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Our Library of Videos

840 videos found.
Auto Notes - The quickest way to adding a dynamic note field 06/30/2005 - 7:00pm

FileMaker's new auto-enter enhancement makes all kinds of things possible. One such task is that of making the note taking process that much easier. Building on the success of the previous method of auto building notes, this new approach will work within one field.

Database users can simply select into the notes field, start typing and never worry about lost notes. Each new note is added to the growing list and making changes to those notes can be controlled as desired. The added feature of supporting console-like commands makes this note taking solution that much sweeter!

Building a Scheduling Application (Part 13) - Learning all about Sessions 05/13/2005 - 7:00pm

This video tutorial will walk you through the concepts and process of using sessions to facilitate the user environment in your FileMaker solution. In this particular segment of the Scheduling Application series, I streamline the week view and alter the database to present colorful representations of calendar events.

When dealing with events in sequence, such as those filling specific time slots, the big question is whether the record you are on can see the other records around it. For example, if the record for 1:00 PM knows it has the event of "Take kids to school" - how does it know what's happening at 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM? Fortunately, you don't have to wonder - I show you exactly how to do this!

Building a Scheduling Application (Part 12) - Startup tricks, user preferences and value lists 04/27/2005 - 7:00pm

This video covers the details of using a default ("fake relationship") in order to extract the values you need for a value list. While working on our Scheduling Application we've added the great feature of being able to Quick Add an appointment based on the open time slots. What we need now is the ability to filter all the time slots, within in a 24 hour period, down to those that apply to the work period and eliminate those events which have already been scheduled.

Learn how to manage user preferences and also make things easier for development. I show you some of my best tips for a better development environment. Watch this video and you will learn more about FileMaker Pro!

Portal Presentation Techniques & More 04/27/2005 - 7:00pm

When presenting information within a portal, you'll find your basic options of showing related fields and filtering based on simple relationships - or you can customize your portal, and present information in much more selective method. Using a custom filtering technique, you can filter out any information based on selections made from one or more popup menus. There's also some other tricks you can use to show more information than you have space for!

Watch this week's video to learn more about some powerful portal presentation techniques. You may also find some value in using the provided file which helps manage your collection of credit cards.

Sending Email from within FileMaker 04/27/2005 - 7:00pm

Email is obviously so popular because it provides one of those basic needs by humanity - communication. So the question is, "How do I send email directly from within FileMaker Pro?". Well, there are a number of options available. One of the most common is to use a FileMaker email plugin such as those from CNS, Dacons or ACME Tech. However, there are free alternatives as well. The trick is getting down and dirty with all the geeky know-how. Using a free plugin named shell, we can send email from within FileMaker Pro. This special report will teach you all about the details you need to know when considering email as part of your FileMaker solution!

Companies, Contacts & Details - Optimizing your data 04/18/2005 - 7:00pm

Because FileMaker is so flexible with how a file can be developed, it's not always easy to know where - or how - to start the process. On top of this, you have the numerous features which can be added. Which features fit your situation is all about knowing what can be done.

This video article walks through the process of starting a Companies, Contacts & Details database - but doing this in the most efficient method possible. The benefit to what is taught in this video is learning how to optimize your data storage. Acquiring the "optimized data mentality" and applying this to your set of skills is something that comes with practice and time - but getting a jump start on the process is always a great way to go! Watch this free video to learn how.

Building a Scheduling Application (Part 11) - Triggering scripts based on user actions 04/11/2005 - 7:00pm

It's a FileMaker developer's dream to trigger a script based on any user action. This includes menus, moving in and out of fields, selecting popup menus and lists, or trigger based on the results of a calculation and more.

Well, FileMaker isn't quite there with providing an event model for controlling user interaction. However, it is possible to cause most of these types of events to happen. Using a free and stable plugin, you can trigger a script based on a popup menu selection or the results of a calculation. This makes it possible for our Scheduling Application to load the details of an event when selecting from month view. Even better, I've added a new feature called QuickAdd. This presents all of the available appointment time slots so an appointment can be quickly added. This is great for a Dr.'s office or similar profession where appointments are based on time blocks.

Learn more today by watching the video! Not a subscriber? Watch the preview to learn what we're talking about.

Building a Scheduling Application (Part 10) - Variable portals for making a month view 03/31/2005 - 6:00pm

FileMaker, like most software applications, requires a certain level of knowledge to master. When it comes to creating the month view of a scheduling application, how can you get away from creating 42 unique relationships? One for each of the possible days in any given month of a year. Can it even be done? Of course it can!

Creating the month view in our scheduling application is simply a matter of using a variable portal. The variable portal technique is used to force a portal to show information in the format you desire. Beyond that, it will vary based on where you are at in the interface or based any other piece of criteria. Watch this video as we fix some of the loose ends and implement the last of our three critical views!

Building a Scheduling Application (Part 9) - User prefs, mirrored lookups & more. 03/16/2005 - 6:00pm

Our Scheduling Application series has offered something for everyone. It's hard not to learn a few things, if not MANY things, when you're building a complex application like a schedule manager. This video moves the series into discussing user-based preferences and mirrored lookups. Mirrored lookups aid in the process of data duplication and help us present the data the way we want.

From custom date formatting, on a user by user basis, to determining what should happen to deleted calendars, it's the little refinements that make a FileMaker solution a powerful application of technology. Watch this week's video to learn a variety of powerful feature techniques!

Building a Scheduling Application (Part 8) - Learning about View Tables 03/08/2005 - 6:00pm

Working in FileMaker can be fun and easy, but some times it's about working around its own limitations. The phrase "portal within a portal" is a common phrase developers run into. It's a situation when you want to show subparts of subparts. In the case of a calendar, it's multiple time based events within multiple days within a week.

The inability to show a portal within a portal leads to some creative presentations of information. In this video you'll find valuable information about using a dedicated "View Table" to present data specifically the way you wish it to be shown. We walk through the modification of the day view to present both open and closed time slots. It's another great way to learn and understand the process of working in FileMaker Pro!

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