Safer Global Variables

[FileMaker Magazine]

Over the years, I've met a wide range of developers. Just like the variety of clothing styles you'll see at any popular concert, there are potentially just as many different programming styles. The usefulness, however, of development standards is equivalent to the simplicity of a stoplight. If we can all agree on one thing, then that one thing can benefit everyone who uses it.

When you consider this statement in light of FileMaker's available Global Variables, it's hard to agree on the decision of whether to use them or not. Maybe you like using a global variable temporarily across scripts — even though some might consider that approach problematic. Maybe you avoid using Global Variables because a trusted source once told you never to use them. Or perhaps you're one of those tidy developers who just can't stand the sight of them within the Data Viewer.

Whatever your stance, there are definitely times when using a Global Variable is beneficial. The scope of a variable is a concept familiar to pretty much every programming language. A globally scoped variable is valuable only as long as you can trust it. In this video, I present a method for using FileMaker's Global Variables that provides an extremely high degree of confidence in their use. We create a system where the variable is modified in one place only, making for a solution which is much easier to modify and maintain.

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

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