ISO FileMaker Magazine

JSON, JSON, JSON! If you haven't gotten used to it yet, you'd better start. It's the way you communicate with the web. It's the structure that's winning. XML is too verbose, and .tab and .csv aren't always clear enough.

So, what are some of the ways you can create JSON within FileMaker? Here are just a few:

1. Create a calculated field of it.
2. Use ExecuteSQL() to return it.
3. Use Execute FileMaker Data API [ ].
4. Write a looping script.
5. Or... you can just export it.

This last method is often the most optimal for getting your data into the JSON format to meet whatever requirements you may have. You can further modify this JSON using a variety of tools to achieve the perfect result.

In this video, and the associated technique file, I provide the knowledge and code necessary to simply export your data as JSON and be done with it. No matter what you need and where you need it, you can use multiple exports from however many tables desired to end up with the needed JSON result.

Because of its age, FileMaker has a variety of options sprinkled in a bunch of different places regarding exporting data. Some of these options relate to getting the exact export of data you need from the software.

In this video I cover a variety of specifics related to exporting data. One feature in particular is controlling the export headers you may need on your custom export. If you've ever needed to provide an output file of either CSV or TAB, and you'd like to have full control over the headers, then look no further.

You'll find all the details about formatting for custom output, injecting your own desired headers and how to deal with the output on mobile FileMaker Go vs. the Desktop client. Need customized exports? Watch this video and learn from the provided file.

Knowing how to take advantage of Server Side scripting within FileMaker is quite critical when you want the best performance possible. Of course, it makes total sense that you'll get the best speeds when working with the data where it's most accessible.

The trick with creating scripts which will also work on the server side is being very specific with the context of things. There's also the very important choices of which method you're going to use. In 2018 I covered a method using a dedicated table occurence which is perfectly viable today. However, I didn't show the other methods possible and we also got some newer features which allow us to do things even more differently.

This video shows you how to write a script which will duplicate related record sets and do so using the method of exporting and importing. I also cover a method which uses JSON in order to replicate a set of related records. This code can be used in many more places than just duplicating related record sets. I hope the content helps you advance your level of FileMaker development knowledge.

When someone asks a simple question like "How can I make FileMaker export a second worksheet in Excel?" The method you use to achieve this may not be immediately apparent. Especially if you've not worked with other programming languages like Python. Rest assured, however, you can certainly solve most any FileMaker problem as long as you're willing to take a little journey into the land of other tools.

And, it's probably not as scary as you think it is. Yes, FileMaker is nice and comfortable, but it has it's limits. When you want to become a power developer, you have to become familiar with what's possible.

In this video, I walk through the use of Python, in conjunction with FileMaker in order to export a multiple sheet Excel workbook. Need to include Excel calculations, multiple worksheets, graphics and charts? Do the corporate leaders demand that you provide your report within Excel? Well, let's take a quick trip to Python land and we find all kinds of wonderful gems in our brand new toolset!

There's a lot of pretty boring stuff you need to know about when programming in FileMaker - or any other coding environment for that matter. Knowing the fundamentals of how to move information around is a critical skill. If the file format isn't correct or the receiving end of an online service just won't process your data, then it can certainly be a confusing dilemma which may take hours of learning in order to understand exactly what's going wrong.

Of course, if you can simply watch a video like this, and gain an instant understanding of what it takes to move text in and out of a FileMaker field, then why not take advantage? In this video and technique file you'll find two super helpful scripts which can be used to pretty much move any text into and out of a field. It doesn't matter whether the text is JSON, XML, PHP, HTML or just plain simple text. Once you know how file encodings and line endings work you can move information around like a professional!

Exchanging data between systems has always been a matter of format. The output systems needs to output in the expected input format for the inbound system - and it works the same way when going in reverse.

When it comes to data interchange formats, some of the most prevalent are arguably CSV (comma separated value) and Tab delimited.

The problem with these formats however, is that one person’s CSV is not necessarily another’s. The CSV “standard” actually has no standard. There is an RFC (Request for Comments) document to act as a guideline, but it’s not an “official” standard.

For FileMaker, the standard CSV export format is lacking one very important aspect. It does not include the field names as possible headers in the resulting file.

Added to this, is the fact that you can’t just specify any encoding format on all the various export options. You are limited to the formats specified by FileMaker per export type. There are some systems where you absolutely need a more up-to-date encoding format such as UTF-8.

FileMaker also exports hard returns as the vertical tab character and this needs to be fixed for some importing operations. This video and technique file addresses all of these issues and showcases how to take advantage of some of FileMaker’s other export formats in order to make sure your data does its interchange with other systems in the expected fashion!

When it comes to accomplishing things within FileMaker Pro, some of the most sublime techniques are also the most empowering.

This particular technique, while focused on exporting calendar events, showcases some of my most favorite power-user methods for manipulating data. In my personal scenario, I was provided with a standard spreadsheet formatted to show a calendar of events broken down month-by-month.

The spreadsheet was formatted to be easily used and viewed by humans. It was not, however, formatted to easily flow into an online calendar like the wonderfully shareable and embeddable Google calendars.

So, once again, FileMaker to the rescue.

Being able to manipulate and then push and pull data is one of FileMaker’s great strengths. The utility of it’s various features make light work of converting a spreadsheet full of dates and times and pushing that data into a format easily used by Google Calendar.

Whether you’re working with calendar events or not, this video will provide you with a wealth of information about how easy it is to format data into standardized formats.