Hi all,

I'm totally new to scripting. All the scripts I've used so far I've copied from elsewhere. I have a guide to the script steps and understand, to some degree, the step definitions. What eludes me is the syntax used to construct a script. All the nested parentheses, semicolons, etc. baffle me. Any tips on how to learn this?

Evan

The script editor does most of the work as far as syntax. The subject is covered in most books on FileMaker. I like Using FileMaker 7. It has 2 chapers devoted to scripting.

Evan:

Most good books on FileMaker cover scripts in depth. The book Ralph recommended is:

Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro 7, by Steve Lane (et al)

This book can be a bit intimidating for beginners, but is an invaluable resource. For a (slightly) less intimidating experience, you can try:

FileMaker Pro 7 Bible, by Steven A. Schwartz.

Both books come with a CD with all the examples from the text, and cover pretty much everything in FileMaker from top to bottom.

There used to be a book called Scriptology, which was the best scripting book out there, but it has not yet been re-released as a FileMaker 7 product. I remember reading that it was in the works, but who knows if/when it will ever come out...

-Stanley

Thanks folks,

I guess I should look a little more closely at the Filemaker 7 Bible because that's what I've been using. In scanning the scripting section the method of tying together the steps seemed to elude me.

Evan

If you're talking about nested parentheses and the like, you're also going to need to look at the sections on calculation functions too. These are separately defined from scriptmaker scripts, and they can be any free format text.

All of the filemaker built-in functions have the basic form:

FunctionName(parameter1;parameter2;....parameterN)

Each of the parameters is separated by a semicolon, and the number of parameters varies depending on the function. The parameters can be supplied as static numbers, text (with double quotes) or field names (the value of the field in the current record with be used)

The functions can also be nested:

Function1( Function2(parameter1;parameter2) )

Here Function2 takes 2 parameters, returns a result, and the result is used as the parameter to Function1. This nesting can go many levels deep, so it's important to make sure your parentheses match up at the end.

You might want to read the section on "Working with formulas and functions" in the Filemaker online help.