I arrived in Austin excited to see some familiar faces and show off all the cool stuff we’ve been working on at Proof+Geist. I left Claris Engage feeling grateful for the people, the conversations, and the chance to be part of something that keeps evolving. Winning as a team Claris recognized Proof+Geist with an Excellence […]
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One of the greatest joys of working in technology is that you never really have to stop learning - although you certainly can. Everything also moves so fast that it often feels like you can’t keep up. The great thing about FileMaker is that you're not stuck in the '80s or '90s when the software first started - you get to explore as widely as you like. FileMaker can literally reach into almost all aspects of technology.
You can learn about relational structure, SQL, REST, web APIs, and whatever the next challenge is to make your data work the way you want to work. In this week's video, I focus on a topic related to solution architecture. It's presented in the form of using a Gateway file. This is a term I use to simply indicate that a FileMaker file acts as a technical arbitrator - helping decide which direction to take and what can be done before entering your “true” solution.
Yes, the Gateway file is part and parcel of your overall solution, but as a component that can be easily separated, it can provide critical functionality that makes development and maintenance a bit easier. If you're currently using a single-file FileMaker solution and have reached a point where your technical debt feels overwhelming, moving to this type of file setup may offer a breath of fresh air - whether you're revamping an older solution or starting something new.
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Even to this day, after providing FileMaker-related technical education for many years, I still see solutions with less-than-optimal structure and storage. When it comes to graphics, “all things add up.” The cumulative cost of data or technical debt often comes back to bite you when you’re trying to refactor an old solution to meet modern standards.
This video showcases what I know about storing and using graphics within your FileMaker layouts. If you’re unaware of how large images impact performance, you might end up needing to update them in a million different places - unless you know the trick for better storage. For example, not realizing that you’ve added a 4MB image instead of an optimized version that can be transferred as part of CSS through WebDirect can make a huge difference in performance. These are the kinds of small but crucial details that can significantly improve your solution overall.
That’s what videos like this are all about - understanding how things really work. How is the data stored? Are things being duplicated unnecessarily? If the thought of updating hundreds of graphics is something you’d rather avoid, then it’s time to take full advantage of the tools available to us. Let’s optimize our graphics knowledge.
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Expedite your FileMaker finds with saved searches. This article showcases a dynamic search builder that allows a user to construct Find Mode queries and save them for later use. Follow along with the free demo file and video. Dynamic Saved Searching in Claris FileMaker >>
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FileMaker Pro Audit Trail “Revisited”
By Doug West
Nearly ten years have passed since our Easy-Bake Audit Trail made its Internet debut! The same principles are still going strong, and now we’ve refined the approach based on user feedback.
The steps to implement this revised technique in your solution are as easy as:
Copy the one custom function from this demo file and paste it into each file of your app. Copy the _audit field and paste it into each table of your app. (Optional) Add excluded field names in a script that runs when the first window opens. This audit mechanism relies on FileMaker’s Get(ModifiedFields) function. Unfortunately, that function has suffered a bit of bugginess over the years. Recent FileMaker Pro release notes call out the following issues and enhancements:
FileMaker Pro 2023 (20.1.1):
The Get(ModifiedFields) function now returns fields containing data when a new record is created.
The Get(ModifiedFields) function incorrectly returned an empty result for fields modified with replace field contents, import, relookup, or drag and drop operations.
FileMaker Pro 2023 (20.1.2):
The Get ( ModifiedFields ) function failed to return all field modifications when a field repetition other than the first repetition was modified.
The enhancement to include the appropriate fields when creating a new record, as well as the fix for repeating fields, allows us to remove the more time-consuming elements of this tip file’s previous iteration. It is no longer necessary to check every field in the table for changes when auditing new records and we no longer have to check every repetition of a repeating field. These improvements greatly improve performance as long as you have already updated to FileMaker Pro 2024 (21.0.1) or later.
Using the While() function instead of recursion in the custom function doesn’t have much of an impact on performance but could affect memory usage in some situations.
As was noted in prior revisions of our audit trail tip, this type of audit log stores the history on the same record as the current values. So what happens to the history when you delete the record? The history gets deleted along with it. A variety of solutions have been proposed to address this situation. If you’re concerned about this dilemma, the history can be copied to a background table through a scripted process before deleting the record.
•• Download AuditTrailRefined.zip ••

**This article is provided for free and as-is, use, enjoy, learn, and experiment at your own risk – but have fun! eXcelisys does not offer any free support or free assistance with any of the contents of this blog post. If you would like help or assistance, please consider retaining eXcelisys’ FileMaker Pro consulting & development services.
About eXcelisys, Inc.: Founded in 2001, eXcelisys (www.excelisys.com)is an FBA Platinum Partner and FileMaker Certified developer organization. eXcelisys specializes in designing, developing, customizing, supporting, consulting, migrating, upgrading, fixing, and integrating of database solutions for Desktop, Mobile, and Web applications. Our core technology competencies are FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Go, and MySQL for database frameworks, along with FileMaker WebDirect, WordPress, MySQL, PHP, CodeIgniter, PostgreSQL, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, CSS, HTML5, and Javascript for web sites and web applications. Aside from providing eXcellent customer service, our goals are to use these technologies to intuitively automate your organization’s data solution needs seamlessly and flawlessly across the web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Contact eXcelisys today for a free estimate and consultation about making your business more efficient through intuitive and effective software automation. 866-592-9235.
eXcelisys, Inc. is an independent entity and this web site/information/blog post has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise affiliated with FileMaker, Inc. FileMaker is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
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