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Our Library of Videos
What makes FileMaker development so fun is the variety of different functions and script steps. They provide an almost infinite number of combinations to solve a wide variety of technical problems. There isn't always just "one way to do it". So, what happens when you stop to think about a more recent feature in light of how you've "always done it before"? Like... sorting... for example.
Have you always simply attached the Sort script step to your list view headers and called it a day? What if you could use just two simple scripts to provide single field sorting solution wide? This seems pretty cool since you can manage the sorting of all list views and be able to quickly add this feature to any given layout. Reusable code is a great thing.
That's exactly what this video is all about. Taking advantage of lesser known features in order to create technical solutions which provide a high degree of leverage. Let's learn how to sort any field with just two simple scripts!
Continuing on with the two part series about Narrow vs. Wide tables, this video will go into how to best filter your data, especially if you have a large amount. It will present the data within the structure we'd created within the first video.
Knowing the impact of data operations isn't just limited to the structure of your tables. It's also about how much data is loaded and shown to the user based on what the user needs to see. If you have a relationship resulting in hundreds of thousands of possible records, it doesn't really make sense to show anything other than what the user really needs to see.
If the user only needs to see 3 months of data then simply load the three months and allow the UI to provide options to adjust. That's exactly what we cover within this video. Let's learn how to limit what is shown within your narrow table structure.
Like any good craftsperson, you should know your tools and your methods for accomplishing things in the most efficient and best performing way. This is always most obvious when it comes to that every slowing FileMaker solution which started out innocently as a simple "helper" database. Then... it ended up being used for all kinds of things. Critical things even!
It was thrown together based on how you mentally "see" the data and not how the data should have been structured. This is one of those painful lessons where you have to go in and retrofit the data to a new structure or make plans to migrate to an updated solution.
In this video, I discuss the ever important topic of Narrow vs. Wide tables. It's a common problem in a large number of FileMaker solutions. I know because I've seen tables with field counts within the thousands. This just shouldn't be the case. FileMaker is an all-or-nothing data solution when it comes to records. If you have 1,000 fields, then FileMaker will give you all the data from all 1,000 fields. This is unlike SQL, where you only return the data you specifically ask for. With FileMaker, you have to plan your solution's data management much more carefully! Watch this video for a better understanding of how to make your tables more narrow.
It seems like it's taken decades for many businesses and government agencies to move from pushing paper into the digital age of transactions. Recently, I was reminded of this by heading into town hall and having to push a bit of paper myself. Banks and other financial institutions still actually offer paper options surprisingly. I guess being in the world of tech comes with its own biases. But, despite the seemingly slow adoption, the migration is still happening and more and more things are going pure digital. The real estate markets are finally making the switch to mostly digital and this means it's a great time to know how to take advantage of this fact.
Fortunately, storing a PDF into FileMaker is as easy as drag-n-drop or the click of a button. Getting information out of that PDF still requires some type of external software. In the FileMaker market you'll find a variety of options including both free and paid options.
In this video, I'll walk you through one of the easiest and freely available options for pulling PDF content into FileMaker. With this license-free options you'll never be scared of getting the exact content you wish to extract from any PDF.
Even if it's not a super interesting topic, and really only applies if you're managing a FileMaker server, it always pays to know how things work behind the scenes. If you've never used FileMaker's external authentication via LDAP then you'll want to watch this particular video.
If you're creating any type of FileMaker solution which needs to know when your users both enter and exit the system, which especially applies to using external authentication, then you'll enjoy the super simple access log discussed within the video.
There's even a great tip about adding a unique backdoor for emergency access to your files - should you forget your master password for Full Access. Remember, this may seem like a boring topic but it's critical information to have if you're going to be managing any type of complex solution with centralized access controls.
Recently, having had a conversation with a fellow developer about a FileMaker theme potentially causing issues with slow performance, it was asked about how it's possible to update a theme.
Whether you simply want to update existing styles and/or remove and add others, there's only a few critical things you need to remember about updating and migrating a theme. If you can get those few things right, then making any number of updates to your existing theme can be quite easy to accomplish.
The great thing about updating a theme is that it can be accomplished in a completely separate copy of your live file. All you need to do is download the file from FileMaker Server and then make the desired changes/deletions/additions and then simply apply the updated theme onto the previous version. This migration can be done with minimal fuss provided you keep both the theme name and the theme styles named exactly the same.
Needing to update your FileMaker theme for all your layouts? Watch this video if you'd like some insight into how you can go about migrating your theme from an older version to a newer version.
FileMaker has had the ability to use an internal PDF writer since version 8. It has, however, not always had the ability to merge multiple PDFs into one master and make this work as seamlessly as possible. Being able to do this server side is a really BIG benefit!
In this video, we take a look at a subscriber's question about a particular printed layout issue in conjunction with taking advantage of FileMaker's best possible output options. With the ability to Save Records As PDF we can certainly make the process much more streamlined and as easy as possible.
If you need to generate a complex multipage PDF report then you'll find a lot of value in this video. We discuss what to do about page numbers and how to merge multiple PDF files into one single master. This video and technique file will get you a stronger familiarity with how to generate the type of PDF output you desire.
FileMaker themes are simply a collection of the popular CSS standards plus a few extra attributes which are FileMaker specific. Each element on your FileMaker layouts is defined by these CSS settings. They can be seen when extracting them from the clipboard, and if you know the right location to retrieve and store them, can be defined by any enthusiastic developer.
When FileMaker, now Claris, first introduced themes they likely had the intention of allowing users and/or third parties to create their own. In the time since that initial release it may not be as commonly known, but the location still exists and you can certainly create (or modify) your own theme.
The trick is knowing what's required, what can and can't be done and how the CSS translates to the FileMaker UI widgets. Even still, if you can't take the time to learn every single detail, you can still work with a theme which currently exists and simply tweak that theme to fit your specific needs.
In this video I walk through all the specifics related to customizing one of the existing themes. As long and you get the files into the right location with the right values, then you can modify any theme to your heart's content.
Locations to find existing theme files are here.
Macintosh: [MY_DRIVE_NAME]/Applications/FileMaker Pro.app/Contents/Resources/Themes
Windows: C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 19\Themes
Locations to store theme files are here.
Macintosh: [MY_DRIVE_NAME]/Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Application Support/FileMaker/Extensions/Themes
Windows: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\FileMaker\Extensions\Themes
How easy is it for you to design the user interface of your FileMaker database? Are there any tips you have which makes the process easier? If so, then I would love to hear them!
In this video, I'm providing you with the best information I have about a successful UI design process. It's the opening video to a deep dive about how themes actually work within FileMaker. I start with a blank layout and go over the major areas of what I consider when starting the design of a new database or a re-skin on an existing one.
I cover aspects of layout choice, theme selection and primary navigation. These are three of the biggest decisions you make in the UI process. The rest of the design comes down to the details of the type of solution you are developing.
Sit back and relax and see if there are some valuable insights you can pick up from part 1 of this two part series about UI design within FileMaker.
One of the best feelings for any database developer is knowing that duplicate data simply can't sneak into your solution. You've got clean data such that when you search for a specific email address you know there's only one and it belongs to the right entity.
In the associated video and sample file you'll get all the details for how you can use FileMaker's Unique value validation option. You'll see how you can prevent FileMaker from showing it's annoying dialog box which uses the name of the field when a duplicate is entered. Additionally, you'll be able to execute your own script when the validation is triggered and do really cool things like locate and present the existing instance to the user.
It's helpful features like this that make using a database system that much more user friendly. And this is where you'll find all the details.