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      Our resident AI expert Cath Kirkland has just posted a new article all about integrating FileMaker with ChatGPT.  The article goes in depth about use cases, configuring ChatGPT, integration, and potential gotchas to watch out for.
      Also included is a detailed example file to get you started.
       
      Check it out here, and please leave a comment if you like it!
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      It's always interesting to measure the metrics of how long something takes. Adding automation to a process not only saves time, but makes it less mentally taxing. This increases the sense of accomplishment and can make the process itself more gratifying.
      I remember being at an amusement park and showing my kids how to measure the amount of time they might be in line by counting the amount of time it took between each time a roller coaster pulled in and how many people it accommodated. By then counting how many people were in line before them, they would know approximately how long they would be waiting.
      This same type of thought process can be applied to any routine task within FileMaker. With the knowledge of the tools available, you can likely automate that task such that you reduce the total time it takes. That's the bulk of what we're doing when we're making software - simply reducing the amount of time it takes to do things.
      In this video, I walk through the process of automating text capture from either a PDF or image files. FileMaker has built-in features on the Macintosh and it can certainly be accomplished within Windows as well. If there's anytime you're working with a PDF, PNG or JPG, then let's learn about the tools we have for automating the capture of data.
      Click the title or link to this article to view the video.
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      County Commissioner Candidate Gives eXcelisys High Vote of Confidence for Building Star-spangled Campaign Website
      From Inception to Launch in 28 Days, Site Boosts Office-Seeker’s Web Presence
      For St. Joseph County, Indiana, native Tom McCormick, the decision to seek political office was a long time coming. But once McCormick decided to run for county commissioner, he knew he needed to launch a campaign website lickety-split.
      “One of the first things we started in this whole process was trying to find a company that was willing to do something like this,” said McCormick. Turns out that securing his preferred domain name – McCormick4Commissioner.com – was a heck of a lot easier than finding a web developer willing to build his site.
      In August 2023, McCormick contacted a handful of web development companies about building his campaign website but came up empty: one developer indicated they did not deal with political candidate websites, preferring to work with businesses; another did not respond to inquiries; a third offered an outrageous price; a fourth said they were swamped with another project. 
      With no prospects, McCormick “threw the fishing net out on social media” asking for recommendations and soon heard from eXcelisys Solution Services Consultant Mark Clark. As McCormick tells it, he had known Clark “a lifetime ago” when Clark owned a Nextel Communications dealership and took care of McCormick’s wireless needs. Clark reached out to offer advice on hiring a web-design firm and pretty quickly, McCormick trusted that eXcelisys could meet his campaign website needs.
      On August 31, McCormick met with eXcelisys to discuss his vision for the website; 28 days later, McCormick4Commissioner.com went LIVE! Check out the campaign website:

      eXcelisys completed the McCormick campaign website (above) in just four weeks. This included all of the planning, content acquisition, design and testing. Overall, the site is informational and meant to reach, engage and inspire the District 3 St. Joseph County electorate; however, the site is also transactional in nature, allowing patrons to request campaign swag, sign up as campaign volunteers, or donate funds (through PayPal or Raisethemoney.com). Below: McCormick’s campaign yard signs include a QR code linked to the McCormick4Commissioner website.  Political Candidate Website Design: How We Do It

      McCormick is pleased with the site and satisfied with the way the custom website development process unfolded. eXcelisys WordPress Guru Shane Glover provided the web-building eXpertise for the site. Initially, McCormick showed Glover some eXample pages from campaign sites he liked – sites that embodied the look and feel McCormick envisioned for his own. Using the information, Glover presented some WordPress theme options.
      “We looked into a couple of canned themes but ended up customizing Astra, which is an almost-blank slate theme,” said Glover. Astra is lightweight on the front end, offering speedy load times to put McCormick’s message in front of site visitors quickly. 
      As Glover worked on the site, he did his homework, conducting research on political campaign website color schemes to typefaces to ensure he was up to date on the latest conventions. Glover was surprised to learn that Democrats lean toward sans-serif fonts while Republicans use serifs. (Serifs are the short, horizontal lines added to the tops and bottoms of letters). “I’m usually not a serif fan but I went with it for the majority of body text,” said Glover, in keeping with McCormick’s Republican affiliation.



      Building a Campaign Website  
      Developer-client collaboration took place in an asynchronous project management platform eXcelisys utilizes to ensure team members can communicate across time zones on different schedules. This tool proved perfect, as it allowed McCormick to upload content, answer design questions, and approve layouts whenever he had a free moment.
      As the owner/operator of McCormick Electrical Services and a volunteer firefighter, McCormick’s days are full serving the people around him but render him unreachable at times. Basecamp, however, allowed the development conversation to flow around the clock. “I could shoot out an idea or thought at 10 a.m. and Shane [Glover] would work on it, then shoot back a message or answer and later that night, I could answer back.”
      As for his day-to-day, McCormick prefers direct, real-time communication. “I’m old school. I like to be able to reach out and talk face-to-face.” McCormick’s preference for human interaction and understanding are central to his campaign message – Wanting what’s best for you.
      “To me, that means I want to be able to sit down with you. I want to hear what’s on your mind. I want to know what’s important to you in this county,” McCormick said, whether that’s roadways, the 911 dispatch center, the health department. Overall, McCormick’s goal is to find out what’s on the hearts and minds of the citizens of St. Joseph County, “so I can help make things better for all of us.”
      Though the website has been launched, like a campaign, the work is far from over. Glover continues to update the site as needed, such as when new endorsements come in. Because he doesn’t have to worry about website upkeep, McCormick is free to get out in the community and meet voters in preparation for the August primary.


      If you’re seeking political office and seeking a developer to build your campaign website, contact eXcelisys today. Our solution consultants will be happy to discuss your campaign website design needs so you can get back on the campaign trail. 
      The post eXcelisys Earns Vote of Confidence for Building Star-Spangled Campaign Website appeared first on eXcelisys.
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      Creating a collapsible list in Claris FileMaker might initially seem challenging, but with a strategic approach using a web viewer, it becomes achievable. By leveraging the web viewer, you can create a dynamic list that incorporates FileMaker data seamlessly. We demo how to create a collapsible list in FileMaker to provide a more intuitive and efficient workflow for users. Includes a video and sample file. Read the article here.
      dbservices.com
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      Earlier this February, we released new versions of the Otto family of Modern FileMaker developer tools, OttoFMS and OttoDeploy, and made them available to everyone for free. We shared this news at Claris Engage 2024, and made a lot of people happy. But we also kept getting some variation of the question, “there’s a catch, right?!”
      The answer is no, there isn't a catch, but there are trade-offs.
      The post I can’t believe OttoFMS is free! appeared first on Proof+Geist.
      View the full article
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