ISO FileMaker Magazine

When incorporating graphic design into your FileMaker solution, you might either be the sole designer or collaborate with someone to enhance the user experience. Regardless of your role, it's always beneficial to understand how to effectively use colors within your solution.

You can, obviously, make straightforward choices, such as simple selections of colors from the built-in color picker. But, there are additional tips and techniques that can significantly enhance your ability to use colors strategically, helping you achieve your ultimate design goals.

Whatever your objectives may be, understanding the best practices for selecting, applying, and implementing colors in your FileMaker solution is essential.

If you've been learning and using FileMaker for any amount of time, then you'll likely know that FileMaker also has access to JavaScript. It does this through the Web Viewer object which can easily be added to any layout.

For some FileMaker developer's they may answer the question of "Why don't you know/learn Javascript?" with a response of it either being too hard or not being able to take the time to learn it. It' only when FileMaker can't do what what needs to be done when some developers start to look outside of FileMaker's core set of available tools.

The cool thing about JavaScript is that like many tools, it can do a variety of things better than FileMaker alone. I've never come across a single tool which can do it all the best way possible.

If you've never implemented any JavaScript within your FileMaker solution, then this video may be the best way to start that journey. The implementation of a JavaScript based color picker is so easy you'll be craving more and more JavaScript by the end of the video. Whether you need a color picker or the ability to draw content on top of an image file, JavaScript will offer a lot more extensibility than just sticking it out with FileMaker alone!

As we’ve all likely heard before, a movie isn’t just great because of the cinematography, it’s the sound that counts just as much. What you hear, not just see, is what makes the difference between good and great.

So, if sound is so critical to a movie, then the analogy to a FileMaker layout is color. Sure, anyone can move and arrange fields and objects into some semblance of order. And, using FileMaker’s layout objects to furnish your layout for the best possible user experience does take a bit of skill, but nailing down a color palette for your theme is just as critical as all the rest. Sticking to those colors is what adds that final bit of class which makes a design look great.

The wonderful thing about the Internet, and the world of freely available tools, is that you can generate your color palette super easily. Personally, I enjoy using an online tool called Paletton.

Well, one day while creating a new design, I wanted to easily integrate the palette of colors I had chosen using the tool. Since this wasn’t being done for me, I decided to do it myself. The result was a handy little tool where you can not only take advantage of the tool but learn a little more FileMaker along the way!