File Maker Developer?

[bbaliner]

Hi Developers,

I am considering getting a copy of FMD 5.5. As of now I'm using FM Pro 5.0 to develop my databases, but I'm reading that the development is way faster with the Developer(script debugger, DDR). However, I only across our workgroup, not royalty-free runtime applications or the web.

Is it worth it for me to get the Developer?

Is there a discount since I already have FM Pro 5.0? Will Developer 5.5 work with FM Pro 5.0?

Thank you for your input

[Kurt Knippel]

The Developer version of Filemaker has lots of features that any developer will find useful even if they NEVER create a runtime. This is just one of it features.

Filemaker 5.5 will work with 5.0, however you need to be careful since v5.5 has many functions that do not exist in 5.0 and clients on that version will not be able to make use of those functions.

I would consider upgrading all workstations to 5.5 as well.

[bbaliner]

I got FM Developer 5.5, finally.

I already have FM Pro 5.0, and we're running 5.0 server, so I'm not about to upgrade all clients and the server to 5.5 (too expansive). What I wanna know is this:

1. Am I right that it makes sense to install FM Pro 5.5 (Developer) over my existing 5.0 ?? Do I have to unistall FM Pro 5.0 first?

2. Or should I just install the developer tool and work with my current FM Pro version 5.0 ?

3. If the files live on FM Server 5.0 can I still benifit from FM Developer 5.5 ??

Thanks, forgive the newbie questions, I am VERY new to Developer.

[Kurt Knippel]

Filemaker Developer v5.5 is a seperate and different version than v5.0 so you can install them seperately and both can exist (I pretty much have all version from v4 on up installed).

You can use v5.5 with v5.0, BUT there are many new features and you have to be careful NOT to use them as they will not work on v5.

Additionally v5.0 is now a DEAD product so there will not be any updates to it, only to the v5.5 series so you really should upgrade as soon as possible.

[bbaliner]

Thanx Capt,

Do you mean I can install FileMaker Developer 5.5 on the same HDD as my previous FileMaker Pro 5.0? But the Developer comes with Pro 5.5, won't it interfere with my prevoius Pro? Like try to use the same networking port, etc.?

Thanks for the input.

[SteveB]

I would think long and hard about purchasing 5.5 Developer if your sole interest is the DDR and the debugger. In my opinion, both have significant limitations.

The DDR is virtually useless by itself. In addition to the almost total lack of documentation, its output is atrocious. For me, its sole use is to serve as input to Analyzer Pro by Waves in Motion. If you're on a Mac, Analyzer was availbale with version 5.0. One would almost think that they own stock in Waves in Motion and wanted to give them a product to sell!

And the debugger is about 30% of what it should be since you can't examine field values; all you can do is trace code, and then you have to step over the comments...just ridiculous. You would almost think they were inventing the wheel, instead of copying what every other IDE currently supports.

[bbaliner]

Hmmm, doesn't sound encouraging at all. Thing is, I already bought Developer, guess I’m stuck with it now.

One of the things I wanted to avoid is upgrading every machine + the server to 5.5, and if I won’t get any benefit out of Developer otherwise, than it’s truly useless for me.

One of the questions I have is: Can I install everything from Developer CD on the same disk as my File Maker Pro 5.0 ?? Or should I do a custom install, and install only Developer Tool, because I already have other stuff from my previous FileMaker Pro 5.0 installation?

Danken

[Kurt Knippel]

You can do either. Currently I have Filemaker Pro 4.x, 5.0, 5.5 and Developer 5.5 all installed on the same machine and HD.

[kennedy]

Okay, time to update this thread...

I am in bbaliner's shoes, but have 5.5 Pro and 5.5 Server... am trying to figure out if Developer is worth the bucks... no way upgrading all three to 6.0 for my whole network is worth the bucks... there's only one feature in 6.0 that would help me much.

So, I could buy FMD 6 for $500. And if I needed the runtime capability, that would be a steal. I don't. I am building this app just for my business (for now). But if FMD can save me lots of development time, then I am all for it. But the FMI website mostly discusses uninteresting stuff about FMD... and I hear references to nifty stuff in FMD here, but then I also hear FMD's tools are pretty lousy (see above, for example).

Could someone PLEASE list your favorite time-saving features of FMD versus FMP?

Is the pain of avoiding 6.0 features worth the benefits of FMD over FMP + $500??

Thanks.

P.S. I already looked into Waves In Motion... it is built on FMD. So, recommending WiM is recommending WiM+FMD over FMP + $800. But maybe WiM+FMD is worth $800, while FMD is not worth $500. So, feel free to tell me the time-saving features of WiM+FMD over FMP as well. THANKS!

[CobaltSky]

The biggest single argument for developer is the ability it provides to gererate royalty-free runtimes. The other stuff it does is a minor bonus (despite its limitations, as mentioned by others above), but is unlikely to be worth $500.

Even the ability to make runtimes is not necessarily worth the outlay, unless you are going to be making quite a few and selling them.

There are exceptions - eg where the purchase allows you to get a number of machines operating as kiosks or whatever, where you would otherwise have to buy FMP for each machine. Then FMD can be a significant saving.

[kenneth2k1]

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but it's also good to consider that runtimes are single user (not able to be networked).

Ken

[Kurt Knippel]

Actually I find that the biggest arguement for Developer is the ability to rename files and it will correct all references to that file across an entire solution. I use this on an almost daily basis.

[kennedy]

Actually I find that the biggest arguement for Developer is the ability to rename files and it will correct all references to that file across an entire solution. I use this on an almost daily basis.

You rename files on a daily basis?? Why? Just curious...

I often change my mind on field names. Occasionally on relationship names. Almost never on file names...

[Kurt Knippel]

I manage hundreds of different Filemaker database for use in our office. We also have different database sets for each of our clients. These are spread across 5 Filemaker Servers.

I am always using File A as the basis for File B, or chaning how the databases interact with each other and being able to quickly change names is just a godsend.

[Anatoli]

That sounds irresistible enough.

Although personally I wouldn't spend so much, one company probably needs just that.

Otherwise I was always disappointed with Developer version.

[kennedy]

In another thread it was pointed out that FMD adds a debugger to the ScriptMaker toolset. Is that debugger any good?

Does it allow you to set breakpoints? On lines? On fields changing value? On records being added or deleted? Etc.?

Does it allow you to inspect the value of fields? Does it allow you to manipulate fields? Run other commands?

Does it also offer a profiler? (Compiling how long a script spends in each subscript, each call to built-in functions, and/or on each line... for performance tuning.)

Thanks.

[SteveB]

Yes, you can set breakpoints on statements. However, my biggest complaint is that you can't do anything with fields. There is no way to see what a field's value is during the execution of a script running under the debugger. Basically, all the whoopla with the debugger is a 'trace execution' ability and nothing more. It's typical FMI...do only enough to be able to sell it and never finish it. I don't know of any debugger in any development environment that is this weak and poorly done.

Don't get me wrong...it is useful, but it could have been so much better.

[CobaltSky]

Can't say I disagree - it could be a much more useful tool than it is.

Notwithstanding that, if you create a quick-and-dirty layout with all fields - or at least all fields that you need for the purposes of the debugging exercise, you can watch the values changing on the layout as you step through the script.

And with such a layout, (or any other than may be suitable) you can feed in alternative values into fields in between script steps, going back over the same steps to watch the effect of different values.

[kennedy]

And how about profiling? Any ability to analyze the time spent in different parts of the script?

[SteveB]

Fuggedaboutit. It does one thing only: trace execution. Whatyawant for $500? Something really useful?

[jasonwood]

I understand Developer allows you to customize menus and keystrokes... does this work even for a networked solution? or just for runtime?

[CobaltSky]

This is not a feature of developer. FMD provides control over only thre aspects of the menu system:

1. you can rename the scripts menu

2. you can specify a script to attach to the About... menu command

3. you can specify a script to attach to the Help menu command.

All three of these changes can be applied to either a runtime or a networked solution. However FMD does not provide any keystroke command control options that are not already available in FMP - or any other changes of the menu system..

However with the use of plug-in functionality menus and keystrokes can be controlled in either runtime or networked solutions (eg MenuControl from Dacons International):

http://www.dacons.net/fmplugins/menucontrol/prodinfo/index.html

The chief drawback with this solution (apart from price, that is) is that the plug-in must be installed on each workstation in order for the custom menus to appear there.