Filemaker 9: New Features

[JesseSFR]

FileMaker 9 includes loads of new features. Quite frankly it's too much for anyone to go through all of them themselves so post your new ideas for FileMaker 9 here.

[JesseSFR]

Filemaker 9 contains some really interesting ways to hide and show data that you don't want to see through conditional formatting. We found this very useful for hiding and showing things like labels or buttons. There is a little tutorial on how exactly to do this here:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip1-hiding-something-on-the-layout/

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip2-disabling-a-button/

Another pretty cool new addition is that FileMaker 9 lets you expand layout objects to fit the window using it's new auto resize feature. Here is another tutorial to show you how to do that:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip3-get-the-most-from-autoresize/

We are going through to try and write up anything we can find about the new features. Does anyone have any highlights about FileMaker 9's new functions we can look at?

[JesseSFR]

Alright I've three more interesting things that you can do with FileMaker 9... It looks like nobody else likes me so I'll just talk to myself:

FileMaker added a sweet function called get temporary path which saves you alot of time when you want to export transient data:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip4-temporary-files/

FileMaker 9 adds a 'self' function. This REALLY helps out when doing conditional formating and other calcultions:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip5-using-the-self-function/

FileMaker 9 also has append to PDF which is pretty useful here is another tutorial:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip-6-append-to-pdf/

We are going to go for 9 different tips right now. I should have those up later tomorrow or maybe later today so check back soon. Please add some of your own if you get a change to use it.

[Ender]

It looks like nobody else likes me so I'll just talk to myself

Naw, I'm just stuck waiting for our maintenance license do get emailed to me.

[Stuart Taylor]

I wanna talk too...

but i need the software.

;)

[Ender]

Hay, my license/download links have just arrived. Download in progress...

[JesseSFR]

Ender do you have any ETA on that I was kinda wondering how that would work because I have a couple clients who need it and my sales rep is out... the bum who leaves when FileMaker is launching their new version... Just Kiding Glenn your the best.

[Genx]

Well, I'll just say, Modal ScriptMaker / the entire ScriptMaker Overhaul for managing the scripts is one of the more useful features of FM 9.

[JesseSFR]

You're definitely right... That's actually the next tip I am writing about. Being able to create records, switch layouts and do anything you can when you are not in script maker is huge.

Multiple script windows open at once is soooo nice. It's also a huge plus for multi-developer environments.

The only think you have to get use to is there is no save button a on script and once you save your script... that's it... there is no going back

[Ender]

Ender do you have any ETA on that I was kinda wondering how that would work because I have a couple clients who need it and my sales rep is out.

Maybe they're emailing them by region to try to distribute server load. I was a little surprised it took so long for my email to arrive (kept checking the SPAM firewall to see it got filtered out).

I'm glad it came so I could join the discussion. I was determined NOT to do another stupid registration on FileMaker's web site. I think I already get about three copies of every marketing mailing in my mail.

[Reed]

Well, I'm in Minneapolis and I haven't gotten my email....

Maybe they just don't like me as much.

[Ender]

Maybe they just don't like me as much.

Well, I didn't want to just come out and say that, but ya, that's probably it.

Here's what you're missing:

The ScriptMaker folders look like a great way to organize scripts. It's a little tricky to move scripts into a folder, and the icons aren't my cup of tea, but it's a good change overall.

Don't overlook the filtering options at the top of the window; being able to show just a specific folder, or to filter (dynamically) by typing in the field.

[Ender]

Here's what some of the conditional formatting options look like (you can also use a calculated formula);)

Edited July 10, 2007 by Guest

[xoomaster]

You know, I think I am hurt too! No E-mails for me!

I WANT AN E-MAIL HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAA

But seriously, I am kind of excited but still expected some more changes to the Web Viewer !

[Genx]

Okay, the Self function is also pretty awesome, but too bad they don't let you dynamically specify a field to set, that kinda sucks.

[JesseSFR]

Yea it would be much better if you didn't have to use go to field and then set field.... That's pretty annoying.

[Fenton]

I'm very pleased to have the "groups" (folders) in ScriptMaker. And I'm sure that the non-modular windows will be great, when I want to copy/paste bits between scripts. But it does make it a little more trouble to close the darn window. I'm so used to hitting the Enter key to just close it, after I've taken a quick look (which is what I do much of time). But now I've got to hit Cmd-W; and Cmd-S first, if I've edited it. I can't see how they could differently, with non-modular windows. Fortunately I've got Close Window mapped to a button on my mouse.

It seems strange to me that neither Enter nor Escape keys do anything at all when a script is open, nor does Cmd-D cancel the Save dialog after editing a script.

And those icons. Yes, looks OK; but I would prefer blue folders on Mac, like we're used to everywhere else; yellow and black are not what you'd call "uplifting" colors. But now we'll have a "uniform cross-platform experience" (my words, perhaps I should trademark them ;-) Sigh -|

[Ender]

Speaking of icons: Just when I was starting to remember what the darn icons in the Script Debugger window were without having to wait for the tooltip, they go and change the icons on me. Oh bother. Just give me text buttons...

Note a couple nice additions to the the Script Debugger: Last Error (if you click it, it brings up the error code in the Help Viewer), and the Pause on error checkbox.

[Genx]

Lol, I got the FM 9 trial, how do you get the advanced trial?

[Lee Smith]

They never demo the Advance.

[Genx]

Meh

[Ender]

Yeah, that's the real thing, baby. I got the ins with the Man, man. I whispered sweet nothings into FileMaker's ear. I made a birthday wish. And I told Santa I'd be good this year (and mostly was). And it all paid off.

Plus it helped to have a maintenance subscription of FMP Advanced.

[Ender]

Hey kids,

Despite the goofy name, our friend SixFriedRice knows what he's talking about and has excellent information in those tips. Be sure to check it out:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/category/filemaker-9-tips/

[JesseSFR]

Thank you for your munificence Ender. We should have a couple more up tomorrow but I haven't gotten around to it yet. By the way your book is probably one of my top 5 favorites ever ;)

[JesseSFR]

All the annoyance of the new saving process is definitely made up for by the fact that you can have mulitple developers in the same file. I love that part. Also the first time you are in layout mode and have a script open at the same time it's like a dream come true.

I think the all time best part of the ScriptMaker is the fact that you can have multiple scripts open at the same time. It's fantastic.

[Genx]

Ender has a book?

[JesseSFR]

Actually, his name I am assuming is a reference to 'Ender's Game' although he my have one... Incidentally, we actually have a book Filemaker 8.5: The Missing Manual , but it's the old and busted 8.5 version so it's useless now! New one will be coming out soon.... ;-)

[Genx]

LOL - nice plug ;)

[Ender]

Ender has a book?

He, he.

Actually, I've been trying to talk Harry into ghost writing a FileMaker book for me. I don't know why he won't bite. It's a good offer: look through all my posts to understand how I think, then write the book as I would write it, and give me credit for it. What's wrong with that?

Hey SixFriedRice: is that Geoff or Jesse we're talking to? Or do you trade off? Hmm trading off on post writing...split the work. I like that! Kind of a ghost writer for posts!

[JesseSFR]

It's currently Jesse, but you never know.... Geoff actually has to do some work since I have been floating around forums all day look for cool stuff about 9.

[JesseSFR]

Alright I have a couple more tips to throw in the mix. I wrote a little about the new features of the Script Debugger and the Data Viewer. Hope you like them:

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip8-script-debugging/

http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-9-tip7-multi-user-more-functional-scriptmaker/

I think I am going to write something about the IWP versus XML publishing because there seems to be a lot of confusion out there.... I will be sure to credit everyone I can who helped.

[Stuart Taylor]

Hi SF,

This is really great.

Out of interest have they made any subtle changes to the MenuSets

I was hoping they may have made Commands Conditional

best

Stuart

[JesseSFR]

Stuart:

There are no new Custom Menu capabilities (aside from the new menu commands being supports -- ie: Records -> Refresh).

I totally agree. I wish wish wish I could use a boolean calculation to disable a menu item conditionally.

[Stuart Taylor]

Many thanks for looking.

best wishes,

Stuart

[Tori Mitchell]

Lee:

Actually, they do demo the advance. You could D/L it if you were a TechNet member. I was dying to say *something* but had to keep my mouth well shut because of the nasty NDA they had on it.

If you're referring to having a demo on the site that you can D/L now... yeah.. you're quite right.

---

For the record, the FM site says that certain searches and calcs are done on the server. This is not to say that scripts are done automatically on the server. We still have a large amount of round-tripping on complex scripts. Perhaps one glorious day we will be able to define which scripts should be run on the server and which should not.

There is a nice thing in that you can use a ScriptMaker script on the server now though hence we can finally do away with most of those FM Robot machines that we've been using for years.

These are run locally on the server using all the server hardware that you can throw at it as well as certain other things that I've kinda run across here and there.

It will most likely take a talking to at DevCon though to find all the things that are really executed on the server for us.

I've noticed significant improvements to the speed of the server performace however, this is all quite subjective at the moment and I'll have to start trying benchmarking against FMS8.0 vs 9.0

It is interesting to note that this means that we now have a field of FM performance tuning which we didn't have before so I suppose that, all-in-all, the server improvements are second only to the completely awesome working over of the developer tools (ScriptMaker/DataViewer) in my fav features lists.