Filemaker Developer 6 - anything special?

[simon1663]

Other than standard features of Filemaker Pro 6, has there been any improvement in Filemaker Developer 6 that they didn't have in Developer version 5.5?

I am rather interested in Plugin section or Database Design report. Is there any new stuff on these sections?

[simon1663]

Hello?

Anyone there?

[Anatoli]

Sorry, I never used Developer. 80% of the "goodies" didn't worked with Central European language so I've sold that package second day after opening.

[SteveB]

The lack of responses to your question would seem to indicate that most of the developers have stayed away from purchasing v6.0. After being totally underwhemled by 5.5 I didn't bite either. Maybe Filemaker will get the hint that they need to listen to us and fix their bugs and half implemented solutions like the DDR and the debugger.

[LiveOak]

It does seem developers moved from a resource to a profit center in FMI eye a while back.

-bd

[falkaholic]

I don't user Developer. Whats the point? I don't make stand alone apps, the debugger i can get along with out and the other little thing could come in handy once and a while, but doesn't warrant $599

Developer 6 is just filemaker 6 with the little extras. Nothing specail from what i've read.

[kenneth2k1]

Steve, I was curious about your comment. I used the DDR a couple of times and it seemed to be a cool documentation tool. Although I did not delve as deep into it as I am sure you have. What shortcomings or bugs did you notice?

Also, I think you can upgrade from older versions of Dev to 6 for about $150 US. But I just bought 5.5 about 4 months ago, and after reading all the crap about 6, I think I will wait.

Ken

[SteveB]

My problems with the DDR are similar to my complaints about things that FMI has done for the last 2 years...almost everything is half done. The DDR is completely devoid of documentation, so it would be a full time job to try and fix it to do what I think it should minimally do. Compare it to Analyzer Pro from Waves in Motion or Brushfire. Neither one is perfect, but both are an order of magnitude better than the DDR.

Another example: the Debugger is half done. It doesn't display a field's value which every debugger I've ever seen can do. So here they did half the job.

Basically, I think they put a feature in only so far as is necessary for them to advertise it. Then they move on to the next ***-poor implementation and do the same thing.They never finished resizable windows. We then get stuck paying exhorbitant prices for crap.

If it were up to me, I'd fire most of them, and the rest would have to spend a year developing real solutions using their own tools working for some of the real pros on this site before I'd ever let them make changes to Filemaker.

(Thanks Ken...I feel better after the ranting)

[almondine]

There doesn't seem to be much new - just an update to include the features of the current release of the standard edition. Some of these would be nice to have' features in a run time - I'm thinking of XML import and export for instance - but it isn't a lot to justify such an expensive upgrade.

The fact that there is only a rebate and no upgrade path seems also not very generous to current users.

[simon1663]

Thanks for your replies guys.

DDR is probably the coolest thing for me Not for documentation but it opens a world of opportunities for me.

Also, one other reason for which I bought Dev 5.5 is Plugin. FM Pro doesn't tell about Plugin but Dev does. And plugins are cool too

That's why I was interested in only 2 of those features.

Filemaker advertised that 40000 copies of Dev5.5 was sold so I guess it's a hot product.

Anyways, I will wait till someone has written a review on FM 6.0

Once again, thank you very much.

[CobaltSky]

Well. I confess I've ordered a copy - though down here in Oz it seems the delivery is still about a week away.

I don't essentially disagree with anything that's been said here. It would ne 'nice' to be getting a bit more than a few tweaks to the basic v6 package to justify the hefty "upgrade" price.

However I'm inclined to agree with the point made by almondine that the inclusion of XML is the key to this one. In fact, XML capabilities are a much more significant move forward in relation to runtimes than they are viz-a-viz FMP standard desktop edition, because runtimes have all other web and multi-user features explicitly disabled. XML, however, may provide a path by which stand-alone runtimes can have more 'meaningful' exchanges with other applications and systems than has been possible in the past.

Given another couple of weeks and I may have more to say on the subject

[Anatoli]

Although I never used Developer, company I am consulting for is developing new modules and also doesn

[CobaltSky]

Yes, developer will do that. It can also be used to re-name the Scripts menu and add custom About and Help menu items, without having to bind the solution to get these features.

One thing to watch out for with the renaming procedure is that literal text references to files (eg as parameters in scripts and calcs) are not automatically updated, although all other paths and references to files are.

So for example, ValueListItems(Status(CurrentFileName), "ClientNames") will function correctly after the renaming, but the literal text equivalent parameter ValueListItems("MainDb.fp5", "ClientNames") will need to be updated manually.

[Anatoli]

Thank you a ton!

How is Paul Hogan show? Will there be some new versions?

[CobaltSky]

I think that the inimitable 'Hoges' has turned his attention to other things these days (most likely more profitable things, one suspects)!!

Recently he even seems to have given up pretending to wrestle crocodiles...

[Anatoli]

His show and Clive James are the best!

I think if he starts again with new show, he will make more money than in movies, because he is now well known and it will sell everywhere.

[CobaltSky]

I'll suggest that to him, if I happen to see him around!

[Anatoli]

Great, I know I can count on you