1 hour coding ideas that could change our lives

[genevieve charbon]

I love FMP, as much as I hate it. And since I love it a lot, God knows I hate it ! -)

My hater, my huge time wasting, is mainly due to ergonomic stuff that should have been from day 1, but that we still suffer 15 years after.

Interestingly, that's stuff that could be fixed in one hour of coding from 1 dev of Filemaker.

So without futher ado

1. Sortable Script editor ! I want to be able to sort my script If I want to, like I can for fields (customor order, creation order, and of course name).

2. Sortable display everywhere for fields. Why on earth should I sort them before in the define filed, to be able to have them sorted in the calcultion dialog or place field dialog of layouts.

3. Searchable fields and script. With a serach bar, i would type "export" and all and only scripts or fields containing "export" in there name would appear.

4. No pop-up menu but slider and serach for scripts sélection

I waste a considerbale amount of time to scroll to serach for scripts.

I've probably 500 scripts and 800 fileds imagine my pain.

Sure some will say that's inneficient database model, but that's my solution and I have no time to clean it.

[Per Lind]

I agree 100%.

-Per

[Ted S]

I mostly agree also.

I would like to be able to right-click on a button, choose EDIT, and have FM take me directly into the action (usually a script) that the button is bound to.

I would also like to be able to classify my scripts in a few different user defined ways and then be able to filter the script list based on the choices. For instance, I may like to classify one script as PURCHASING and EXPORT. Another script as PURCHASING and PRINTING. I would like to be able to filter the list script list by either choosing any combination of categories.

[Boberino]

I have been using FMP 8 for a couple of weeks now on a project I was hesitant to take and I find the whole experience to be exasperating. I am used to writing in C++ and databases that allow one to simply type in a search criteria, for instance. I want tp program it! Does FMP really need popdown menus to save us all from the angst of typing in the equal sign? Has it come to that?

FMP is so busy trying to make it “easy” it makes it difficult beyond belief.

I have been trying to simply create a script to find a record in one table that matches that from another. Simple, I’m sure, if you have been screwing around with FMP for years. HOWEVER, I have yet to get it to work. (But at least I don’t have to go to all that trouble of typing in that equal sign.)

[xochi]

More ideas:

1. The Edit button in the Script Debugger should open the script and take you to the line that was being debugged.

2. Some way to click a field and see every script that references the field, and go directly to that line in the script.

3. Select several lines of script, and move them up or down as a group.

4. Many script commands should automatically take you through both parts of it w/o requiring the mouse. E.g. the "Set field x = y" script should first give you the x side, then let you set the calculation, w/o requiring any extra clicks.

[serzone]

THANK YOU!!!

Selecting several lines of script and move them up or down as a group!!! DUH!!!

Sortable display everywhere for fields. If you take your time to sort them in the define database menu they should stay that way all throughout the program (drop down menus, place field menu, etc)!

PLUS

Formatting the text frame, especially for field labels. If you have ten field labels displayed using Verdana 12 for example and select them all and change the font size to 9 the frame aroun the label remains the same and there's no way to quickly shrink it to match the size of the text. AARRRRGHHHH!!! It was possible in ver 5.5!!

[Genx]

Your right, you could have solved these problems by grouping your scripts in the first place. Though ive managed to keep mine down to 350 scripts and 250 layous, i have no problem locating any layouts or script when i need them.

The most annoying thing for me is having to scroll through the ******* layouts using a pop up menu, it takes forever, this could have been much better achieved with a search box, i agree.

Also annoyning is the fact that when you copy or duplicate fields, they always paste at the bottom... Annoying as hell if you've got 100+ fields in a table and those ones were meant to be grouped.

But yeh, in general i share all your concerns that perhaps over simplifying may over complicate filemaker in many cases.

[xochi]

Work-around #1:

You can't select a block of script items and drag them up or down within a script. The work-around is to select the items, delete them (using the Clear button), then select the script item immediately above where you want to move your items. Click Paste, and voila! This is in some ways even easier than click-dragging a group of items.

Any other workarounds for other wishes?

[xochi]

Selecting a script in the script editor with type-ahead. If I open the script editor and start typing, filemaker will select various scripts. I'll be da**ed if I can figure out what sort of type-ahead logic it is using. For example, if I open the script editor and type the letters M-A-C, filemaker will select a script called "Address.UpdateAdd" which is about 40th down in the list.

It seems like there must be some method to this madness -- if so, is there a way to name and/or your scripts so that you can easily find the one you want? Like perhaps a 3 letter prefix code grouping that would identify the module?

datScript1

datScript2

winScript1

winScript2

zyxScript1

zyxScript2

Then, if you were looking for scripts in the "zyx" module, you could just type zyx and your cursor would be a the first one?

[xochi]

Regarding moving a block of script items: I just tested the Copy/Delete/Paste technique, and it also works for moving multiple Scripts. This is cool -- just remember that since you are deleting items, to be careful and to hit the Cancel button and discard changes if you mess up.

[xochi]

I would like to be able to right-click on a button, choose EDIT, and have FM take me directly into the action (usually a script) that the button is bound to.

A poor, but workable solution, is to turn on "Debug Scripts" in the tools menu (FM Advanced only). Then just click the button, and you will open the script in the debugger. From there you can click the pencil icon, which will take you to the script editor, at which point you can click Edit and be in the script editor.

[Ted S]

Thanks xochi. I am aware of that workaround but I don't care for it much because it requires the debugger be on which pauses all scripts. Quite annoying.

[xochi]

To follow up on the ideas of using "Copy, Delete, Paste" as a substitute for not being able to drag-rearrange multiple items:

• It works great in the script item editor (moving multiple script items)
  
• It works great in the script editor (moving multiple scripts)
  
• In the field editor, it does not work: It always pastes the fields at the bottom of the list, and (more importantly if they aren't calc fields) it deletes all the data in the fields.
  
• In the Set Layout Order editor it does not work.
  
• In the Define Value List editor it does not work (there are no Copy / Paste buttons)
  
• In the Define Custom Function editor it does not work (there are no Copy / Paste buttons)
  

[genevieve charbon]

>Xochi

The work-around is to select the items, delete them (using the Clear button), then select the script item immediately above where you want to move your items. Click Paste, and voila!

Isn't this ULTRA-DANGEROUS ?

Because scripts relations are based on script IDs, by deleting them, and pasting them you're destroying those ID I guess, and you can say goodbye to all your buttons !

[xochi]

Yikes, I think you are right. DONT USE THAT :

Good catch!

So, perhaps the only place this is safe to use is when moving script items themselves (not entire Scripts).

[Zero Tolerence]

How about!!!

The ability to copy/past custom functions or even better.

The ability to export a custom function, or group of custom functions, copy it to a folder (ie: /Filemaker Pro Advanced/Custom Functions/) and have it then load those custom functions in any file opened up on that machine.

This would be the greatest thing since sliced bread.