FileMaker Magazine

One of the powerful new features in recent versions of FileMaker Pro is the Open Quickly feature. While it initially had issues with giving users too much access, those concerns have been resolved through updated privilege settings. In this short video, I focus on a few things you can do with the Open Quickly feature. From jumping to fields several tables away to managing multiple layouts while working on your design, adopting the Open Quickly feature can significantly speed up your development process. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

One of the powerful new features in recent versions of FileMaker Pro is the Open Quickly feature. While it initially had issues with giving users too much access, those concerns have been resolved through updated privilege settings. In this short video, I focus on a few things you can do with the Open Quickly feature. From jumping to fields several tables away to managing multiple layouts while working on your design, adopting the Open Quickly feature can significantly speed up your development process. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Having a few pieces of code that can be easily replicated into any solution is one of the best ways to achieve efficiency in development. Yes, AI is revolutionizing how we build solutions, but it's still important to have a personal "treasure chest" of code you're familiar with and don’t need to re-learn. In this video and technique file, we take a look at just one of many ways to create a wizard-like, multi-step process. Using a slider is likely one of the simplest methods for collecting data from the end user. You could also use multiple layouts or even a clever single layout with multiple sub-summary parts. With just two simple scripts and a few convenient techniques that eliminate the need to replicate buttons or text, you can use the methods shown in this video and file to easily integrate a slider wizard into any of your solutions. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Having a few pieces of code that can be easily replicated into any solution is one of the best ways to achieve efficiency in development. Yes, AI is revolutionizing how we build solutions, but it's still important to have a personal "treasure chest" of code you're familiar with and don’t need to re-learn. In this video and technique file, we take a look at just one of many ways to create a wizard-like, multi-step process. Using a slider is likely one of the simplest methods for collecting data from the end user. You could also use multiple layouts or even a clever single layout with multiple sub-summary parts. With just two simple scripts and a few convenient techniques that eliminate the need to replicate buttons or text, you can use the methods shown in this video and file to easily integrate a slider wizard into any of your solutions. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Longtime FileMaker developers have often used the database itself to store values for various user interface settings. This is valid, because, where else would you store them? A common approach is individual fields. However, there are a few problems with this. First, it adds "noise" to your data structure, making it harder to distinguish between actual data fields and those used for other purposes. For example, you might ask, "Is this an actual data field or is it used for something else?" Second, FileMaker’s data transfer over the network is essentially all or nothing because every field in a table must be transferred. I've seen solutions with literally thousands of fields - every one of them, and their contents, is being sent over the wire. This is not an ideal situation, but it can be easily mitigated by migrating to a system that addresses both issues. Furthermore, you can take additional steps to move this data just one table away and still maintain the same benefits for your user interface. This video presents a modern approach to managing your user interface settings. By learning from it, you may also gain insights into other ways to use JSON in your development. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Longtime FileMaker developers have often used the database itself to store values for various user interface settings. This is valid, because, where else would you store them? A common approach is individual fields. However, there are a few problems with this. First, it adds "noise" to your data structure, making it harder to distinguish between actual data fields and those used for other purposes. For example, you might ask, "Is this an actual data field or is it used for something else?" Second, FileMaker’s data transfer over the network is essentially all or nothing because every field in a table must be transferred. I've seen solutions with literally thousands of fields - every one of them, and their contents, is being sent over the wire. This is not an ideal situation, but it can be easily mitigated by migrating to a system that addresses both issues. Furthermore, you can take additional steps to move this data just one table away and still maintain the same benefits for your user interface. This video presents a modern approach to managing your user interface settings. By learning from it, you may also gain insights into other ways to use JSON in your development. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

FileMaker developers who use editors like VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, BBEdit, or even VIM are very familiar with the modern conveniences expected from a code editor: linters, code completion, formatting, syntax highlighting, and more. In FileMaker, however, we've been stuck in the 90s for quite a while. One of my favorite tools is Typinator, which offers extensive text manipulation capabilities. Recently, a new tool for Mac developers was released that addresses the lack of a full-fledged editor. FMIndent, released by the well-respected Debi Fuchs from Aptworks, is a winner! Adapting Perl code Debi created 20 years prior, we now have access to an OS-level tool that can format our code anywhere in FileMaker — or anywhere else on your computer for that matter. With the power of Apple's Shortcuts app and the new FMIndent, you can absolutely format your code exactly as desired. If you like taking control over your code, give this video a watch. With the ability to post-process what FMIndent provides, there's little you can't do. Special note about permissions: You may need to assign various levels of access to Shortcuts and the clipboard. As well as Allow Running Scripts within the Advanced area of Shortcut's settings. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

FileMaker developers who use editors like VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, BBEdit, or even VIM are very familiar with the modern conveniences expected from a code editor: linters, code completion, formatting, syntax highlighting, and more. In FileMaker, however, we've been stuck in the 90s for quite a while. One of my favorite tools is Typinator, which offers extensive text manipulation capabilities. Recently, a new tool for Mac developers was released that addresses the lack of a full-fledged editor. FMIndent, released by the well-respected Debi Fuchs from Aptworks, is a winner! Adapting Perl code Debi created 20 years prior, we now have access to an OS-level tool that can format our code anywhere in FileMaker — or anywhere else on your computer for that matter. With the power of Apple's Shortcuts app and the new FMIndent, you can absolutely format your code exactly as desired. If you like taking control over your code, give this video a watch. With the ability to post-process what FMIndent provides, there's little you can't do. Special note about permissions: You may need to assign various levels of access to Shortcuts and the clipboard. As well as Allow Running Scripts within the Advanced area of Shortcut's settings. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

When it comes to doing the same thing over and over again, you really can't beat a loop. It's the wet side of DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), where the "Don't" turns into a very big "Please, yes, DO." The trick with loops, especially when you're processing a lot of data like JSON, is that you often have to manage multiple iterators, counts, and all the little bits and pieces needed for a successful outcome. One of the wonderful things about many other languages, like Python, PHP, JavaScript, and others, is they offer really nice structures like forEach(). Well, we can have the same thing too! Things may not be as ideal as they are in those languages, but we can definitely enjoy some added code clarity and convenience - making it that much easier to work with loopable data. In this video, I showcase an updated version of a convenience function for working with both simple lists and JSON arrays. It’s a great way to handle intra-script parameters and makes your code much easier to read. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

When it comes to doing the same thing over and over again, you really can't beat a loop. It's the wet side of DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), where the "Don't" turns into a very big "Please, yes, DO." The trick with loops, especially when you're processing a lot of data like JSON, is that you often have to manage multiple iterators, counts, and all the little bits and pieces needed for a successful outcome. One of the wonderful things about many other languages, like Python, PHP, JavaScript, and others, is they offer really nice structures like forEach(). Well, we can have the same thing too! Things may not be as ideal as they are in those languages, but we can definitely enjoy some added code clarity and convenience - making it that much easier to work with loopable data. In this video, I showcase an updated version of a convenience function for working with both simple lists and JSON arrays. It’s a great way to handle intra-script parameters and makes your code much easier to read. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Breaking down complex logic into manageable chunks of code is the smartest thing you can do when it comes to conditional formatting. Especially when it needs to account for an increasingly wider number of conditions. This week's video deals with what seems like a simple solution to solve, yet it comes with all kinds of complex little pieces to make the solution provide the end result desired. If you enjoy the type of video which is a bit of a solution walk-thru, where I discuss how things are solved, then make sure to spend a bit of time with this technique and video. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Breaking down complex logic into manageable chunks of code is the smartest thing you can do when it comes to conditional formatting. Especially when it needs to account for an increasingly wider number of conditions. This week's video deals with what seems like a simple solution to solve, yet it comes with all kinds of complex little pieces to make the solution provide the end result desired. If you enjoy the type of video which is a bit of a solution walk-thru, where I discuss how things are solved, then make sure to spend a bit of time with this technique and video. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Every solution starts out like an infant. It knows very little and works hard to manage your solution's data as it becomes a productive citizen of your digital society. As it grows, your solution will need to offer a variety of options. User A prefers things one way, while User B another. Your job, as the developer, is to accommodate those whims and preferences, or settings as we’ll call them, in the most efficient way possible. As is somewhat typical, you may be halfway through development when you stop and ask yourself if there's a better way to manage the growing list of settings. In this video, I showcase an effective method for managing solution settings. By combining popular FileMaker techniques, we can consolidate, present, and manage settings in a highly streamlined way. Whether your solution is decades old or a brand new build, there is always something new to learn about handling data. We will look at how to combine JSON with solution settings and how easy it can be to simplify the process. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

Every solution starts out like an infant. It knows very little and works hard to manage your solution's data as it becomes a productive citizen of your digital society. As it grows, your solution will need to offer a variety of options. User A prefers things one way, while User B another. Your job, as the developer, is to accommodate those whims and preferences, or settings as we’ll call them, in the most efficient way possible. As is somewhat typical, you may be halfway through development when you stop and ask yourself if there's a better way to manage the growing list of settings. In this video, I showcase an effective method for managing solution settings. By combining popular FileMaker techniques, we can consolidate, present, and manage settings in a highly streamlined way. Whether your solution is decades old or a brand new build, there is always something new to learn about handling data. We will look at how to combine JSON with solution settings and how easy it can be to simplify the process. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article

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. Click the title or link to this article to view the video. View the full article