ISO FileMaker Magazine

Here's an interesting dilemma. How do you track when specific fields are modified and adjust your JSON object so it only includes the data which was modified? Or, how about knowing when a user has modified specific fields, then having the user interface direct them down a different path than if they had modified others?

In both situations, you simply need to know when a field was modified. Using the Get ( RecordModificationCount ) function we can know THAT a given record was modified and using a modification field we can know WHEN it last happened. What we don't know is when only a specific set of fields is modified. We also may need to know exactly which fields were modified in order to take some type of action. This is where Detecting Data Changes is quite helpful. There are a number of ways this can be accomplished and the solution, as always, depends on what your needs are.

In this video, I showcase a method I use to detect data changes and then generate a JSON object based on specific fields which were changed. If you find your solution needing to work with an external API or needing to simply know when certain fields have been changed then you're sure to find some valuable info within this video and technique file.

While working on a solution which made heavy use of an online API for REST based communication, the solution slowly revealed it had a large number of "specially dedicated" data processing scripts. Many of these scripts were quite normal in the realm of "I have some data, I want to put it into the right place." You know, your typical Go To Layout then Set Field script steps.

The issue, however, was that most all of them did somewhat they same thing - a lot of code duplication. They either put the data into a field on some layout or they moved it into a global variable.

For myself, while developing within any solution, I always try to see where efficiency can be improved and implement as needed. The result of some recent efforts was creating a generalized data writer for JSON based data. It turns out that this solution is quite efficient and allows you to not only reduce your total number of solution scripts, but also makes it quite convenient to provide instructions about where data needs to be stored.

If you enjoy optimizing your solution's method of handling data, then it's very likely you'll benefit from a number of the valuable lessons within this comprehensive video about a JSON Data Writer script.

While FileMaker's calculation engine is super powerful for managing all kinds of unique calculations, the one thing it lacks is a feature for running a repetitive function across a range of data. This is certainly possible within the Scripting engine with the use of the ever wonderful Loop script step.

However, as stated, there's no way to really process a range of data using just a function. Unless... you create your own or use one which has already been created.

As it happens, there is just such a function which has long been one of the most powerful custom functions of all possible FileMaker custom functions. It was created over a decade ago and is still, too this day, one of the most powerful custom functions you could ever learn to use. The function is called CustomList and it's a must-know function for any FileMaker developer.