no save button?

[mlindal]

Is this a bug or am I blind:

When editing a script in Filemaker 9 advanced, there is no save button???

Only way to save is to close the window and then when the dialog box barks at you "do you want to save" click yes.

hmmm

[JesseSFR]

No button... but you can click command + S. Definitely, takes some getting used to

[AudioFreak]

Ctrl - S and Ctrl - W actually I'm liking more and more, but then again I'm used to using hotkeys from using AutoCadd and Altium Designer all the time.

[JesseSFR]

Yea sorry... should have been more explicit thanks AudioFreak.

Control/Command + s -> Save the Script

Control/Command + w -> Close the window

[Fenton]

I would love to hear a technical explanation of WHY they could not put a Save button into that window. Because I really dislike not having a button. I hear psuedo explanations that insist that now I can use the regular command keys instead. But that is not a "why."

Why is it a problem? When I am concentrating on a script, I am not thinking about anything else. FileMaker has given us a point-and-click development environment. It is NOT a text editor environment. So, when editing scripts, my right hand is generally on my mouse, either just having clicked something, or dragged a step. I have no real awareness of where my left hand is. It may or may not be on the keyboard. Often it is not, when I'm doing a lot of thinking.

When I am done editing, I just want to click another button to Save the changes, and one to Close the window. I do not have to suddenly think where my left hand is, put it on the keyboard, look to see where, and then hit keys to Save, then keys to Close the window.

I imagine I could eventually get used to it, but why should I have to? It is more distracting than the old way. Anything that requires you to change your focus is distracting. If there's some overriding technical reason, then let's hear it. If it is just somebody's idea that "it looks better," then, well, my response is unprintable :-|

[mlindal]

Thanks guys,

Glad to know I'm not losing my mind.

But still have to say, it makes no sense to not have a save button, if cmd-s works.

[Steve N]

I very much agree with Fenton. I also miss the copy paste buttons that are now located in the menu.

I would encourage feed back to fileMaker on this and maybe they will restore them in future releases

I am told fileMaker does respond to feedback send here.

http://www.filemaker.com/company/feature_request.html

[LaRetta]

I agree as well - it is PIB to have to close the window only to ask if I want to save when ... on script debugger, closing the window IGNORES the normal request to stop the script (one must click the red X instead). I thought, well, it's teaching me NOT to use the windows X; but then closing Script Maker reinforces it again.

Either we ignore the windows X or we don't. FileMaker? I don't care ... but be consistent and quit changing it at every whim. Please. I recognize it's tied to the multiple windows in Script Maker but still ...

[AudioFreak]

That's a good point LaRetta. Kinda like telling the end user "on this layout if you want to print click the print button, but on this other layout you have to go to scripts and choose the print script from the list"

Guess it feels kinda normal in a sense to me due to the other software I use regularly.

[vi]

While we are adding buttons...can we please have a Constrain Found Set and Expand Found Set below the Find button in the Status Area in Find Mode?......

[mr_vodka]

I agree that we could still benefit from having multiple script windows and the new functionalities of the script window, but still keeping the old save funtionality intact.

I have been burned by this change in behavior when I first received FM9. I posted about this a few weeks ago.

Change in Script Debugger WARNING

I agree with Fenton here. While trying to rapidly develop, I do not want to sit there and think about stopping execution of the script first and then closing out the window. Either I want to save any changes I made to it, or just close the window. Perhaps they should have a popup message asking if you wanted to halt the script when closing the window just the way the did asking you if you wanted to save the changes.

[mr_vodka]

While we are adding buttons...can we please have a Constrain Found Set and Expand Found Set below the Find button in the Status Area in Find Mode?......

IMO, I dont really see the benefit of this that much as one can just go to the Request menu. The button that we have been complaining about was a button that previously kind of existed and they took away in the script maker (OK button).

[Vaughan]

Ms Word document windows don't have Save buttons on them, nor do Exel spreadsheets, nor ANY document window for that matter.

The script window is now a document window, and document windows don't have save buttons.

[Fenton]

Yes, and those are word-processing or text editing applications, which have all kinds of tools to operate on large amounts of text, where a Save command is more appropriate. FileMaker is simply not that kind of application, and its ScriptMaker is even less.

Once again I say, this is not telling me why the buttons would not work, nor convincing me that it is better not to have them. In my opinion it is worse; many experienced FileMaker developers agree that it is worse.

It is also simply not true that document windows never have Save buttons. The command is often availabe for putting on a button bar. But most of us don't see the point. Because these are text applications. You always have both hands on the keyboard, so hitting keys with your left hand is easier.

I do not have both hands on the keyboard when I'm editing a FileMaker script. I generally have my left hand resting, beside the keyboard when I'm relaxed, under my chin when I'm worrying. It is neither efficient or ergonomic for me to have to position it to hit keys when a button (or, sigh, 2) would be better for me.

Edited August 2, 2007 by Guest

[vi]

IMO, I dont really see the benefit of this that much as one can just go to the Request menu. The button that we have been complaining about was a button that previously kind of existed and they took away in the script maker (OK button).

Of course those buttons do not have the same 'philosophical impact' as the now missing OK button, just thought using some otherwise utterly wasted screen space to save the average user a little time is some sort of a benefit. Apparently they deemed 1/3 of the 'find trifecta' button-worthy, despite being also located in the Requests menu

[Oldfogey]

Fenton, I'm with you 200%.

I'm using the trial and thought that was the problem. Still, every cloud has a silver lining; I like to imagine the piles of used coffee cups and sandwich crumbs left after the many hours of management time spent discussing whether or not it was still trendy to have an 'OK' button.

OTOH, it's good to see that we now 'Manage' everything instead of just defining it; makes me feel much more important .

[Vaughan]

Well for me after using FMP 9 for a month or so, I'm now annoyed that the Define Fields dialog doesn't respond to Cmd-S and Cmd-W. Pressing Cmd-S changes the current field type to Summary, causing a prompt to save the change when I remember to click OK.

I want everything to be save and close now.

[HarryGlos]

Greetings FileMaker-Ins One and All,

Fenton you are a veritable pillar of right thinking and restraint. I say charge us another $2 bucks if you must and give us the save button. Can we work around it, yes but that is not your question is it? Your question is “why” should we have too and that sir is valid. So FileMaker, give it up for Fenton and the rest of his followers The Fenton-ites “Why”?

Fenton said: If it is just somebody's idea that "it looks better," then, well, my response is unprintable :-|

Come on man lets print em. I once saw a post from Uncle Lee, where he said shucks! Man alive, with a word like that the profanity gates are wide open and running rampent. It reminds me of the priest, rabbi and minister who walked into a bar and the bartender looks up and says, “What’s this, a joke?” Fenton and the Fenton-ites, hey there could be a rock group in there somewhere, simply want to know why?

I don’t think there are many who would disagree on the great step forward with script maker. It’s just that a save button seems so natural it’s hard to believe it’s not there.

Oh well,

Harry

Edited August 3, 2007 by Guest

[RPCia]

My argument for the bringing the missing buttons back is that the scriptMaker makes heavy use of the mouse. I would not have a problem if it was truly a programming language/window I would be using the keyboard to type out the code and the shortcuts would be the natural thing to use.

However, it is not and the mouse is the primary use for adding script commands to the script. I feel it is more of a hassle to have to go back to the keyboard and use the ctrl-c, ctrl-v to copy and paste a few lines of code, or click to buttons to save a script ( the close then save ). It was much simpler to use the mouse to achieve these tasks, after all the mouse is the input device in use probably 90% of the time

Just my 86 cents!

[Heathbo]

I agree. I find the lack of the save button very annoying. Especially the first time you edit a script. Suddenly, you think you can't save it. I vote for keeping the command s and command w, and add the save button back. And while FileMaker is at it, Please, Please, add a shortcut to the Value List menu item.

[Vaughan]

After two months I'm over it already. FMP 8.5 and earlier seems strange and awkward now.

"Please, add a shortcut to the Value List menu item"

Even better, make it and the others into modeless windows too, so they can be left open on a second monitor.