Simple Dialog Plug-in

[edmonton]

Hi All

We are using a 24uD Simple Dialog plug-in with our application in FMP8. There is a new version of the plug-in for FMP 8.5. When we download this new plug-in and save it in the appropriate folder, our application does not work. If we leave the version 8 plug-in as it is and open our application in FMP8.5 it works.

One thing we noticed is that the name of the plug-in has been changed from Version 8 to Version 8.5.? What does this mean ? Any help please ....

[edmonton]

forgot to mention that this is happening on Mac .

Thanx

[Søren Dyhr]

I have suggested this product in some of my post, purely on the prospects ...where it seems to solve problems with the dialogs as such. But Fabrice Nordman addressed me yesterday in private, and made complaint's about the shape or standard these products were released in ...beta'ish!!!

Now I do hardly seek shelter in plugins at all, and prefer to develop for the Mac OS only, where I have Applescript to rescue if the native dialog isn't up to what I wish them to be.

I have since Fabrice's mail been wondering if I should put a disclaimer in my profiles signature, that if I in the above message mentions the use of repeating fields, global field and plugins is it a sign of having exhaused more proper native ways to do it.

David Kachel writes this:

Plugins are ephemeral. They come and go and worse, they change. If your solution depends on a plugin that may one day disappear, or become unusable because of an FMP upgrade, you may have a serious problem on your hands.

Many plugins are provided by one-person companies. The chances that these plugins may one day become unavailable are high, and therefore also your chances of embarrassment. The calling code in plugins may change when the plugin is upgraded. Because some plugins are produced by companies less than adequately concerned with backward compatibility, there is sometimes a loss of compatibility in a new version with previously written calling code.

The calling syntax for the plugin has changed. Last year we had to rewrite the code in one solution twice because of changes to the syntax of calls made to just one plugin.

But why not reread Davids take on plugins on page 13 in his whitepaper:

http://www.foundationdbs.com/Downloads/WhitePaperForFMPNovices.pdf

--sd

[hbrendel]

There are some changes in the syntax where it concerns the use of fields in the dialogs.

In earlier versions it was not necessary for the checkbox to be followed by another parameter when you did not need to have it checked. Now you have it to be followed by a parameter: "0". The same goes for radio buttons and menus.

Do carefully read the document 'SimpleDialogSyntax.html' that came with the product.

I suppose you will have to review all the script steps and calculations where you use the plug-in.

Success!

[hbrendel]

David Kachel has a point.

But FileMaker's custom dialogs are unusable so we have to do something...

[Genx]

Wait till v9 and hope? LOL!

[hbrendel]

I waited since v 2.

Have given up all hopes...

[fabriceN]

Well, sorry for 24U, but since Søren made our private communication public, I feel like I should answer and alert on a major bug I have found on the Windows version.

This happens when you use a drop-down menu in a dialog box. What is returned by the SDialog_Get function is the value index (if you choose first value, it returns 0, second -> 1...)

It works fine on the mac, but if you go to Windows (yes, I know, I know...) then the returned value will be the first digit of this index. So if you get 23 on the mac, you will get 2 on the PC.

In other words, if you choose Aspirin for your patient, you might give him Arsenic. Pretty dangerous.

I want to confirm publicly that Søren is not responsible at all for this, I just sent him a message to know if he had heard of this problem when I was still at the stage of wondering if I was misusing it. I have myself advertised a lot on this plug-in on a French speaking forum, and I don't think we are all responsible for others' work.

[Genx]

Meh, Its not your guyses fault (most people don't trust other peoples opinions of a product in any case... I know I'm stingy and always make sure I waste my money on things that I know are good -- trials are useful).

[Fitch]

But why not reread Davids take on plugins...

You mean where he says, "Avoid plugins like the plague."? IMO he's way off-base there. His logic is as follows:

1. Some plug-ins are crap;

2. Therefore, all plug-ins are crap.

I'm sorry his plug-in experiences have been so awful, but they're not universal. If you follow his advice you'll be missing out on many excellent possibilities for yourself and your customers.

We use plug-ins from a number of vendors. I don't have direct experience with 24U's products, so I can't speak to that directly. We use Troi Dialog and other Troi plug-ins and it's worked out very well. We also use or have used plug-ins from New Millennium, CNS and others. Good companies, good products.

I guess what I'm saying is: Take the Plunge into Plug-ins. :