giosbob

Hi, I've created a database that is going to run in kiosk mode for non-admin accounts and I have a script that runs when the file is opened that finds specified records, sorts them, goes to a specified layout, etc. Is there a function or script available that would let me run that same script after a predetermined period of inactivity, for example, the database would reset to its initial state (essentially run the open file script I created) if there have not been any keystrokes or clicks in the last 5 minutes? I've looked at the Install OnTimer script -- and do use it elsewhere in the database to set some variables and move from one screen to another after a set amount of time -- but I don't know if that is the right way to do it. Any thoughts or hints would be appreciated. Thanks, -Robert.

For better or worse, the client already has touch screens and CPUs, so FileMaker Go is not an option, as far as they are concerned. The "mobile label" solution would involve loading complete files onto iPads and not using Server, at least not as a live connection to the iPads. However, thanks for flagging the cost issue, I will keep it in mind in the future.

Hi Chris, Yes, I would prefer it if they went the iPad route. As a matter of fact, I even suggested loaning out iPads so that visitors can carry the "labels" with them. (Believe it or not, other museums have told me that the damage and theft rate is very low.) Unfortunately, they already have the touch screens and CPUs in the gallery space from a previous less-than-successful digital label. So, the labels are stationary in front of display cases and the contents of the display cases (artifacts/objects) would be changed occasionally (new acquisitions, conservation reasons, the whim of curators, etc.). Thanks for your interest, -Robert.

I am looking for general advice regarding an unusual use of FileMaker.  In my work I use FileMaker to track content for museum exhibition design. This is basic stuff: what does the artifact look like, what are its dimensions, what is the text label, what display case does it go in, and other related data. I have experimented with creating a layout that works as a “digital label” in FileMaker Go or in kiosk mode on a touch screen that uses the data collected in the content management database, indeed, they can be the same file.  FileMaker makes it easy to have a really great label with swipes, pop-ups, images, everything that a museum visitor would want to learn more about what they are looking at, and I have fashioned a second no-nonsense interface for the curators and museum staff to update, edit, add, and delete records (“labels”) as required. (See attached JPG for a sample “label” layout.)  Now the problem...  A client is interested in this digital label idea, but they want to use it with touchscreens attached to computers rather than on iPads, which means purchasing FileMaker for each display (40 of them!) and, possibly, running FileMaker Server. This project is meant to be an add-on and I’m not sure if using FileMaker Pro rather than FileMaker Go would be a cost effective way to proceed.  I’m interested in the community’s evaluation of the following options. (Please note that I am a low-to-mid level FileMaker user and know nothing of PHP, SQL, or stuff like that, except that they exist and can do some of the stuff I want to do. I can get someone else to do the work if leaving FileMaker is the best option.)  Option 1: FileMaker Server with 40 copies of FileMaker Pro connected to a database on the server. Staff can update the database from their offices and the changes are reflected in the “digital labels” (FileMaker running in kiosk mode on touchscreens) in the exhibition space .  Option 2: FileMaker Pro for staff to edit records and FileMaker Server using custom web publishing (PHP?) with web browsers (or equivalent) acting as digital labels in the exhibition space.  Option 3: Use the original FileMaker database as a source for some other content management system that can be accessed with web browsers (or equivalent), in other words, a completely custom solution.  I’m not looking for detailed proposals, specs, or anything technical. What I would like are general observations about the strengths or weaknesses of each model, or even a new model, that could be maintained by a small museum with almost no in-house tech staff.  And just a side note, it would be great if FileMaker made a simple FileMaker client for desktop systems, similar to FileMaker Go. This would, I think, be one solution to my problem.  Thanks,  -Robert. Â

Hello, I need to know if a field contains any formatted text (italics, bold, underline, etc.) regardless of its position or content. By searching discussions on this website and others, I have discovered ways to format and unformat selected text and whole fields using various functions, but I have not found a function or script step that will return a "yes" or "no" to the question: does this field contain any formatted text, that is, does it use fonts that are not "regular." Any ideas or suggestions on how to do this? (My experience level is between novice and intermediate, so I apologize if the answer is obvious to more experienced FileMaker users.) Thanks, -Robert.

Hello, I am new to FileMaker Pro and can't find the answer to my question on the discussion forums. I have a database in which each record has a thumbnail image associated with it. I imported the record data, including the image file name, from various spreadsheets and then created a calculation field to display the thumbnail using a relative path calculated from the path to the folder holding the image files plus the imported value for the image filename. For example: "image:Media/" & Image Name 01 This works great on the local network and on stand-alone versions of the database and avoids having to "right-click" hundreds of times to link images in a container field. However, now I need to take the database to the web. We are using FileMaker Pro 11's Instant Web Publishing and I have tried moving image files into the "web" folder and changing the calculation to reflect this fact: "image:Web/" & Image Name 01 Where "Web" is the "Web" folder in FileMaker Pro. The calculation field doesn't work; images are not displayed through IWP. I have tried moving the database to the correct relative position, i.e. in the same enclosing folder as "Web," but that doesn't work. I have tried creating a container field defined by a calculation, but that doesn't work either. Surely there is a way to display images using IWP without having to go through each individual record and right-click the container field to create the link. Any ideas? Thank you, -Robert.