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Our Library of Videos
With most software, especially a growing software solution like a FileMaker database, you inevitably end up with settings and preferences. These settings may be used for the solution itself, certain features or even user specific settings. No matter what the settings or preferences, you often need an easy way to manage and access them.
In this video, I showcase a method for handling settings which may be required for a server side script or client side operations. No matter when or how the settings are used, providing an easy way to get at them is always and ideal solution. Using the example of sending an email via an SMTP server, we can take a look at a creative approach to accessing settings which are managed within $$GLOBAL.VARIABLES.
We’ve all been inspired by the creativity and wide array of UI widgets which have come from the mobile side of computing. In fact, what you present and when/how you present it always offers the opportunity to find new ways if doing so. The whole swipe down to “rubber band” a refresh was a breath of fresh UI air.
When presenting users with options, one of the more common methods for presenting these is using a Pop-up menu. After making a selection in an initial menu a second menu presents options specific to the selection made in the first and so on down the tree. It’s a very common UI pattern.
Sometimes, however, this doesn’t quite work from a UI standpoint. It’s at this point in time when another option may be desired. If you’re comfortable with learning and using ExecuteSQL and how Virtual List works, then you’ll find that presenting a hierarchical tree of options can easily be managed within a single portal. Drilling down through the options and having a way to traverse back up the tree is everything you’ll find in this video. The sample file will have all the parts you need in order to copy into your own FileMaker solutions!
If you’re capturing photos with an iPhone or iPad and FileMaker Go, then everything should work just fine as long as you do everything within FileMaker Pro. You see, FileMaker takes care of presenting the user the picture in the proper way. But, this isn’t how the photo is stored.
As soon as you need to do any type of manipulation to the photo, then you’re headed for a shock when the picture turns out upside down or sideways.
This video discusses what you need to know in order to manipulate photos captured with a mobile device using FileMaker Go. If you’re in need of server side cropping of photos then pay attention to the details covered within this video!
Earlier in the year I released a video about using Google Forms in order to capture and then import data into FileMaker Pro. The code I was personally using was a bit more advanced than what I wanted to show at that time, so I simplified the process.
Having implemented, and used, many more Google Forms since that time, and knowing that I was exercising a great degree of control over the import process, I decided to reveal it all.
So, in this video I showcase the method I use to verify that an import is exactly what you expect it to be. I use an MD5 hash, which FileMaker implemented in version 13 under the somewhat hidden feature of GetContainerAttribute(). Using an MD5 hash it’s possible to uniquely identify anything you could ever want to identify. It’s a fast hashing algorithm and it can be used for all kinds of features within your FileMaker database. You can determine if a collection of fields has been changed. Whether an image has been modified or, in this case, whether an import file meets your exact criteria.
If you deal with imports and you like knowing that a file will match the expectations of your scripts then this video will provide a wealth of information regarding that process!
While recently teaching the layout/design portion of an in-person FileMaker training course, I found myself showing off one of the features which FileMaker has had since version 12. It’s an often overlooked feature which can be used quite creatively when you know how it works. It’s the Layout Background style of the layout theme.
When you understand the order in which FileMaker displays things, you’re free to create nice modern looking layout designs. Further, when you combine this with knowledge about themeing and styles, you can create a look and feel which is quite flexible as well.
In this video, I walk though an example database where I grab an image from Flickr and integrate it into a new custom theme for a FileMaker file. If you’ve never used images as part of your theme design, then watching this video will give you a great level of insight into what’s possible with layout backgrounds.
When was the last time you opened the Relationship Graph and heard that little voice say “Wow, you’ve gotta clean this up!”? Maybe it was yesterday, maybe it was just a few moments ago.
Whenever the voices come, it’s a pretty easy task to accomplish when you apply some solid understanding to how the graph works and what it represents in the whole of your solution.
If code could write itself, then organization would never be necessary because no one would need to maintain or revise it. It would simply rewrite itself as needed. Sort of like how a tree grows. When a new branch is needed, it just starts to grow. Unfortunately, you’re the gardner of your own creations so you need to apply some forethought to what you create when working in the Relationship Graph.
In this video, I provide my own personal insights into how I approach the graph and what I think makes for an easier solution to maintain. When you consider how complex a FileMaker solution can quickly become, the notion of keeping things easy to work with should be a high priority.
Providing visual feedback about the sort state, and direction, of your list views is always a nice feature to have. Not only does it fulfill the expectations of what users are already used to within the OS, but it let’s users know they can actually sort on those columns.
In this video, I walk through the use of a Button Bar object in conjunction with some other common tricks in order to provide dynamic column sorting indicators.
This is one of those standard must-have features within your FileMaker solution!
Knowing which features to use and when to use them is great skill to have with FileMaker Pro development. Anytime you can determine when a certain script step, structure, web viewer or plug-in should be used is what makes for a productive developer.
In this video we’ll take a look at a long standing script step called Copy All Records. Using this core script step allows us to optimize a lot of things so we end up with a faster FileMaker solution.
With the additional tips and education in this video, you should be that much closer to solving a number of various issues for your FileMaker database. Make sure you know how to use Copy All Records in the most efficient manner!
You like being in control don’t you? Being able to control things exactly as you wish? Well, it’s one of the more addicting qualities of creating solutions quickly within FileMaker Pro.
When you’re working with dates, there are times when the native date picker just doesn’t cut it. You can’t make it larger or smaller, you can’t change its colors, and if you’re on iOS then you’re limited to the default iOS date picker. You’ve got no control.
When a user is choosing a date from a calendar, you should probably have a bit more control. This means you need a calendar widget which is under your total control. In this video I showcase a calendar picker I’ve been using for years and years. In this case, however, I’ve updated it to fit the more modern methods of doing things within FileMaker Pro.
If you’ve ever needed full control over a custom calendar widget then look no further than this video!
Developing in FileMaker Pro is rewarding because of the speed with which you can accomplish things. The speed, however, isn’t worth much when you only know one possible way to do things. It’s the master carpenter, who knows all the tools and methods for getting things done, who is the most efficient.
When it comes to replicating a found set within FileMaker, there are many paths to take. Your standard Perform Find script step will simply pull up a found set of records based on predefined or dynamic criteria.
There are, however, many cases where a found set is composed of data which has been filtered. This could be a list view of data where individual records have been omitted or a set of related records derived from a filtered portal.
Regardless of how the found set is derived, if it’s a random set of records which need to be recalled, then saving this found set becomes valuable. It turns out, there’s a method for saving this found set and it’s the most optimized method possible. This is because it’s the same method which FileMaker itself uses.
This video is about recreating a found set and being able to use it in various ways. It could be used for a PSOS (server side) script or simply to provide the user with a feature of being able to save and recall a found set of records at any time. No matter what your needs, knowing how to use this feature is a valuable piece of FileMaker know-how!