Professional Advice

[rayd8]

Our CIO announced to all of the IT managers in a meeting today that if we wanted to make money we should be working somewhere else. "People at (redacted) University get their satisfaction from doing a good job and they don't care about money". I should mention that I live and work in Southern California - not exactly a place with a low cost of living.

Fine. I want to begin working toward making my living as an independent Filemaker developer. I'm currently well versed in SQL Server but am choosing Filemaker because I want to work on smaller projects (although I realize that Filemaker has the capability to tackle the large ones too) and I prefer to work on and for Macintoshes.

So I'm asking the Filemaker professional community for some recommendations:

What books/resources would you recommend to get started? Is there a "go-to" book that you always reach for when working on a project?

Any utilities or plug-ins you would recommend that are "must haves" for Filemaker developers?

Any other technical skills needed to supplement Filemaker development. For example Cocoa or Real Basic skills for more robust front-ends?

Thanks in advance. I appreciate any advice that would help me get up to speed as quickly as possible.

[CyborgSam]

Our CIO announced to all of the IT managers in a meeting today that if we wanted to make money we should be working somewhere else. "People at (redacted) University get their satisfaction from doing a good job and they don't care about money".

I'll bet your CIO makes a good living...

I worked at U Washington for 12 years, when I left I got $23,000/yr more! But I'd go back in a minute. Unfortunately, since IT tanked jobs like I had are paying a bit more than 50% of what they did...

[Fenton]

"Using FileMaker 7", Que publishing, by Steve Lane, Bob Bowers, Chris Moyer is a comprehensive book. It might be a bit harsh for a raw beginner. But if you've learned SQL you're probably a quick study. You might also want a simpler book, for such things as "what is a record?" The FileMaker Help is actually decent in 7, at least for quick questions about particular functions and script steps. But it is limited.

There is also a lot of other documentation on FileMaker's site; much of it came out just after 7, concerning the changes. You must read about FileMaker Server and FileMaker security; some of it will be familiar.

FileMaker is basically a front end (and a back end), so I don't think you really need another tool for that especially. What you do need is middleware. One of FileMaker's weaknesses is that it tends to be a self-contained system. For example, FileMaker does not have a built-in ability to manipulate external files, other than to Import from or Export to a (fairly) fixed location. There are plug-ins to help with this, such as Troi File (and others). But there are also OS native tools, such as AppleScript on a Mac, and/or command line on either platform. Check out this free plug-in, to run command line on either platform from within a FileMaker field:

http://www.abstrakt.com/index.html

Then there's the web. XML and PHP would be great to know (simple -).

[rayd8]

Fenton,

Thanks for the reply this is exactly the type of information I'm looking for. Good to know I have such an experienced Filemaker developer "down the road" (I'm in Orange County).

[Mike D.]

If you are venturing out on your own, you also need to be aware of the legal pitfalls. I strongly recommend you get a copy of Web & Software Development: A Legal Guide published by Nolo Press. You can find it at most online bookstores.

Mike

[rayd8]

If you are venturing out on your own, you also need to be aware of the legal pitfalls. I strongly recommend you get a copy of Web & Software Development: A Legal Guide published by Nolo Press. You can find it at most online bookstores.

Thanks Mike,

I already had it bookmarked at Amazon. I also plan on forming an LLC.