Developer Tools & Tips
When you spend a lot of time developing in one specific environment, you tend to pick up your own “way of doing things”. This applies to pretty much every developer and everyone has their own suite of favorite tools.
Because I’m asked this question often enough, I’m providing you with this video about the tools and tips I use which make my development experience with FileMaker just a bit more enjoyable.
If you’ve found a workflow, plug-in or tool which you enjoy using, then please leave a comment on this article’s page.
If you’ve not invested the time in making your development within FileMaker a bit easier and more efficient, then I’m sure this video will have a least something which will make you glad you watched!
Comments
Developer Tools and Tips
Great video as usual Matt,
You covered a lot of good time-saving tips and the one about invoking the debugger from within the Manage Scripts window is one I wasn't aware of. One that I'd like to mention is for Script Folders... Left arrow and right arrow will open and close them individually.
All works with Manage Layouts folders.
As a follow-on, if you have many folders and scripts and "select all", everything gets sucked up into the smallest possible space when you touch the left arrow key, and if you then hit "right arrow", everything immediately expands to the way it was before.
Regards
Ralph
RalphLearmont
Developer Tools & Tips
First let me say, I’m really enjoying and learning a lot from the tools you are sharing with us. Your Syntax file does something I’ve been wanting FileMaker to incorporate into its’ Scripts and Functions, etc. for a long time. In fact, I was using QuickCursor and TextMate, which you introduce in the video a long time ago, Too bad it seems to be broken since, the recent upgrades to FileMaker and OS. I too hope that somebody will provide a fix for QuickCursor soon.
The reason I am writing this comment is twofold. to thank you and provide some feedback.
Would it be possible for you to provide us a help file for your Syntax file. I’m not really sure what buttons should be used and in what order. I’m experiencing some problems as it is not working quite for me as you demoed in your video. I’ve watched the video several times trying to pick out what I’m doing differently, alas to no avail.
1). When I select multiple functions (scrip steps), and select one of them to select a color for, only the one being select reflects the new color. the others appear to be unchanged. Sometimes, when I check the steps in Scripts or the Calculation Edit box, the color will reflect for the others and sometimes it doesn’t.
2). Once a change has been accepted in my file, I have a hard time removing it or substituting a different color, in fact it will not change to a new color, however changing it back to the
Factory Default does work.
Lee
The Breadmonkey Syntax highlighting features
They are controlled by the plugin and within the file you'll find the functions which are called by the buttons. Most of the buttons have single steps and you should be able to enable/disable and use the show rules.
You'll need a copy of Advanced in order to see the results within the $$RESULTS variable - or with Pro only create a calculated variable that references $$RESULTS.
-- Matt Petrowsky - ISO FileMaker Magazine Editor
Monkeybread for syntax
Monkeybread for syntax highlighting and line numbering.
myFMButler DoSQL for UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE until executeSQL gets this functionality
2empowerFM for window and multi file scope variables
Damian Kelly