What is not available on Go?

[rob]

I have been researching and nowhere does it give a list of things that I will not be able to do on iPad or iPhone that I can do on desktop program.  Is there such a list? Here is all I have so far:

 

Can't use:

custom menus

pop-up windows or modal windows

 

What about conditional formatting?  Or script triggers?  Or tooltips? 

 

Why am I asking instead of testing?  Because we have yet to buy the iPads (not my fault honestly) but I can't let that hold me up.  I still need to be making this program in meantime and I don't want any surprises.  Thank you.

[Matthew F]

Conditional formatting: Yes

Script triggers: Yes

Tooltips: No (there is no way to "hover" a mouse over a field)

 

For more information see: http://www.filemaker.com/support/product/docs/filemaker-go/fmgo_development.pdf

Chapter 2 lists unsupported features. 

[jbante]

Custom menus do have limited support in FileMaker Go: you can override the behavior of an existing menu item, but you can't create new menu items.

[Rick Whitelaw]

Jeremy,

I thought there was no use of menus whatsoever with Go. At least in the traditional sense.

[jbante]

Rick, menus are organized very differently in Go, but they do still exist, and though we can't re-name them or add or remove them like we can with custom menus on the desktop, we can override the behaviors of default actions with our own scripts.

[Charity]

Can't use popup windows on GO?

 

oh no say it ain't so

[Charity]

My reason for panic is because I am planning everything before I begin to put it in my file.  And I planned to use modal windows a lot.

 

So how can I have a consistent interface which I hear is so important?  Is it best to design everything based upon switching layouts so the look and feel is same?  Or is it best to forget about being consistent and design two different ways?  Two steps forward, one step back.

[rob]

Thank you Matthew and Jeremy.  And Charity, that is part of my confusion.  I want to design one file used everywhere and I want the look/feel to be same.  Not sure what tools to use to do that.  I also must look only at things that work on both Mac and Windows and I am finding out there are differences there as well.  This is not easy work.

 

I think I need to create a chart which shows what is different between the various platforms.  I know that field size is different and we need to allow more space for windows and something about drop downs.

 

This has all been very helpful and thank you all for taking your time to help.

[Matthew F]

 

Can't use popup windows on GO?

Hi Charity, sorry for the late reply... 

 

I'm not sure what you meant by 'popup window'.  If you mean a tooltip, then I think the answer is no on GO. However, the "New Window" menu item or script step will open a few FM Go window, kind of like it does on a web browser. Also fields formatted as 'popup' or 'dropdown' lists will popup a selection wheel, when they are selected on FM Go.

 

Rob and Charity, you certainly can design a single solution for Desktop/iOS devices but it is not optimal to have iPhone/iPod users on the same layout as iPad or desktop clients.  It is best if the solution auto-detects the platform and then switches to a layout that best matches the screen size of the device. FM 12's layout themes make it easy to pick fonts that are appropriate for an iPhone/iPad, but what works best on an iPhone will be much too constrained for a Desktop client.  It's the same issue that web designers face with mobile clients.  That's why you see so many mobile versions of websites these days.  If it helps, you make a copy a layout and then change its theme for FM Go clients. Keep in mind though that an iPod will never be able to hold as much content as a 24" monitor.

 

An iPad's larger format is closer to that of a desktop client and might work fine if you want to stick with a single layout.  If you anticipate frequent iPad users, then I'd design the layout to match the iPad screen size.  (Desktop users can always resize the window to be larger if they want.) You can't really resize the FM window on an iPad the same way (but you can zoom). If the iOS layout is the wrong dimensions then the layout will scroll around in 2-dimensions, which I find very annoying. (I much prefer layouts to scroll up and down when you touch the screen and not also float around side to side).

[Josh Ormond]

For some more general info on develop considerations, take a look at this guide. It's not exhaustive, but still informative.

 

http://www.filemaker.com/support/product/docs/12/filemaker-go/fmgo_development.pdf

[rob]

i realize what the problem is.  FileMaker lets me do too many things too many different ways and it makes my head swim.  Plus I read so much and try to apply it all and I have quite a headache.  It is very confusing to choose which is best for any situation.

 

Matthew, I appreciate the feedback.  It helps me see the bigger picture.  

 

Hey Josh, that does help a lot also.  

[LaRetta]

 FileMaker lets me do too many things too many different ways and it makes my head swim.  

 

Truer words have never been spoken, Rob.  And with each version they add new tools and we must re-think all approaches and techniques to include the new tools.  FileMaker is a never-ending head swim. 

[hartmut]

I have been trying to make a filemaker go file that collects pictures in video in the field. Yet as tremendously popular as youtube and photobucket are I cannot directly upload a video to youtube or a picture to photobucket from within filemaker go. In some convoluted way it can be done but it defeats the purpose of making a solution when it always defies current standards from anyone else in the world.   

LET US UPLOAD PICS AND VIDEOS LIKE EVERYONE DOES ON IPHONES and get the address urls back into filemaker for future use. I feel like these comments fall on deaf ears..   If anyone knows of anyway of doing these things from filemaker go I would really appreciate knowing about it. I have such frustration.