Interface Design Discussions

Good guys, If my memory serves me, I recall that back in the Version 7 days, there was a dropdown for time, similar to a calendar (I'm not sure if it was only for Mac OS or both). My issue is that when a user enters time, they have to enter the complete time. I would not mind them entering 4.34 or 434 and displaying 4:34 AM or PM. The AM or PM would be determined by the current time on the workstation. Similarly, with the date they enter 9.29 or 929 and display 9/29/2025 I am trying to facilitate an easy way to enter time during data entry. Any ideas? Thanks JMart

Hi Everyone, I've got a series of images on a single layout, and I want some images to be greyed out, ie take the opacity down to say 50% so that only some images in the grid stand out. Is there any way that I can do that within the container field (that holds the image), ie if a radio button is checked, then set opacity to 50%? Another way might be to create a copy of the file, have that with 50% opacity, and then load that file through an if then calculation? I've had a search on the site but can't see anything. Comment had something from 2021 but the file that was allied to the comment isn't available any more. Thanks for any pointers!

hello in my project i associate an audio file and a waveform ... in the version 12 of filmmaker it was easy to make coherent the size of the player and the waveform ... but not anymore since the version 16 ... did someone know a way to do this ??

I have filemakerpro 16. A couple of years ago, I made a dbase based on the “Research” template. A central feature of the template is a 3-tab system that occupies the same space. Somehow, while making some modifications to the layout, I messed up the formatting royally. Don’t know what I did, or how to fix it. My question is, if I copy that entire section from the template using “edit layout”, can I paste it into my existing database, and have it retain all the formatting, without it altering the data already input? Would appreciate some advice. Stokesy

Hi all Firstly, apologies if this is in the wrong sub-forum. I wasn't able to determine which part of the forum this belonged. I have a small company that has a couple different departments within it. I'm wanting to create a system that allows employees to enter their worked hours each day prior to payroll processing their timecards separately. This is a request from management. No taxes and such are calculated within this, this is more of a daily/weekly review to track overtime and hours worked. They call them "production reports". They use these when approving or flagging payroll timecards. Ideally: - each user login has their own "profile" layout wh…

Easy way to have nicer buttons, using different colors for normal, hover and pressed. Works by using a transparent white PNG as mask, a single image, instead of 3 different images, one image for each state. Using a container with a global value you can copy-paste the buttons where ever needed. hover.m4v hover.zip

Hi Everyone. So I used to do this with the Character Viewer which is Cmd Ctrl Spacebar, but that no long brings up the Character Viewer in FMP (tho it does other apps). 2 Qs - is there a way to bring the Character Viewer back to live - using a scrip such as Insert Text, is there a way to give a script a specific keyboard trigger, ie Option 9 or Option 0, rather than this number just come based on how many other sripts I have in play? That way I can have the script trigger be the same in different files, rather than have 8 empty / dummy scripts using up the slots, so that then I can have the ones that I wan as Option 9 or 0. Cheers, and thanks in advance

Why does it make a difference, to put "" instead of the default none - when speaking of the topics touched in this thread? https://community.claris.com/en/s/question/0D73w000005VbkrCAC/detail This issue has occurred to me while using a button bar as rendering mechanism, instead of a repeating calc field using Get ( CalculationRepetitionNumber ) - I enclose a template where I dwindle globally to narrow the options down by excepting the already taken .... I would both have an explanation to why the active segment should be set to something like "" or char(0) to behave ... as well as some Ocham's razoring to the approach I'm working with here? --sd Ho…

can we use multiple default themes of fm on single layout if we yes kindly guide me

In my file, I have a date field, with one record for each date, going out for the next 60 days. There's a script that creates new records once the last one is less than 60 days old, but the existing records go back for one year. I also added a field called todays date, and when the file is opened, the current date gets entered there, and yes, it's a global field. What I want to do is when I open FM, have it go to the record where todays date is the same as the date field. In my opening script, there is the option to go to the record based on a calculation, but nothing seems to work. I added another calculation field that if the date is the same as todays date, th…

This looks like a very common question, but I haven't found a good enough solution on this forum. It's Filemaker 20 that is out now, and does it still not have a convenient way of enabling/disabling field editing on the layout? I mean dynamically depending on desired events, of course. I need to lock the entire record from editing when its status changes to "Closed". Am I supposed to add another layer to all fields and make them hide and show? Please don't say that 🫠

I literally haven't asked this question in 10 years so I'm not sure if there's a solution to it whether new or just forgotten. When I have a text input field on a layout (height specified to allow viewing of one-line of data only) and the user enters more text than expected, the field opens vertically. Is there a way to always maintain the set dimensions so that as the user types the field contents will scroll horizontally without any changes to the text box?

I have attached a sample database to illustrate my question. The database has 4 layouts. I would like to combine the data in layout Order, Products and Summary to create an invoice like the layout "Invoice" I have provide some sample data in the database Test DB.fmp12

I attach file , all I want when i add customer on order 1: if it is repeat customer a new window open i select cusotmer and it add in to order 2: if it is a new customer i add from new customer window i add customer then i add to order 002dispatchsoluton.fmp12 002dispatchsoluton.fmp12

Hi gang, I'm creating a day trading journal. One feature that would be useful is, after I upload my chart markups, to be able to hide the right-hand side of the inserted image to give a little simulation of what the chart looked like at that exact instant. Kind of like a very rudimentary bar replay, for those of you familiar with day trading. I'm imagining a rectangle shape that I can change the width of from browse, by dragging a side with my cursor. I'm just jumping back into FM after about 10 years, so maybe there is some new kind of functionality that could allow me to create this effect? Thanks!

My solution is hosted and will be accessed by FM desktop installations (not web direct). If I use uncommon fonts in my design, will I need to assure users install the fonts, or will they work properly on the client side?

In FM charting, is there a way to prevent the longest bar (or stacked bars) from taking up the entire width? In the image below you'll see a chart based on 'time' data spanning only a few minutes. I'd like the full width of the chart to represent 1 hour (for example) therefore the lines would only fill 10% of the chart width currently. I know there are multiple other options such as JS, buttonbars, repeating fields, etc., but traditional charting is doing what I need with this exception. Thanks.

I am looking in the FM world for someone with experience linking records to other apps. Specifically, I use Hookmark (previously Hook) from CogSciApps. I want to be able to link to FM db items in a writing project where I am gathering my data. This is entirely macOS ecosystem. The attachment is a screenshot of the Hookmark pref to configure another app link correctly. I have tried putting a link into a FM container. Other apps that I am using include DevonThink 3, Tinderbox, Mellel, Scrivener, Accordance, Bear, Obsidian, Firefox, and Safari. In short, can I link a block of text in FM which is related to an article housed in FM to an outside word processing document a…

I'm currently using FileMaker Pro Version 12 for the PC in order to be able to read/write files developed on archive version 4.0 files. (*.FP3) (I was informed that versions after 12 would NOT read *.FP3 files) My goal is to migrate to the iMac, so my questions are: will my version 12 application work on the iMac 24? If not, what Mac version will read *.FMP12 and *.FP3 files? Thank you.

Before I ask you to make a competition table , I made it, but make some change for some sports. Now I want to make a round robin tournament and don't have any idea how to do it, I try some idea, but it's don't work have problem with how to make a classification of athlete, so, that's not good https://www.dropbox.com/s/smdn8d024qazh6k/adulte_poule.fmp12.zip?dl=0 the modele is join thanks for your help Ice Hockey - Beijing 2022.pdf.zip

Hello, I'm looking for a DB model that allows me to have a table with the different phases of a competition, it concerns the headings, the links and the model, hence the fact that I post here. the examples are the beach volleybal,l competition of tennis, ... So I enter the competitors and if winner, it automatically goes to the next round, so no need to enter Thanks in advance

Hi Forum, and I'm sorry as I know I used to know this...lol I have a calculation field showing results. The results are longer than the field. How can I scroll the field without putting a cursor in the field? I have to allow field entry or I can't scroll. On the desktop it puts a cursor in the field and many actions trigger an error message about '...not being modifiable'. And of course on IOS, it pops the keyboard, and any keyboard stroke triggers the same message. Was just wondering if anyone had a method, trick or work around. A merge field doesn't scroll. I did try to export field contents, or save as PDF. But it wasn't working for me…

Hello, I'm trying to make my first filemaker app. It's a simple app with an order table, and a products table with a relation between the two tables. I made a layout with a portal that displays many fields as Order Nr, Date, Name and in the portal price quantity total etc.. If I change for example the price of a product in the portal area it changes the price in the products table. How is it possible to change a field value without changing the value in the origin table ? I hope my question is clear un understandable.

Anyone know why I might be getting pixelated edges on my circles/ovals? I've experimented with all variations of radius sizes, etc. The version on the left has a border of 5. FM 19/Win11. Attached is a sample file just created and a screenshot of how it looks on my system in case it's a WIN setting. Display scaling is set at 100% and at the recommended resolution. Thanks. TestPixelatedCircles12.fmp12

Hello, I've been out of the Filemaker world for about a decade but I'm diving back in. I'm trying to develop a dispatch system that includes a 'run card' for each box location. A run card is basically a 4x4 table showing who responds to the box, who responds to cover, and for which level alarm. The table header is box assignment engine, box assignment ladder, cover assignment engine, cover assignment ladder; and the rows are first alarm, working fire, second alarm, third alarm. Can't wrap my head first around how to store this in the database and second how best to display. There are only sixteen values, so I don't think it would be terrible to just include those in …

Each time I exit FM 19 (WIN 11), upon reentry I have to open each type 'Window' (define fields, scriptmaker, degugger, etc)back to my preferred size and position. Is there something I can do to make these sizes/positions persistent? Thanks.

We are trying to make a database for storing information that we store during inspection of a building so we add our drawing to FileMaker as a picture and on this picture would we like to add a circle and a line to where a problem is found in the building. In the circle we like to have a number that is pull from the current record in fm. The picture/drawing is what the architects have made from the building. Any if you have any good solution for this and I hope you understand what I mean😀

I have an Aboriginal client in canada who's using filemaker to build a language dictionary with audio to capture their language. They have two custom fonts (Serif and Sans Serif) and use a keyboard app called Keyman to help them insert special characters. Works great with microsoft products such as Word or Excel, but inside a filemaker text field it doesn't. Does anyone have experience with this?

Unsure which forum this should be asked in... Filemaker help provides information on the 3 types of connection status i.e. Not encrypted, encrypted but SSL unverified and Connected and SSL verified. Great - actually found something in the Filemaker help Problem - on one Users filemaker connection (Using Windows 10 on PC), none of these three statuses are shown/indicated - the top right of their Filemaker window is simply blank where this icon should appear. How to get the icon displayed? On another PC in the same room, using the same internet/router connection to the same database the icon is showing as red unlocked padlock - connection is not encrypted (t…

I'm having difficulty working out the best data structure for my project. The logical structure I have is: Client -< Factfind -< Asset -< "Snapshot" of values and other characteristics at regular points in time. So, Clients are people. I go to see one and I take notes, this is called a Factfind. In the factfind there are sections for Assets and Liabilities. Assets include Bank Accounts, Stocks and Shares, Mutual Funds, Houses. Although similar to each other, they have very different categories in which to record data, so a Mutual Fund has a Region it focusses on, a Bank Account does not. I need to record and keep for ten years all relevant informat…

I borrowed a Theme from a friend for learning purposes and when entering data in Browse mode the borders on EVERY field, check box, etc... the lines become dotted. But on my friend's solution, his theme the dots don't happen at all. His borders don't appear to become active when entering data. They stay solid and very much more visually pleasing. I have done a side by side comparison of every option in the Layout Inspector and cannot find a single difference between his file and mine. I've also tried copying and pasting Styles and States using the Inspector's Eye droppers but no change. So I've included two screen captures examples. The Zoomed in dotted screen shot o…

My apologies if i am posting in the wrong group. I just want to get feed back on how other are doing data entry particularly when creating a new record. Normally when i create a new record I like using global field for the key data (I consider key field those field required when creating a record). Then i use a save button, that with a script that created the new record with the required initial data information. Is this a good practice? Thanks JMart

Hi Forum! Im unsure if this belongs here please feel free to move this entry to the right place if need be. In the last 35 years, I have programmed in SQL, MySQL, Oracle and Filemaker. Native as well as Web Interfaces. I consistenty find that for writing a native interface for a local inhouse database, the development time required is *way* faster with filemaker compared to the other comparable technologies. (Yes we all agree if you want a zillion clicks a second we need Oracle, but for the rest of the 99% of us who dont need that...) I estimate the development time for a local inhouse database is about three times faster. I dont need to cre…

Good day, Trying to figure out how to do the following but my knowledge don't go that far. I need to auto populate a field based on a value of another field but at the same allow the users to manually enter a value if the auto criteria is not met. If value of "Field A" is equal or less then $1000.00, "Field B" should auto populate with the word "Small", otherwise the users should be able to select "1 Year", "2 Years", or "3 Years" I tried Auto enter and field validation but nether work. Thanks

Hi, I am wanting to use this "Checkbook" font "MECRENC.ttf But FileMaker doesn't see it. I've installed in to the "Computer" folder inside the fontbook and FileMaker still can't see it? The "Users" folder doesn't work either. Other apps I'm able to select this font but not FileMaker, strange ... suggestions? The reason I am using this font is that I need the "A,B,C,D" feature which yields the strange characters in front of and at the back of the account and routing numbers. See attached pic and I've attached the font file. Suggestions would be grateful. Thank you. micrenc.ttf

Good evening. I was wondering please if anybody knew of a product or method whereby I could store files in a structure that worked similarly to that of folders and sub-folders. At the end of every "branch" would be a container field that housed a file - such as a PDF. As the client would be adding, editing and deleting the folders, the levels within, and the files in there, it would need to be a tool that is easily manipulated. I'm sure you know what I mean, but I have included a screen dump of an example folder structure to illustrate what I have in mind. If there is an existing tool out there - terrific. If not, where does one start with Filemaker to create this…

Stuck on a solution. Problem: I have a script that creates a pdf of the current record which has two pages. My layout body tab is dragged down past the single page boundry to the end of the second page. I have a picture container field on the 2nd page and the first page with has all my text fields. When I run the script, only the first page is created and not the second page with the container. In my script (showing only two lines but there are other that deal with saving the pdf file in a windows directoy. I don't think these are relavent so I don't have them listed below): Print Setup [Restore; No dialog] Save Records as PDF [Restore; No dialog; "$Fi…

I am trying to do something like this, Upload a pdf in to Filemaker On the pdf file I need to ad one or more markers like a circle with a number in it. The number comes from field. It has to work on filemaker in IOS. We are trying to do a app for marking differ ten things on a drawings inside filemaker (the pdf file) and as you walk around the building same as the PDF we kan mark and typ in any problem areas. Some of you guys know how to do that?

I am using FMPro 16 on a Macintosh (MacOS 10.13) In Browse mode, viewing Format>Font I see the following: PROBLEM: some of the fonts installed on my Mac are grayed out, and ALL of the "options" (Roman, Book, etc) are grayed out. In EVERY other programs on my Mac these fonts are available and work and print perfectly. CAN SOMEBODY please explain what is the problem that FMPro has with them. And if possible, tell me how I can fix this. Thanks.

Hi, I've been using the Kargas Dialog plugin for years, event if it's no longer supported, it's still working in FMA17, I'm planning to move to FM19 this year and I need to get rid of old 32 bits plugins. It's a lot of work since I use it in so many places. I already replaced large dialog and custom dialog with card windows (Technic by Matt at Filemaker Magazine). Mainly it is used to allow the user to select related information about something. The items in the list are not fixed. For example, we sell an item and we prepare a list of parts the installer will need to go with that item. So I have a table relation from item.id <----> …

Hi All, Attached is a zipped FM DB which contains a single popover and script that creates a time picker much like Google Calendar's time picker on Android. I created it because FM doesn't have a time picker, and I just felt like it. Have attached a screenshot of what this time picker looks like. If you improve on it, share it. Enjoy!TimePicker.zip

Hey guys, Im devoloping a FM solution for my work to turn our receiving inspections from paper records into digital format. I have made progress but I have come across an issue of how I can create inspection check boxes based on a given sample size for multiple line inspections. This could be a design issue as I have 2 possible ways to go about doing this. Currently, I have a "Receiving Template" table, which will be the primary database of record where Quality Assurance personnel will be able to input their inspection results of a given lot received in. I have part number and part description fields tied to other FM solutions that provide all the part nu…

Besides using the mbs plugin, is there any way to get fm (18) to indicate ‘paired’ parenthesis in the calculation engine? thanks ron

Hi, I have a customer who has a storage facility. He has a layout called "Site" ( attached ) it is a single record table. On the layout the customer laid in 132 fields ( each field representing a unit number that he's entered in the unit number ) on the layout. Similar site maps that provides a bird eye view of facilities. What he would like is when a unit is rented in the "Units" table, he would like to see some kind of action on this single record "Site" table. The only way I see this is to build a relationship from this "Site" table to his "Units" table so ... Site::Units_Field_1 to Units::Unit_Number Site::Units_Field_2 to Units::Unit_Numbe…

One of my Covid-lockdown projects is adding some inventory control to our Filemaker solution. We started with this some time ago, and most of our rental items have got barcoded ID tags. The management of that has lagged somewhat behind. We have wireless barcode scanners, and one of the tasks I have in mind is verifying that items listed in the database exist in real life. (I suspect that some labels have been put on without records being created) In theory, it shouldn't be difficult for someone to work their way along a bay of shelves blipping barcodes whilst a looping script runs in FM. The barcode reader itself beeps to let the user know that a barcode has be…

I'm not sure how to exactly to describe this, but ever since FileMaker Plus ... it seems that anything I've ever down has some form of things changing visually when areas of the layout are clicked, or in use. Here's my layout "normally". The tickbox fields are translucent, the portal rows are alternating color on the left and plain white on the right. Now if I click someplace out of any field you can see the outlines change on various fields. (Tick box fields are now black outlines, portal fields are outlined) Let go and it goes back to how it is above. If I click in a portal row then many of the other fields chang…

I have no idea if some of these wants are even possible. I have a plants database that includes a Variety table, a Location table, whose records each consist of an image (map) of one of my gardens, and a Plantings table whose records consist of a Variety key, a Location key, and other information about the planting. There may be over 100 plantings in a Location (garden). I want to be able to: 1. Place an image (said image resides in the Variety table) of each of my plants in the appropriate location on the garden map 2. Be able to use the plant image as a button to go to the appropriate record on the Variety layout/table 3. Display information about th…

Gents, when printing a contract I have a font size issue. I have two layouts: CONTRACTS and P1 (used for printing). CONTRACTS layout has text fields with font size 16. P1 layout is based on pasted contract text and merge fields. The font size there is 9. In the printed contract almost all mergedfields are 9 font size (as I need), but some of the field are size 16. Those size 16 fields were copy-pasted into CONTRACTS layout from outside. To make a contract look OK, I need to decrease the font size to 9. As a result, printed contract is OK, but DB has different fonts. What's …

I have a feeling this is going to end up being a forehead-slapper when someone helps me figure it out, but in the course of editing one of the Claris-supplied templates while trying to learn how to use a plugin, I'm running into a weird interface behavior. I've got a list view layout with a couple of fields from the current table and one from a related table, with the typical setup of hiding the current-table field that contains the foreign key behind the display field from the related table that shows the value I want the user to see. The problem is that the display field is transparent on every record in the list view except the current one, so that the text with the UI…

We have a layout that has multiple tab panels, I want to add a field in the same place in all the tab panels at once without clicking on each panel. It's probably simple but I can't seem to figure it out. Thank you for your help in advance! Caroline

MAC OS Catalina... from "Color Other" > OS Color Picker, I set an objects color using the sRGB Profile to 240, 240, 245. Then when I exit and return to the objects color mix, it is shifted to 243, 243, 247. This color is just one example, happens on all colors, even if I set a swatch to my mix. Any knowledge on how I can avoid this color mix shift? I've been trying to finalize my colors and styles, but this very annoying issue is keeping me from doing so, as colors between objects, layouts etc. are noticeably off and are not consistent. This is driving crazy, lol.... please help. ☺️ Thank you all for your time and knowledge!

We have a table containing time bookings for all of our staff. Its the data for a calendar so has: Name, Start Date, End Date, Start Time, End Time, Description. We also have a table which is just the names of the people. We have a week planner view which I made by 7 relationships and portals, works reasonably well, apart from if you are viewing quite a few peoples records at the same time it takes some time to update. I have 2 Questions: Is there a slicker way than having 7 portals? The blocks do not join up with each other. (See Example) Our business want to make a much bigger view that shows 3 months at a time, for each person. Imagine the data …

In list view I want to be able to "grab" an object so I can move the record up or down in the found set. Is there a way to do this? It would be just like how an item on an list in an iPhone gets moved up or down. For example, on a play list in Music, I can change the order of songs to be played. Also, I would like to have this capability when I move my solution over to FileMaker Go Thanks!

Can this device be usable to connect to filemaker? https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-First-Bilateral-Magpie-Tech/dp/B07975RT7L

I would like my users to input the time in the format HHMM (ie, just numbers, without any delimeter), and it should automatically convert it to correct time format. I have experimented a bit with this, but can't get it to work 100%. Eg; with the below calculation it works for all times after noon. Ie, "1215" converts it correctly to 12:15, but "0830" will not (it will be converted to "83:00"). Let ( $Timein = GetAsText ( indata ) ; Time ( Left ( $Timein ; 2 ) ; Middle ( $Timein ; 3; 2 ) ; "00" ) ) Is there anyone that already have done this satisfactory?

Hi All, Our database has properties and for each property there are multiple inspections per appliance, sometimes year to year sometimes quarterly. Anyway, we want the technicians in the field who are using iPads to view the history per property by swiping just to make it simple. Every swipe would be a different inspection for that property viewed in chronological order. Property part is "static" while they "page" or swipe through the inspections. I was thinking a slide control would work nicely, and each slide would be a different record for that property. I'm looking for ideas to jumpstart my thought processes, apparently my brain is having a hard time funct…

USING FM 17 ON MAC MOJAVE I inserted a sample .png on a layout in my solution from desktop and assigned a script when I am deleting the graphic from desktop and the same graphic is getting disappeared on my layout why its happening ?????

I'm working on a database for veterinary exams. During an exam, a set of measurements on an animal can be taken but not all possible measurements are recorded during each exam. Therefore, my current design has a parent table called 'Exams' and a child called 'Measurements' and they are related through the primary key of the 'Exams' table so that each measurement that is taken is recorded as a new record in the 'Measurements' table (with a label, e.g. 'right leg length', and a value, e.g. '50.5cm'). See attached screenshot of relationship graph. During the actual exam, data are recorded on a paper form (please see attached photo for example of form). To streamline the…

Can anybody please tell me how to export /transfer a dataset from filemaker repeating fields to tensorflow, thanks Roger Sorry I did not explain "Tensorflow" it is a machine learning program released by google. I believe a Tensor is a multi axis matrix i.e. >2 axis. It is run in python, Numpy is the target I believe but not sure what the format of the array is. There are several google presentations, but they tend to over simplify the work required then say awesome, cool or both.

I have two tables in a database related by a field called "TeamKey". The tables are as follows: Team Team Name (Text) Team Number (Text) Member 1 (Text) Member 2 (Text) Member 3 (Text) Member 4 (Text) Member 5 (Text) TeamKey (calculated combo of Team Name & Team Number) Performance (each record is a daily team check) Team Name (Text) Team Number (Text) Member 1 (Calculation Field -> "TeamKey::Member1") Member 2 (Calculation Field -> "TeamKey::Member2") Member 3 (Calculation Field -> "TeamKey::Member3") Member 4 (Calculatio…

Just came across this article: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/form-design-placeholders/ discussing the use of placeholders and thought I'd share.

Hi I have a. database that stores Artist's details and I wanted to be able to select dates they are booked for, but wondered if it is possible to have a calendar or something where you select several dates and they most likely will not be a range of dates that are next to each other. Am I trying to achieve something that is not possible? thanks Sarah

Hello, I don't think there is a solution to my problem because I have searched the internet without any luck but I figured I would ask anyway. I have an app that makes phone calls and processes our bill payments to different providers via an auto attendant. About 80% of the time it works great. The issue occurs if the providers changes the menu randomly. For example instead of "Press 1 to make a payment" it may say "We see you have a scheduled appointment. Would you like to check on that?". Since my script uses timers to determine when to press the keys, that throws off the timing and the user has to stop the script. Does anyone know of a plugin or a solution th…

I have a layout in List view where each line represents a LOCATION. Picture the location being a numerical sequence of slots in a number of drawers. The Locations are related in a 1-to-1 relationship with ITEMS. Each Item occupies a single location. Over on the ITEMS layout, the user can create a new item and assign it to the next slot in the LOCATIONS sequence. All good. Occasionally an ITEM is discarded, and its record is deleted from the database. This results in an empty slot in the midst of the Locations sequence. The Location record is still there, because we don't delete that record - the slots, once created, are there for good. I need to find th…

I am involved in the production of figures and tables for an eBook that is to be translated into a number of languages. I'd like to create a database of the images (about 20) with fields over the various text blocks in each image into which the translator can type their language version (around 15 per image). Each image is different, as is each text block. My initial thought is to create one record for each language with 20 layouts (one for each image) with the appropriate unique fields overlaying the image (stripped of original text) as they would appear in the English version. My next thought was to have one record per language but 20 tabs (one for each image…

Hello all. I have a dilemma. I am trying to submit payroll information to our accountant who then submits payroll to an HR service to process pay checks. I can export all of the information from our time keeping program into filemaker no problem. Then I can create a report of needed date ranges. The problem is that the accountant needs the information separated by weeks so they know if an employee has worked overtime or not but the pay period is semi monthly. Which means I have to send everything from the first to the fifteenth for example. The first day of the pay period and the last day of the pay period will almost always be mid week. I should add that the accountant o…

I have a window, DPD, based on a table in a file, Sales Items. I am surprised that a GTTR going to a different layout in the same database takes me to the DPD window and not the parent db window. I assume this is intended behaviour? Does this mean that I have to replace all GTTRs in that database with a script that includes a 'Select Window' script step?

I have a solution with two, side-by-side, scrolling text fields. One contains captured content. The other contains notes on the content. I need to jump from one to the other as I make notes. But when I activate the notes field, the content field jumps back to the top. I need for the scroll position of the content field to stay where I left it, so that I can resume where I left off when I return to the field. Is this possible?

I found a couple of really useful resources when considering various aspects of list layout. Design Better Data Tables This page takes you through a number of features that can be employed to add functionality and increase user experience when using lists. Not all features are available in FM. https://uxdesign.cc/design-better-data-tables-4ecc99d23356 Designing Tables for Reuseability This article is a case study on pulling together disparate worksheets for various departments and organisations and building them into one style with all the functionality. It gives a number of useful suggestions that I have employed in my layouts https://uxdesi…

Hello, everyone. I’ve added a Serial Number field to my database, and set the auto-entry properties to On Creation. I’ve noticed that the serial number appears only in records I’ve created AFTER creating this field. Is it possible to have serial numbers for the records I created PRIOR to establishing the Serial Number field? If so, what is the procedure, please? Also, is it possible to reset the serial numbers so that they begin with the first record entered? Doing a "reset" is not critical for the purposes of my database; I’m just curious if that can be done. Thank you! PT

Hello, everyone, I am using FileMaker 16 on Windows 10 64-bit. I’m a novice database designer and not really an expert. But I find FileMaker so much easier to use than Access. I’ve managed to figure out a lot of things on my own, with a minimal amount of research. So, thank you FileMaker designers and engineers. As I create more complex databases, I may need some help. With this being said... Here’s my first question: I have a text field that I’m going to be adding a combination of letters and numbers into. However, I want this field to repeat the text I type into it, until I choose to type in something else. For example, if I create a new record, and …

This seems like it should be simple, but I'm not sure of the best way to go about it . . . I have a quizzing database where each problem is tagged as Easy, Medium, or Hard. On an introductory layout, I want to give users the option of checking one or more tick boxes to determine which of the classes of problems to include in their quiz, and then I want them to be able to choose whether to order those questions in my original sequence, in a random sequence, or in a sequence based on their previous performance . The 'ordering' option I figure I'll offer by putting three buttons on the layout corresponding to the three modes -- clicking one of the three will la…

I am creating an iPad solution for quizzing people on backgammon positions. I am trying to figure out a way of reflecting the users "Mastery" of each problem -- the idea being that they will take the quiz repeatedly over time, gradually getting them right more consistently. I thought about just showing a % of Right answers divided by Attempts -- but this number wouldn't change (improve markedly after several attempts. If they got a problem wrong the first two times, and then correct 3 times in a row, the progressive % would be 0, 0, 33, 50, 60 -- and 60% doesn't suggest the degree of mastery one deserves for getting it right for the 3 most recent attempts in a row. …

Hello I started working on a new client which has already FileMaker15. I am used with FM11 from years now. One thing I found strange, was the browsing of the fields on manage database window. On FM11 I could easily press on the keyboard the key of starting letter of a field and navigate to the fields with that starting letter, on FM15 it just hangs at the first fields it finds, sometimes jumps from first to second it finds, kind of strange. Let say I want to navigate to a field named "Saturn". On FM11 if I press on keyboard "S" it navigates to the fields starting with "S" every time I press it, I could even press fast enough "sa" and it will navigate …

Hi Not sure if the is the correct forum ... please advise where I should post if not here. Thank you. I have a client that is already working on a solution created in FileMaker 13 ... Client wants to default all field fonts to ... "Calibri 13pt" ... ?? Looking in ver 15, 16 I can see anyway to change the "Font" across all layouts in FileMaker preference pane. Going back to my version 13; on my mac in "FileMaker" preferences, I know that I can preset the "Font" in the beginning when creating the File, but since the solution has already been established for some time ... One - Can I change the overall "Font" via the customer solution within…

Does anyone know if this is supported in filemaker go or support soon to come? It would completely change my business if this were possible. Thanks

This is a stylistic issue: I have a calculation field (text) that displays a three-line address: Street Address City / ST / ZIP Country The field is clickable so when the user clicks on it, it copies the entire address into the clipboard so it can be pasted in a non-FileMaker Pro form on-screen. To save vertical space in the layout, I want to display only the last line of that field that shows Country, but no matter how much I play with the controls in the Inspector--and adjust the field's height--I just can't get it to work. Is this do-able or no? TIA for your help!

I hope Iv come to the right place. Im hoping someone can help me. I'm trying to make a solution where different warehouses have different types of equipment. What I want to do is for each site to create a list of equipment on site. Then create a checklist which will be done weekly for each of the equipment. For example one site may have: forklift, sweeper, trolley jack 1, trolley jack 2 etc. Once the list is created, create a check list for the list of equipment. The check list can be as simple as: Ok, N/A, Issue. Once the checklist is completed, I need to be able to create another checklist with the same equipment list. I hope this makes sense. I…

Hi, I solved my last problem but now I want to have a better user interface. we use the portal to show which filter used on machines like this. But now I don't want to use portal I want to use repetition field but if I do this work I have problem with user interface because when user press add new button other fields must go down like CDBABY picture

Hey, I want to use the same header on all my layouts in FileMaker Pro 15 Advanced but I can't seem to find a way to accomplish it. I read on Google and other forums that there is no way to do it, however the posts I found are all at least a year or two old. Did they add a way to do it in FileMaker 15 or do I still need to duplicate a layout to get the same header on a different one? Thanks in advance, Mike

I'm brand new to Filemaker. I'm trying to figure out how to make a left menu area that will appear in all of my layouts for navigation purposes. To switch from layout to layout easily for the user when my application goes live. I'm not even sure if this is possible, but from what I'm reading, it looks like it may not be. Would there be a way to split a layout into two vertical sections, the left one being the menu (which I can duplicate on every layout if necessary, though that would be a pain), and the right area where the actual program interactions appear? I'm so new that I'm not even what the correct terminology is. Thanks!

Hi all. I am about to start building a user interface to provide text formatting functionality whereby users can format text using buttons I have provided such as Bold, Italic, and so on. Basically buttons for all the text formatting functions FileMaker provides. I specifically need the ability for users to be able to highlight text within a block of text in a text field and add formatting to the highlighted text. Can anyone recommend a source with some examples or video tutorials on how to accomplish this. Thanks in advance

I'm working on a merge letter type interface. I have a list of merge field choices in a portal next to a text field. I would like to be able to insert into the text field when clicking on a button on the portal row. But I just realized when clicking a button in a portal it pulls the cursor out of the currently active field since I'm actually selecting a related record. Thus Insert Calculated Results will not work to insert the merge field name at the current cursor position. Any suggestions on how to work around this issue?

I have a table called PRODUCTS and it has two fields: _kp_products_id product_name In product_name field it has following values in separate records: iPhone Screen Protector Samsung Screen Protector iPhone Charger Selfie Stick In a layout I want to show the product_name in a drop down field and when the user choose any of the value it should assign _kp_products_id of that product. If I type: "Char" in the field then it should filter down the dropdown with these values: iPhone Charger If I type: "iPho" in the field then it should filter down the dropdown with these values: iPhone Screen Protector iPhone Charger How can…

We have a newer Dell laptop that is having display issues with FileMaker Pro 14 running on Windows 10. It is a very high resolution monitor with the DPI defaulted to 250%. As you can see from the attached pic, every layout comes out partially displayed. As you move your mouse over the fields and the buttons, they become displayed. I tried taking the DPI down to 100 and decreasing the resolution, but that didn't fix it. I've tried 32-bit and 64-bit of FM14. I have tried Windows 7 and Windows 8 compatibility for DPI and scaling. Nothing seems to fix this. Any ideas? Thanks, Ryan

Hi, As I am trying to understand why my screen "Blinks" or "Temporarily" displays a working layout I navigated within scripts. I have read Filemaker's screen "Freeze/Refresh" window definition. "Wisdom please ... According to Filemaker, Filemaker refreshes the screen after "a" script terminates. This is what I read. However, I am calling 5 additional scripts within a script I call. So now what. I've placed a "Freeze Window" script step within and at the top of each script as well as a "Freeze Window" between each script I am calling to try and "Re-Freeze" the window that "Filemaker" just Refreshed however I am unsuccessful is doing this si…

I noticed webdirect don't show custom menus. I don't use buttons in layout to navigate and I rely entirely upon custom menus for navigation. What's the solution?

FileMaker 15.0.2 file path is not available with Command-click on header of database view in browse mode. Running OSX 10.11.3.

Hi, I've a solution with FilemakerGo where the users insert data. When all data is inserted, the user clicks a button which sets the field "lockRecord" to "Y" and from now on, changes should be avoided. I tried the following solution, that I inserted a rectangle control on top over all fields, and set the "Hide object if" to lockRecord unequal to "Y". This works fine as long as the rectangle control has a background-color. But in this case, I can't see the underlaying fields anymore ;-) When I set the background-color to transparent, I can see all fields with values, but changing of the field values is still possible ;-( How can I do this? Thanks, Hans

Hey... I am stumped. I have a simple check mark graphic, I want to insert it over another picture using a button. This is for a database that will be used online with web direct. Anyways....the field would be a container field. Setting one field into another... I thought that if I made the original Container field, with the graphic, "Global Storage" and buried in the background it would always be there. I have it working in Filemaker 15 Pro, but it does not work with Webdirect, using a browser. So I am basically asking what is the best way to go about achieving what I want to achieve here? I hope that made sense... I am sure there is something I am o…

My apologies in advance if I am posting in the wrong "room." My brief history...I was more active forum user a while back using Filemaker V12. I now have Filemaker V15 and Server 15 and I am using filemaker cloud. Filemaker cloud is genius...and has now lead me down another road with some of my customers. So I am building an extremely simple database where a customer of mine can log in, in a nutshell, just order something. It is not a "store," I am micromanaging event material that ships from one place, returns to me, ships out again, etc. This requires a live database. Here is my question.... so my customer logs in...has a "new event." I want a server ema…

Hello everyone. Pretty sure you guys are going to tell me to rework some things here but I've got a seemingly simple question. I have a database which has a layout that's view only, I don't want the user to modify the data. In any case, one of the fields is a description text field and on some of the records, the text is larger than can fit on the view of this layout. Normally, if you click a field, it will show the scroll bars to allow you to view all the text but because we are not allowing entry to the field, clicking has no effect. Is there any solution, short of making the description field larger on the layout? Thank you, DM

Brand new file created for this demo. Outer rectangle is set to 169pt and inner is set to 36pt. When I select them both and align both horizontally and vertically, it seems fine. However, if I click again, it moves. Why? Would not FM select the best alignment the first time and thus repeat the same 'test' the second time? Wouldn't its first choice be its second choice when selected again? It does not matter if I deselect it in between tests ... it still jumps 1pt. Attached is video showing the behavior and the file itself. Yes, it seems a little thing ... but what if I am aligning many objects this way. According to this demo, they may not line up after …

I am building a customer database. The database will have a primary key. I am looking to make the primary key either a unique integer or a UUID (with 32 chars). The UUID appeals to me due to its ability to sync tables. The primary key will be used for (obviously): Searching and sorting records As a tag against documents eg document XX is linked to customer AA, BB and CC; and A foreign key to link tables My questions are: Do UUIDs adversely affect database size Do UUIDs adversely affect speed If UUIDs retain their full 32 chars, then there will obviously be a disadvantage. However, is FM clever enough to convert the UUID "und…

Hi all, I am trying to "insert from device" a picture into a container field that is inside a slider. There are 8 repetitions of that container used to store photos. I don't want to go through the filemaker go insert menu because i want to restrict the size of the pictures taken on a mobile device to medium. I need a script to get the active repetition number for the container field and then insert from device into that specific repetition. Part of the challenge seems to be the containers placed on a slide control. I have tried several scripts but cant get the repetition number to work correctly. Its been years since writing scripts in filemaker and i …

I have two tables, the first table is the master and the second table is the details. Each record of the Details is related to an ID in the first table. What I want to do is display in a model all the records from the details table. My problem is that instead of display a list of all details records He displays one by page. I have two loops. I've tried a lot of combinations and nothing work. Thanks for your help. Johanne

I am trying to create an option for dialogue to show up for users based on input they have provided. Rather than using up space for a merge paragraph on the page of the layout, it would be nice if they could click the help button and show the custom information related to each question based on their own input. When I try to set the button up to have merged fields in the dialogue, I do not see that option. I am using FM12 advanced. Thank you!

I recently created a CRM that utilizes a single layout for all functions and features. You can view a 5 minute demo video of it here: There is a second shorter video that demonstrates some extreme automation made possible with the CRM. You can view it here: Let me know what you think! Cheers, Gary

Anyone had experience using the FM client under Windows 2012R2? I have tried 14 and now 15 (both advanced) under 2012R2 and shortly after launch, the interface always begins to bog down very badly (within 5-10 minutes typically). Popovers open painfully slow (5-8 seconds), button clicks take forever to register, flipping records is chore and even just tying in a field to laborius. Basically anything involving the interface being updated is almost unusable. Searches though are as quick as usual after the pain of getting through the interface is over. Is this a known issue (haven't found any evidence of this) or has anyone else seen this behavior? Thanks …

Hi all After moving to FMP advanced 13 I still don't know how to automatically add a new field in the current layout I work on. Before it was simple but now I always need to drag the icon into the layout in Layout mode. Is there a way to tell the app to ALWAYS add new fileds to the current layout Thanks a lot