ISO FileMaker Magazine

One of the biggest downsides of any complex FileMaker solution is the growing number of layouts and layout elements you'll have to manage. If your number of navigation (or general menu) items is both static and large, then you're going to have issues with keeping the solution well updated. Aside from this, you could have additional complexity when it comes to controlling which menu items show under certain circumstances.

While there are number of ways to make menu management easier, the best solution for most any code is to maintain it within a singular location. Allowing that code, and singular layouts, to serve your whole solution, and be flexible enough to vary when necessary, is ideal. This is exactly what this video and technique file are all about. Not only is this solution one of the most easy-to-manage solutions for a menu system, but, it's also one of the most incredibly easy menu systems I've ever created. Once you see the simplicity of management it's hard to think of going back to anything more complex.

Here's a hint about how it works. If you've used and love the flexibility of managing script steps within a script, then you'll fall in love with using Incredibly Easy Menus!

When mobile devices first became prevalent over a decade ago, it was a pretty easy process to design for both mobile and desktop. You just made one layout for each respective device. There weren't as many variations as there is now.

In fact, these days, things are much more complex. If you decide to design for smartphone, tablet and desktop you could easily end up having to create three layouts for each possible view. This isn't something I'm personally fond of. I'd much rather limit myself to a maximum of two layouts for each possible view. One for the smaller form factor and the other as a hybrid approach for both tablet and desktop.

Fortunately, this is totally possible within FileMaker. It's a simple matter of finding the most ideal width and height which will account for the widest range of devices your solution will run on. Figuring this out, however, does take a little bit of work.

By walking you through my own process, and the tool I use for creating a hybrid design, we'll get you familiar with hybrid layout design. A design which would work on a Microsoft Surface Go, iPads and both Mac and Windows desktops. You'll establish a strong understanding of how to approach your hybrid layout design by watching this video. I also provide a few tips about working in Layout Mode with regards to making sure you create a consistent look across all of your layouts.

Over the last few years, FileMaker, Inc. has been investing a lot into their mobile offering. FileMaker Go has been updated and revised to provide more and more performance along with accessing more features of the mobile platform. With FileMaker 17 we now have access to many more sensors and in the prior release they added more support for a variety of visual transitions between layouts.

While all of these improvements are really great to have, there are still those certain features which make any UI designer jealous. One of those features is the ability to swipe list view rows in either direction in order to reveal a larger selection of options. While we can't directly emulate the native functionality like within a Swift/Objective C app, we can simulate the functionality with a great degree of success. If you're using FileMaker to deploy on a mobile device, then this is the video you need to watch for a great new technique useful in any mobile deployment with FileMaker Go.

As software users become more and more familiar with various UX methods, it becomes more and more desirable to emulate those methods within your FileMaker solutions. Common patterns such as tab panels and scrolling lists are a piece of cake and native to FileMaker.

Some of the more recent implementations are simple and super easy, like Popovers for example. However, other implementations can be a bit complex and require those ever necessary bits of deep knowledge about how FileMaker works behind the scenes.

In this video, I showcase a pretty straight-forward implementation of your standard iOS paging between views. It’s when you’re going to drill-down a few levels then allow the user to “back out” from where they came. Using the knowledge in this video and the associated technique file will provide you with a lot of insight into how close you can get to the real thing!

Doesn't everyone want to build an app these days? How about you? Is building a native looking iOS app on your agenda? Wouldn't it be easier if your user's didn't have to learn the FileMaker Go UI and could simply tap your own custom solution icon when using an iOS device?

If the answer is yes, then your wait is over. In the first quarter of 2016, FileMaker, Inc. quietly released their iOS App SDK for FileMaker. This Xcode based toolkit enables anyone, with the willingness to learn, the ability to create a native looking iOS App using FileMaker Pro.

At its heart, you're simply wrapping the FileMaker Go product around your files and then able to run your app as its own process with its own sandbox. This becomes a big benefit when it comes to distributing your FileMaker solution.

All of your standard FileMaker functionality is still available to you. It really is a very empowering technical solution. You can rapidly build a very functional solution and be ready to deploy on any iOS device.

In this video, I walk through the steps necessary to get up and running quickly with Xcode and the iOS App SDK for FileMaker. You can start testing your files via Xcode's built in Simulator app within record time.

The great thing about FileMaker Pro is it has it’s companion app FileMaker Go. Without FileMaker Go having arrived when the mobile revolution started taking off, FileMaker might have had a hard time staying viable.

Because of FileMaker Go, we can build solutions for armies of mobile users heading out in the field. Even better, we can make easy little applications for ourselves which do cool things.

While the limitations within FileMaker are actually quite small, there will always be some burning desire to have FileMaker Go do something it simply can’t.

In my personal situation, I needed to both crop and enhance a picture prior to saving it into the database. I didn’t want to take a ton of pictures, then go back after the fact, and do my manipulations. If you can fit the steps into your workflow, then the easiest solution is to do it right then and there.

By knowing about, and understanding how to take advantage of inter-application communication, I was able to create the most ideal situation on a mobile device of being able to snap, crop, enhance and store within the smallest number of finger taps possible.

After watching this video, I’m pretty sure your eyes will be opened to how much power is held within the hands of every copy of FileMaker Go!