The Outlook Manipulator plug-in makes it easy to connect your Claris FileMaker solution with Microsoft Outlook and the new Microsoft 365 Outlook (we refer to it as Outlook Remote). Whether you want to centralize contacts, archive emails, manage calendar events, or automate communication, Outlook Manipulator gives you the tools to make Outlook an integrated part of your FileMaker workflow.

Direct Integration with Outlook Remote and Outlook Classic
Outlook Manipulator supports both modern and traditional connection methods. You can connect directly to Microsoft 365’s Outlook Remote using the  Microsoft Graph API or continue using Outlook Classic installed on your desktop. This flexibility lets you choose the integration method that best fits your environment and ensures long-term compatibility as Microsoft continues to evolve its Outlook and Exchange platforms.
With direct access through the Graph API, FileMaker can communicate with Outlook Remote and Exchange data without needing the desktop application. This approach streamlines setup, improves reliability, and future-proofs your FileMaker solution.
 Seamless Data Exchange and Automation
Outlook Manipulator allows you to push and pull data such as emails, contacts, and calendar events between FileMaker and Outlook. You can also automate these processes using FileMaker Server, enabling your system to synchronize data or send communications in the background.
Common uses include:
Archiving Outlook messages in FileMaker for easy searching and reporting Automating email notifications, contact updates, or event scheduling Managing meetings and sending invitations directly from FileMaker Keeping Outlook and FileMaker data updated across an entire team With both client-side and server-side options available, you can deploy Outlook Manipulator for individual users or organization-wide automation.
Streamlined Learning and Ready-to-Use Tools

To help developers and teams get started quickly, Productive Computing University offers the free Connect FileMaker to Outlook course. This hands-on training walks you through every step of setting up and using the plug-in, from installation to advanced use cases such as sending HTML emails and creating an email archive in FileMaker.
The plug-in also includes an unlocked demo file and comes preconfigured in Core CRM Pro, a free FileMaker CRM template, with built-in Outlook Manipulator scripts.
One Unified Plugin for Modern FileMaker Solutions
Outlook Manipulator brings together years of development into a single, unified plug-in that supports both local and cloud-based workflows. With support for Microsoft 365, improved authentication through OAuth, and options for automation via FileMaker Server, it provides the flexibility and reliability developers need to keep their systems current and connected.
How to Get Started
Download the demo file and plug-in, enroll in the free training course, or explore the Core CRM Pro template to see how Outlook Manipulator can transform the way your team manages communication and data.
Get the plug-in! Other products and services Productive Computing, Inc. offers:
What can PCI do for you? – overview of our services Health Assessment – a comprehensive report of your FileMaker system Consulting and Development – services billed by the hour Maintenance and Support – services billed monthly Packaged Services – Security Audit, SSL or Server Installation Plug-ins – tools to integrate with QuickBooks, Outlook, Google, and more Solutions – free customizable and scalable CRM template Claris and FileMaker Licensing – discounts on new seats and renewals FileMaker and QuickBooks Hosting – host your files in the cloud Productive Computing University – online beginner to advanced training courses Certification Programs – expert-led training, hands-on development, and personalized evaluations
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In my opinion, before creating your first complex solution in FileMaker, it’s best to become familiar with the core features the environment provides. When considering how to structure your solutions — whether using a data separation model or a single file — it helps to understand how certain features can influence your decisions.
In this video, I cover the External Data Sources feature. While this feature is primarily intended for connecting to external data sources, its utility goes beyond simply linking to an ODBC or JDBC source and displaying SQL data alongside information stored within FileMaker.
For our simple launcher program, we use this feature to launch FileMaker solutions. This approach lets us store any number of solutions in a table and easily filter or locate the one we need to launch. By taking advantage of the various path options in the External Data Sources dialog, we gain insight into several benefits of how the feature works.
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See how FileMaker can use AI to perform live internet searches and return real-time company data, news, and insights. Explore how to connect FileMaker to OpenAI to gather and organize results directly within your solution.
AI models are powerful, but their training only extends to a specific date, which means they often lack awareness of recent news or developments. When you enable AI search, FileMaker can look up current information on the web and combine it with the model’s existing knowledge. As a result, you can research companies, monitor industry activity, and summarize the latest content without leaving your FileMaker solution.
With the free, unlocked demo file, you’ll learn how to extract company details from a simple email or domain, retrieve the latest headlines, and parse everything neatly into FileMaker fields. The demo also walks through how the prompts are structured and parsed with JSON, giving you a clear understanding of how AI data moves through your scripts.
In the demo, you’ll see how FileMaker can:
Research company data: Enter an email address or domain, and FileMaker uses AI to find company details, industry, employee counts, and summaries.
Retrieve current news: Pull the latest headlines and summaries related to an organization—updated in real time using AI search.
Structure responses automatically: FileMaker parses JSON results into clean, organized fields for quick access and automation. Download the free, unlocked demo file in the FileMaker Features and Free Resources course at Productive Computing University. Enroll for free to explore additional demo files that show how to use AI tools, create QR codes, connect to APIs, and more.
Get the Demo File Other products and services Productive Computing, Inc. offers:
What can PCI do for you? – Overview Video of Productive Computing Services Consulting and Development – services billed by the hour Maintenance and Support – services billed monthly Packaged Services – flat fee for Health Assessment, Server Installation, etc. Plug-ins – tools to integrate with QuickBooks, Outlook, Google, etc. Core CRM Pro – customizable and scalable CRM built on FileMaker Claris and FileMaker Licensing – discounts on new seats and renewals FileMaker and QuickBooks Hosting – options to host your files in the cloud Productive Computing University – free and paid online video training courses for beginner to advanced users and developers
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Demo file: FM-22-Pseudo-Indexing.zip (works w/ FM 16 or later) When I wrote about Sort Values and Unique Values back in 2017, I made passing reference to an article I’d written a couple years previously on the topic of “pseudo indexing“, i.e., displaying a list of unique values for a specific field for a found set, rather… Continue reading FM 22: Pseudo IndexingView the full article

As with all increasingly complex human creations, especially those that go beyond the simple steps of “1, 2, 3, and done”, it’s important to plan for a solid foundation. A well-thought-out foundation guides a project toward long-term success and easier maintenance once the initial effort has been invested.
These early investments in your technical solution cover a variety of areas, one of the most important being permissions. Controlling what can be done, and by whom, not only protects against malicious intent from outside your organization but also helps prevent the inevitable accidental mishaps that occur internally.
This video begins laying the groundwork for implementing permissions properly when building FileMaker solutions. By setting a few initial configurations, we can encourage mindfulness about what happens as users navigate layouts and perform actions within the system. Following the process shown in the video allows us to be intentional about our permissions and to test them as we move forward along the development path.
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