problem. It's a 'brute force' solution I thought of last year that seems to work pretty well, though in no way elegant. I think any scoring bugs may have been worked out by now. Working Under: Solution Status: Untested Pre-requisites: NA Author(s) ddreese Date: 03/07/08 Credits: NA Instructions / Other Info: This is a fairly rough version of the database that I created last year. This year I've made some changes to integrate this file with…

Solution: Tutorial on using Web Services in FileMaker, VOIP for FileMaker Description: Complete tutorial on how to use CDYNE PhoneNotify! Web Service in a FileMaker project. Great way of adding VOIP support into FileMaker solutions. -appointment reminders -rich interactive phone dialogs using hosted audio files and text-to-speach -much more http://wiki.cdyne.com/wiki/index.php?title=FileMaker Sample file from the article is attached. Regards, Valentin. Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: FM Nexus Web Services Plug-in Author(s): Valentin I. Date: 02/27/08 Credits: Instruction…

Solution: Zip Codes database http://www.4shared.com/file/22064631/dcc5e931/ZIPCODES.html 8 mb zipped. 98mb unzipped. Instructions / Other Info: Download from the link and unzip. ba boom. 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 indictated. Please backup every file that you intend to modify.

Find your running out of screen real estate for your field labels? Let the field itself display the label when the field is empty. Use auto enter calculation and un-check the "Do not replace..." box Case( IsEmpty(FIELD); TextColor ( "Enter Text Here..." ; RGB ( 127 ; 127 ; 127 ) ); TextColor ( FIELD ; RGB ( 0 ; 0 ; 0 ) )) Version: 7 Platform: Mac OS X Panther

Solution: PHP by Web Viewer Description: Look up 5,689 PHP functions with the Web Viewer. Happy PHP-ing Ralph Nusser Sogetes Computer-Services http://www.sogetes.com Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: FM8.5 / FM9 Author(s): ralph.nusser Date: 01/06/08 Credits: weberdev.com Instructions / Other Info: URL-Function for Web Viewer: /* Syntax: _PHP_WeberDev.com_Function_Reference ( Function_Name ) Author: Ralph Nusser, sogetes.com, 01/06/2008 Example: http://www.weberdev.com/Manuals/PHP/function.maxdb-error.html Source: http://www.weberdev.com/PHP-Functions-List.h…

Solution: Perform sub-script dynamically by calculated script-name Description: This file shows a method to call a sub-script dynamically by its name. Working Under: Version 8 and above, I think. Solution Status: Unlocked demo Pre-requisites: An event-triggering plugin with a control parameter, such as DoScript or zippScript. Author: comment Date: 12/17/07 Credits: Created in response to: http://www.fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/192017/ 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 c…

Solution: No named easy tab set Description: Rapid Deployment Data Separated Dynamic Tab Set. Data Separation Model (as described in the video FMP Mag) Tabs auto populate when layout added. Dual tier subset system Reorder tabs by moving laouts Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: FMP 9 for conditional formatting only Author(s) DataMate Date: 10/30/07 Credits: Noted in custom functions Instructions / Other Info: Instructions included 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 …

Solution: Repeating Fields, Line Item Scripts Description: Sometimes repeating fields are all you need for line items in a project. Here is a sample with a few scripts to help you copy, paste, insert, delete, and move the line items around. Note, the move script is interesting, with a simple loop I have reduced the proceed down to three clicks. Enjoy, and thanks! P.S. These are just some tools in case you need to use repeating fields. My regrets, if this post or repeating fields offend in any way, so I will excuse myself from those needs. Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s) David Schellenberg / Rive…

Solution: Filemaker 8 Mac, Alternate Icons Description: Here are some alternate icon resource sets for filemaker 8 mac. I am on a project that requires flipping back and forth between 9 and 8 and in the osx app switcher (command+tab) this helps distinguish the two versions of fmp. -download file -expand -Right click fmp8 application icon and select "show package contents. -in contents/resources/ folder replace FMAp.icns with one of the alternate ones. (after you backup the original) -open fmp8 Working Under: Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: Author(s) rivet Date: 10/30/07 Credits: Instructions / Other…

I was pretty bored at work yesterday, often times I find myself trying to remember layout #s so I can hop right to them when necessary. My database is rather large and porky, partially due to I'm no longer the only developer anymore (it pains me to have someone else ignoring my purposeful consistencies, hah). We have a ton of layouts in our file, over 550. The layout chooser dropdown on the status bar is very slow, and there is a glitch that scrolling through the list and clicking on a layout will not take to you the correct one, but the last layout (I'm assuming because we have so many layouts). So I decided to create another table, that just holds the layout…

Solution: Multi-Word Search and Highlight Description: Multi-Word Search and Highlight What the Client Wants, the Client Gets The initial request from the client was to have each search word show up highlighted in a resulting list. Also the solution had to be in a portal. The problem with the portal solution is, you have to break the field being search into carriage returned words, and so your file size doubles. I have included a list version which has less overhead, with one less field, and one less relationship. Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s) David Schellenberg / Rivet Design Communications …

Solution: Tab Pannels In List View Description: Adding more data than fits in a row in a list view you can cycle more columns of data also toggle down a detail pane for even MORE data. Uses tab objects and the 9 trick of using 0 margin and 0 pen tab panels. Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): Ocean West Date: 09/15/07 Inspiration: ericp from TechNet Instructions / Other Info: 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 pub…

Solution: Photo Bezel Overlay Description: This technique uses tool tips to evoke a event trigger using ZippScript to toggle you between 4 tab panels and a script that schedules another script event to return you to the default tab after a few seconds, in effect hiding the bezel overlay when idle. Short video included. Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: ZippScript 2.0 Author(s): Ocean West Date: 09/15/07 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular purpose. Do not post or distribute files without written appr…

Solution / : Back and Forward Buttons Description: An example file that will show developers how to add backward and forward buttons into their FileMaker solution similar to what you would find in a web browser. As always let me know what you think. Working Under: Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: Author(s): Genx Date: 01/16/07 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: It's been documented to some extent in the tool tips so... Put together in 8 but I'm pretty sure i didn't use anything non FM 7 compatible. Ignore the new script it doesn't do anything, that was just me forgetting to remove something. …

I've been working on this problem over a period of time, and these are the 2 best solutions I've come up with for embedding PDFs entirely in 7 container fields. Both of them use one field for the file itself, and a separate field for the 1st page of the file. Only the 1st page of a PDF is visible in FileMaker 7 (AFAIK). The 1st method just Inserts the PDF into the field. This is OK, but doesn't look so good. It is not anti-aliased, as PDFs usually are everywhere else. It prints fine; but it's only the 1st page. The 2nd method uses an external helper, a free AppleScript Scripting Addition, GraphicsImporter; which you must get, in the Scripting Additions section a…

Solution: Dynamic Status and Deadline Color and Note Marker Description: Here is a nice visual feature to add to your solution. Dynamically mark your assignments with color and deadline notes! This solution can easily be customized to fit your needs. Deadline Marker: clc_marker will tell user how many days are left till deadline. If deadline is pass and status is NOT complete, marker will result in “TARDY” letting User know Assignment needs immediate attention. If Assignment is past due and complete, marker will result in “X”, letting user know that Assignment is finished. Deadline Color: clc_color_deadline will result in gray, magenta, pink, yellow…

Attached is a simple sample of a script Trigger done entirly in Filemaker. I threw this together using FM9 on vista and I do not know how it will behave on any other platform. (Limited usefullness but still "Kind of Cool") : I forgot somthing, If you use this in a solution the Global fields used to trigger the scriptd should be omitted from the tab order so the only way to enter them is by clicking them. TriggerFind.zip

Hi, I'm looking for some help from some people that are smarter than I am! I looked at doing synchronization between multiple remote FMP 9.0 databases using SyncDek, but the cost is so high! I also looked at using fmSQL Synch, but its only available for the Mac (we're using Win XP). So I came up with the following idea. PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK ON WHETHER YOU THINK IT WILL WORK! Our solution requires off-line transactions and then synchronization, so I'm thinking of setting up the following: * Create a local MySQL database structure from a FMP 9.0 database using FMPro Migrator (on a Win XP PC) * Linking a new FMP 9.0 database "interface" to th…

I use various version of FileMaker to open the same file at different times. When using the "Open With..." option several versions all show up as the same name. e.g. FileMaker Pro Advanced. By changing a registry entry, the "Open With..." option can display the name and version number. Add the version number to the display portion after the "=" sign. [HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellNoRoamMUICache] "C:Program FilesFileMakerFileMaker Pro 8 AdvancedFileMaker Pro Advanced.exe"="FileMaker Pro Advanced [color:red]8"

Just thought I'd share this with you all, most of you probably know this, some of you might not. I have a few forms that have to be worked in a certain order. Dropdown list 2 is based off a relationship between dropdown 1. The problem I've been having, in 8, is that when the user goes back, and changes dropdown1, dropdown 2 does not change. My end users often don't notice this, and thus have bogus data in their final form. So here is what I have done. I have changed the field DropDown2 to be an auto enter calc. with replace exisiting value unchecked, and the evealute if ref'd fields are empty box unchecked also. I put in this calc: Eva…

Solution: FM 7 - Date Picker Description: I know this is included with version 8 (or so) but I am still stuck in version 7. The only other example I could find when I searched these forums was a version that was done in Developer 7. Since it used features I could not access I decided to try and create a date picker in plain v7. I used the MS Outlook date picker as a model(which may be the Windoze system date picker). Features so far: * 7 week calendar with week numbers * Change Year through pop-up custom dialog * Backward and Forward navigation by month Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s) sbg2 …

This file implements a set of custom functions for creating and operating on multi-dimensional matrixes (ie, arrays). The matrixes are stored in global variables, using the evaluate method to simulate a "pointer" type within fileMaker. Even if you aren't interested in multi-dimensional arrays you should probably take a gander at this, I think the concepts here open some doors to more complex data structures. If you are interested in matrixes, you'll find some useful custom functions here, a tutorial on how to use them, with live examples of them working as you move through the tutorial. The user-level functions implemented include: - CreateMatrix( "…

Here's another "object", implemented via custom functions using repeating global variables for storage. This one implements a date formatter similar to the c-library function strftime(), which uses % as an indicator of a special char to fill in. So for example, the call: FormatData( ; "Short year: %y weekday number: %u day of year: %j"; GetAsDate( “11/22/1976” ) ) Returns the result: Short year: 76 weekday number: 2 day of year: 327 The formatter maintains the text style present in the format, and new format code letters can easily be added. The current supported format letters are: %A - full weekday name %a - abbr weekday nam…

Filemaker has a user FIND MODE. A Sort Records is also available FMP Scripting can restore preprogrammed Finds and Sorts but You have to program them and than program like....... IF this do that else if do something else ....... THIS is a DEMO for a dynamic way to do all this with a Scriptparameter send to a FileMaker native AppleScript ! It understands the following Commands FIND............. more FIND for OR Searches OMIT............. to omit certain records(multi) EXECUTE.....to FIND and OMIT the whole List of commands SORT............to sort the found set of records It is limited to the Layout You put the Find Button on ! You can…

I have read some other methods and not yet seen this one posted which is very eco friendly... It requires 8.5 and takes advantage of objects and parameters... There are plenty of simple tab faking examples out there ... this example is more about the reduction in labour and increase in speed that tabs themselves offer. hope you like... best stuart TabbedList.fp7.zip

Solution / Mortgage Amortization using FusionCharts Description: This is a FileMaker 8.5 file that demonstrates some of the new features in FileMaker 8.5 in a real world scenario. It uses Flash based FusionCharts to create graphs that you can mouse over to display values. The entire html and graphs are created from within FileMaker (no plug-in or even internet connection required). This file is free and open source. Download Here: http://www.swconsulting.com/whatwedo/filemaker/index.asp Working Under: Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: Author(s): Ben Goldstein Date: 10/01/06 Credits: Instructions / Other I…

Hello everyone, I've got a solution that will probably solve many of your navigation headaches. Ever get tired of leaving a layout, going to a different layout, and then returning to the first one, only to find all your tabs have been reset to their defaults? Well, have I got a solution for you! And it's free! Now you may be thinking to yourself... "Self, I've already seen lots of other solutions like this..." or have you... This solution only requires the following criteria: - Two scripts - One global variable - That the tabs you want to remember must have object names. - Only works in FM Pro 8.5 (either platform) Other advan…

I made this two file solution a couple years ago base on a couple of files available at layoutmode.com. This two file solution can be integrated into your file so that customer can change your [color:"Red"]"UGLY" schemes to their own [color:"purple"] "UGLY" schemes. Enjoy. Lee Buttons&Prefs.v5.zip

Solution / : Dynamic Color Background no Globals (CF) Description: Tested on with 8.5 Mac & PC Hope this is useful Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): StuartT Date: 05/10/07 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: 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 indictated. Please backup every file that you intend to modify. bgcolorV2.fp7.zip

Solution / Contacts Module Description: Free open source Contacts module. Its a simple Database for keeping contacts. It uses two tables one for contacts and the other for contact details. Customize it as you see fit. Working Under: Solution Status: Untested Pre-requisites: Author(s): grumbachr Date: 04/12/07 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: I'm no FileMaker expert like many of you here. I've gotten some good advice from many of you and this solution uses some of the tip/features that I've gotten help with. This is away of saying thanks to the community here and maybe my chance to help out someone new to File…

After doing the Greyout menubar example i did a bit of further investigation. I have been aware for a while that you can customise the "Close Window button"... but ... you can customise many other window control buttons and the standard toolbar too. Yippee!!! Buttonless layouts and more real estate. best Stuart (i dont have time to put buttons on everything but you will get the idea) WindowandToolbarControl.fp7.zip

Here is an example file that may allow a little control over greying out some MenuBar items... With a bit of thought may go some way to allow control over field only scripts, found set only scripts, form only scripts, list only scripts, privilege based locking, etc... Enjoy :( GreyOutMenuBar.fp7.zip

Hello everybody, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE ATTACHMENT AND TAKE A LOOK. I think this has the potential to be the most important post that i will ever make (a big statement huh) A while ago i posted a question: anyone know any uses for calculations that are stored globally... no replies which i thought was interesting. Well i did some playing around since then and found that it is very very powerful. Here is an example of a really simple to deploy and dynamic audit trail/change log. Its not perfect but it is the technique that i think is the exciting part. I have been unable to test this on a network but in theory i see no reason that the global fiel…

With the coming of Filemaker 7, I need to update this a little bit to account for how Filemaker stores dates and times. I tweaked the calculation a bit once more. I have also found that making this into a custom function with Filemaker Developer v7 is an awesome way to implement this. Since I am continually explaining this concept, I thought that I might post a FAQ on how to create a unique*, non-sequential**, non-random*** automatically entered record ID for you to use as the Primary key in your files for a relational database system. I give all of my files a PrimaryID_key, which is an auto-entered calculation into a text**** field. The calculation is th…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - DEC 5, 2006 WHITE PAPER FOR FMP NOVICES - VERSION 1.11 RELEASE Salt Lake City, UT--DEC 5, 2006--David Kachel / Foundation Database Systems (formerly Codemasters Workshop) -- publishers of AutoNavigator 2.0 for FileMaker Pro -- Today announced the latest release, version 1.11 of their free WHITE PAPER FOR FMP NOVICES. WHITE PAPER FOR FMP NOVICES is a compilation of important advice not available elsewhere. No newcomer to FileMaker Pro should be without it. Updated and expanded from 91 to 98 topics, this white paper covers important subjects concerning the proper design of a database solution in FileMaker Pro and mistakes to be avoided…

Hi Guys, Let([ Initial_Street = YourStreetfield; Initial_Suburb = YourSuburbField; Initial_PostCode = YourPostCodeField; Initial_State = YourStateField; Initial_Country = YourCountryField; Dest_Street = YourStreetField; Dest_Suburb = YourSuburbField ; Dest_PostCode = YourPostCodeField; Dest_State = YourStateField; Dest_Country = YourCountryField ]; "http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&saddr=" & //Initial Address Substitute(Initial_Street & ", " & Initial_PostCode & ", " & Initial_State & ", " & Initial_Country ; " " ; "+" ) & "&daddr=" & //Dest Address Substitute(Dest_…

This example solution shows a portal which allows the user to always enter data into the first row instead of the usual last row. This eliminates the need for users to scroll to the bottom of a long portal list before entering a new related record. The method used to do this is not highly complicated and requires [color:"red"]NO buttons, [color:"red"]NO scripts and [color:"red"]NO plug-ins. It only needs a couple of extra fields and an extra relationship, so works in FileMaker 4.x and 5.x for both MacOS and Windows. Although not tested, it should also work with 6.x as well as any future versions of FileMaker Pro (unless FileMaker Inc. makes major changes to the way t…

Solution / Simple Navigation for Many Layouts Description: Hi Guys, I've come to highly dislike scrolling through filemaker's pop-up layout navigation for 20 seconds to get to a layout in my gradually larger solutions. To overcome this problem, i simply built a simple layout nav system for myself -- a table, and a drop down box -- see attached. If you wanted to categorize your layouts as i do in my real solution, then it's just another field and a simple relationship filter (conditional value list). Cheers guys, hope it's useful. Alex Working Under: Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: FileMaker Version 7 Autho…

The Duplicate record script step performs differently in v8. If you dupe a record when your records are already sorted the duplicated record will appear in the appropriate record position for it's sorted value. Previously a duplicated record always appeared at the end of the current found set, regardless of the sorting conditions.

Solution / : Birthday Calculator ;-) Description: WARNING ? THIS IS A GREAT SOLUTION IF 1-2-3 DAYS ERROR IS NO PROBLEM !! SORRY I WAS WRONG Calculates Your Age in years calculates Your exact age in years months and days and calculates when the next PARTY is on ! Just a little fun out of my last sample file Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: FMP 7 or FMP 7 Advanced Author(s): Ohgo_Ohgo Date: 01/22/07 Credits: - Instructions / Other Info: uses only native FMP calendar so should be exact ( not 365,25 years etc ) Should work in any System Time Date settings and maybe even…

Well I only just noticed this but there's a difference between Delete record Delete Found records Delete All records Delete record deletes the current record and leaves the current found set without the record just deleted (obvious). However, Delete Found/All records does not leave you with the current found set with the (just) deleted records - it leaves you with a found set consisting of all REMAINING RECORDS in the file. Beware, if you are scripting then the next script step could behave differently to the way you might see it.

Solution / Sample File Using FMP 7 native Time, Date & TimeStamp Functions Description: All this is probably nothing special if You ever took time to look at this functions before. Specially if you understood FMP counts Dates internally as days and Time and TimeStamps as seconds. If You never looked before this small sample file could give You a faster insight on how to calculate with this functions. the sample file shows how to calculate Time difference Date difference and TimeStamp difference same principe can be used to add or subtract this kind of “data”. It was less my wish to make it very elegant, than to make it underst…

A simple trick to help when you want a table sort to work the way you want. Hope its useful. SortTableCorrectly.fp7.zip

Solution / Sample data for sample file Description: I would like to post a type-ahead search sample but the data I have is sensitive. Does anyone have some sample data (e.g. movie descriptions). Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): rivet Date: 01/18/07 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: 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 indictated. Please backup every file that you intend to modify.

Solution / yet_another_calendar and over booking Description: Description: i used the famose "yet_another_calendar" and i add the over booking show, the overlapped event is signed using a different color, just the overlapped time. Also i added the end-time to the event description . About the day show layout i made a small change. Do you like? By Franco Pagano Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): Franco Date: 12/31/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular purpose. Do not post or di…

Hi all a simple joke... Hint: each "stripe" has its left, middle and right side ! Flags.zip

Hi all it's possible P.S.: For version 7 use: TextStyleRemove ( Alignment::Field ; AllStyles ) [color:red]vs TextFormatRemove ( Alignment::Field ) Alignment.zip

Hi all whichever record you'll delete, the relative number will come recovered on the creation of the next record. RecoverTheProgression.zip

Hi all a "sensitive" grid... but it needs 8.5 and EventScript plugin Grid.zip

Solution / eBay Fees Calculator Description: This is a simple eBay fees calculation program for those of you who sell on eBay. It also has lots of great features for those learning filemaker. multiple criteria input validations and textcolor based on other multiple criteria. TextColor ( "Text" ; Case ( field1 = "Yes" ; RGB (255;50;50); field2 ="Yes" ; RGB (255;50;50); field3 ="Yes"; RGB (255;50;50); field4 ="value1"; RGB (255;50;50); field4 ="value2"; RGB (255;50;50); RGB (0 ; 0 ; 0) )) I could not find a sample like this on the forums when I was looking so I have included it here. Since the TextColor is new in version 6 I h…

Solution / Dynamic Search Description: For use in smaller solutions -- allows dynamic selection of fields and criteria Example Searches Possible: Exact Over Name Field: [color:blue]Roger or Aldo or John Finds all records where the names field is either Roger, Aldo or John [color:blue]not John and not Roger Finds all records where the contents of the name field is anything but John or Roger Partial Over Description Field: [color:blue]Fox and not Lazy Man Finds all records where the description field contains "Fox" and doesn't contain "Lazy Man" [color:blue]Fox and not brown Finds all records where the description field conta…

Curiously enough, If you don't change the name of the layout that filemaker automatically generates when you generate a new table -- It will change when you change the table name. Just something i noticed that i thought was kinda cool..

Hi! Here you can find some good example and tutorials for Filemaker 7: free sample download good tutorials sample download Version: v6.x Platform: Mac OS X Jaguar

Solution / Action Tabs Description: Hello -- Have you ever wanted to run a script clicking on a tab (I guess you did) ? With a little trickery now you can: http://www.buliga.it/TipFiles/ActionTabs.zip ... and you've plenty of room for other magics -) Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: FileMaker 8 or better Author(s): Pupiweb Date: 07/16/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: 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…

Solution / : Simple BarGraph - Level Meter Description: Sometimes You want to show some data in graphic form. Here a very simple Bar Graph Solution. Minimum FMP 8 Needs only one global Repeating Container field and one Calc field per Bar Graph. NO Fonts No Custom Function NO Script ! Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: FM 8 minimum Author(s): Ohgo_Ohgo Date: 11/06/06 Credits: I hope nobody had that already ;-) Instructions / Other Info: Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular purpose. Do not post or distribute files without written…

One of my most favorite tidbits of knowledge that I gained while at Devcon (thanks to Andy Le Cates) was a very elegant method of setting fields by indirection. As you know the Set Field command requires you to manually choose a field in order to set it. But sometimes you may have a layer of abstraction or have a large number of fields to set based upon data contained in your records. Thus your script will be rather lengthy because you need to target each respected field. Well with a new feature of FMP 8.5 script step Goto Object and use of Layout Object names you can effectively set a ton of fields via indirection... Go to Layout [ “DEV - art” (art) ] S…

Solution / HTML Email Description: This solution is a example solution shows how to send Formatted HTML Email from Filemaker. Working Under: 8 Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: Author(s): Debabrata Pati Date: 05/12/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: 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 indictated. Please backup every file that you intend to modify. HTMLMail.zip

This is a free application I have been working on for a couple of days. I have not done a lot of testing with it yet, but so far it works well. It is all Java, so it should run on Mac, Windows, and Linux The project homepages & download is at http://goldcougar83.googlepages.com FM Escape will generate "CREATE TABLE" and "INSERT INTO" statements from your FileMaker data through my FileMaker XML JDBC Driver. It has a preference tab to completly customize the generate sql to fit any sql database. It also replace all non-alphanumeric characters in fields names with a _ to make them SQL compliant. On the Connection URL, please use the layFilter so that you can d…

Solution / Duplicate records and mark Serial ID with letters A to Z Description: This sample file shows how to increase a serial number with a letter A to Z if You duplicate a record with a script. It avoids the problem of double serial numbers when You duplicate an older duplicate and always sets to the highest next letter. After 26 duplicates ( letter Z ) it switches to next available Serial number. A custom function with FM 8.5 List function is applied . Could also be used as a simple Archive if You mark the “old” records as inactive. Working Under: Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: NEEDS FM 8.5 minimum Author(s):…

Solution / Automatic FileMaker Backup during Development & for End Users Description: This FileMaker file is automatically “backup” ed when the FileMaker application is “Quit” , the last “Window” is closed and when ever the “QUIT” Button or “BACKUP” Button is pressed The Backup file is Time stamped for better archiving. Important: look at the File Options... under “File” to see the settings there User is warned if using a backup file ! (Very important !) Backup files a also backup-ed with double time stamps! Checks if File Name has been changed ! Has a adjustable Minimum Time setting (60s) between BackUps. Working U…

Hi all friends a little file for you. MouseOver and the ToolTip consciousness of REPs number, even if not active. Needs EventScript. _8_Duble_ToolTip.zip

Hi all friends try this one. Scrollable_checkbox_set.zip

You need 8.5 to use this file Dedicated to John Marks Visibility example on the Database Pros website which has always been my favourite trick. This is a trick for making a portal disappear, I've always wanted to do this. Its unlocked so see how long it takes you to work it out :qwery: ... is actually very simple but effective and would work for anything on a layout. Have fun :) PortalVisibility.fp7.zip

Dear All, Attached is a file that i have spent alot of time on called FMWebWiki. (zip file attached below) It is a simple to use WebViewer HTML generator. It is tested on the Mac although I have tried to put support in for the PC. I consider this an Open Source Project and hope that you will benefit from it as it has alot of potential to add webviewer functionality. My hope is that others will post additions to the file to assist with the growth of the project. There is no password set on the file although it loads Custom Menus ... so you will need to load the FileMaker Menu to edit the file (under tools) I look forward to any contributi…

[color:red](Please see update below) Here is an example of how to get an image from a text field. There are 5 examples 1. Webviewer only image (no fields or external URLs) 2. HTML including Image from a text field 3. HTML and Image Separated 4. How to convert images to text ... Externally 5. How to convert iamges to text ... Internally (Need help with this) hope its useful best, Stuart You Need FileMaker 8.5 to view this file JpegFromTextField.fp7.zip Store_Webviewer_Image_In_Database.fp7.zip

Having a hard time finding table occurrences on the relationship graph? Try this small stand-alone script file written with Vista-Task from Vista Software. Launch this file when your Define Relationships window is open and it will ask you to type the name of the table occurrence you need to find. Easy. Tested on Windows. I do not know if it works on Mac. Good Luck to all! FindOccurrence.zip

height="100%" width="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0> height="50%" width="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border= 0> height="50%" width="50%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border= 0>

With the new Filemaker 8.5 and the new ability to assign object names to any layout object, you can now have your pop-up windows show up where you want them. For example, let's say you have a script that runs a report. When you run this script, it displays a small pop-up window with "StartDate" and "EndDate" fields to allow users to select a date range for the report before it runs. You have a button on a layout that runs this script. With Filemaker 8.5 you can have the pop-up window always show up on top of the button regardless of the location of the window at the time the button is clicked on. Here is how to do i! 1. Assign a name to the button that runs…

Solution / :/ Backup Batch File Description: Backup Routine Working Under: 7 Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Win 2000/XP Server 7 Author(s): Salesman0Gil Date: 08/22/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: I'm not sure if this belongs here or not, but I wanted to share this simple batch file to backup databases from server. If it does not belong here, let me know. I use the built in Daily Backup built in to Server. This batch file copies and zips all that data in to a zip file. The name of the zip file will be the current date (ddmmyy.zip), and is stored on an external drive. It also includes a .txt file tha…

This is a file developed by a friend, Soren Dyhr, to which I added English instructions. It uses the Insert from Index step in a rather unique way. The advantage of this method is that you can effectively run a script after the choice, either on change or cancel. The value list itself can come from most anywhere. In this example it's fairly straightforward, but it can be adapted to work with related value lists and files. IDXPast.zip

Solution / People Finder Description: Finds people by phone number and name at Yellowbook.com, then extracts information to Filemaker fields. Great for contact management databases. Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: Filemaker 8.5 Author(s): Coolboy Date: 07/27/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Instruction are on the file itself on the instructions tab; however, this is pretty much self-explanatory. 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…

The attached file is quite bare bones, but gives a taste of nice effects that can be created with a minimal amount of scripting. Now if someone could show me how to turn this into a custom function... Version: Developer v7 Platform: Mac OS X Panther

Unfortunately, Apple decided to change the iPhoto Library format when it upgraded from iPhoto v.5 to v.6. This means that photos are no longer stored in nested folders depending on their date alone. Instead they are nested according to "Year" and film "Roll". If you find it convenient to leave your photos in your iPhoto Library but to include references to them in your Filemaker database so they can be viewed in container fields then the strategy for providing links must change. Attached is a .zip file which has example calculations and buttons to link to an iPhoto Library on a local or remote volume for either a v.5 or v.6 formatted iPhoto Library. Image…

Solution / Stored Multi Field Finds - Simulated in a Filtered Portal with Paging Description: User can store unlimited number of Finds, recall by selecting from a Portal. Additional Fields can be setup and need a global field and a unstored calculation each. Functionality can be easy transferred to other Tables NO Custom Function, uses new List(field) function. NO loops and extra Layouts required. Uses a filtered portal to show the “found” records, relationship can also be used with GTRR Script step in Layout List form for e.g. printing. Stored Find string principally can be used in a Navigation system with BACK Buttons! (not included). …

Solution / Check Box Set (scrollable) & Portal Found Set FM 8.5 Description: Sometimes we have to tag records with "many" categories. Not always do we have enough screen estate. So rabaudi had the idea to make a checkbox set scrollable. For the Check Box this solution sample uses NO customs function, NO ValueList, and principally NO script for that functionality beside a commit script and Button navigation. Off course we also have to “find” this tagged records again and we might look for AND or OR values from the tags. With the new List(field) function in FM 8.5 it was very easy to make a Script for a Portal for Found Sets Working Unde…

Forgive me if everybody already knows this but I didn't. I am only just getting to grips with the wonderful world of variables. Roaming round the forum I was under the impression that globals could only be used for storing info and that a field would have to be created to display the info. Whilst that is true if one wants to show the variable on a layout I have just discovered that a variable or variables can be displayed in a custom dialogue and can be formatted along with other text in a message of up to 4 lines. See attached for example. You never know when it might come in handy Phil view_a_variable.zip

Solution / Xeno's Drag and Drop portal reorder (kind of...) Description: Just a short simple script that kind of simulates drag and drop to custom order records in portals. Note that unlike Xeno, Filemaker may actually reach the line. As no real data is modified and it only changes the portal sort order, this should be acceptable (and you could script a failsafe). This uses script variables, but could be done with globals to work with FM7 as well. -Raz Working Under: 8 Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): Razumovsky Date: 06/28/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Sets the portal rows Position fi…

Solution / Portal To ValueList To TextList Description: This was a question in an other forum. Proof of concept only ! Records in a portal with ( a special sort order) a kind of listed up in a textfield like textfield1 , textfield2 , textfield3 ......... by using a ValueList and an unstored calculation. No script is used for the solution itself ! No Nth record is used ! Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): Ohgo_Ohgo Date: 06/28/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular …

Solution / Check Box Set to Portal NO Script Description: This was a question for help in another forum. A check box set should be used in a solution to indicate certain interests of people. Only the checked interests should show up in a portal to select more informations and descriptions. scripts only used for button navigation Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Filemaker 8 Author(s): Ohgo_Ohgo Date: 06/26/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or warrantee these files are fit for any particular purpose. Do not post or distribute f…

Description: Enter you vocabulary as records, as if they were flashcards or index-cards. Each day, run a test. This prints on A4. The 'run test' script updates all records, moving each one forward through the system. Working Under: 7 Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s) earthcalling Date: 02/06/06 Credits: Instructions / Other Info: VOLATS has two key elements:- -- Customisable 'flash-card', one card/record for each item of vocabulary. (This version is built for Japanese, but is easily changeable for any language - or indeed anything else you need to learn). -- A testing regime, which produces a 'daily'…

A Lookup is a field that pulls a value from a related field. Unlike a regular calculation field, a Lookup will grab the related field value, and store it, never changing again, unless the key field relating the two fields changes. Benefits of lookups: 1. When the data may change a later date, but you need to remember the data at the time an event occurred (e.g. you want the price of an item at the time the invoice was created) 2. When the data must be indexed for performance reasons, since you cant index unstored calculation fields (and all calculations that refer to a related value must be unstored). 3. Lookups can be forced to "recalculate" with …

Here is a little tip : I have 2 Macs (Mini & MacBook Pro) I am in the process of consolidating two solutions the target solution is on the Mini and I have the source solution on the MBP. I have been using a little control panel called Teleport by Abyssoft http://www.abyssoft.com This is very handy utility allows you to use 2 computers and a single keyboard & mouse. By moving to the other machine your dynamically switch to that CPU. If you turn on the ability to synchronize the pasteboard it becomes more powerful as now I can be in define fields or scripts and copy the desired elements move the mouse to the target computer and pa…

Solution / : Portal Found Set with Portal Paging Description: Proof of Concept only ! Working Under: 8 Advanced Solution Status: Beta Pre-requisites: Author(s): Ohgo_Ohgo Date: 05/21/06 Credits: To all the people who take time to put ideas and information about FMP on the web! Instructions / Other Info: Any refinements welcome 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 indictated. Please backup every file that you intend to modi…

Barcode CF or calculation to print barcode39, no special fonts, no plug-ins. Folks, please do me a favour, print one page sample on laser printer and then scan to check the result. I would like to know if this technique works with different scanners. You are free to use it in your solutions. Thank you Barcode39.fp7.zip

Solution / : A timer idea I'm kicking around for use in my project Description: A quick explanation: I need a timer that allows the timekeeper to start and stop the clock, and have the sum of the time added up automatically. My first impression was to use a couple of fields and some scripts to keep track of the times, add new times, etc. But it occurred to me that I could use relationships, and I thought I'd try it that way and see if it would work. The attached file is an extremely rudimentary proof of concept. The buttons could easily be replaced with a single button, and there is absolutely no error checking yet, as I'm more concerned with trying t…

Solution / : News, Weather, Stock Quotes in FileMaker Description: This is a FileMaker file that demonstrates how you can pull data from various XML sources on the web. Very ideal for building a portal type solution in FileMaker. It uses only FileMaker's built in XML capabilites (no plug-ins). This file is free and open source. http://www.swconsulting.com/whatwedo/filemaker/index.asp Working Under: 8 Solution Status: Finished Pre-requisites: Connection to Internet Author(s): Ben Goldstein Date: 05/09/06 Credits: Steve Wilmes Consulting, Inc. Instructions / Other Info: Disclaimer: FM Forums does not endorse or…