ISO FileMaker Magazine

Taking advantage of JavaScript within FileMaker is a crucial skill that can significantly enhance your solutions. Relying solely on native FileMaker capabilities can be limiting, as certain tasks are more effectively handled with JavaScript.

Using a Web Viewer to execute JavaScript comes with nuances. For instance, when a JavaScript process takes longer than a few milliseconds, providing a visually appealing progress indicator can greatly improve the user experience. This is where the concept of a dedicated Web Viewer comes into play. I refer to this implementation as Web Workers. While it’s possible to use multiple Web Workers, in most cases, a single primary Web Worker is sufficient.

In this video, we’ll explore how to implement and utilize a Web Worker effectively. We'll cover concepts such as cascading defaults, creating SVG spinners, managing colors, and other techniques to fully leverage the capabilities of Web Viewers in FileMaker.

As technology advances and becomes as critical to our digital lives as water is to our physical well-being, we must be keenly aware of whether that "water" is tainted with harmful elements that could harm us.

This sentiment applies not only to your health but also to your technological security concerns. For most technical systems, we may be inclined to assume that "big tech" — meaning the creators of the software or technology — will automatically make things safe for us. However, there may be risks that neither the provider nor the user recognizes until they surface.

Recently, the FileMaker landscape has been impacted by several critical security findings, making it essential for you to understand your level of exposure.

In many cases, threats may be mitigated by measures within your control. However, in some instances, upgrading is the only viable solution. Many FileMaker systems still rely on versions much older than FileMaker 19, following the old adage, "If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it." This time, however, it is very, very broken. Older versions of FileMaker Server, if publicly accessible, can be hacked in ways that conceal any traces of intrusion. In this case, using outdated versions is a risk you can't afford unless you're prepared to accept that your system is essentially open to anyone willing to find it.

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Being more productive when developing in FileMaker is something that will always pay off. You’ll create solutions faster and feel better about how quickly you can solve problems.

Due to the unique environment in which we write code, there are concepts other developers have access to that we don’t. We’re not using a standard text editor with modules and plug-ins to extend its functionality. In FileMaker, we rely on a few third-party plug-ins and tools to enhance the development experience.

In this video, I’ve invited Robert Naud and Josh Halpern to demonstrate Typinator from Ergonis Software. It’s a powerful tool that can handle all sorts of tasks involving the OS clipboard and FileMaker. Since FileMaker uses a dedicated clipboard format, which is primarily XML, you need to translate that XML into the normal text you work with. Typinator makes this possible. You can automatically inject script steps, layout objects, custom functions, and almost anything transferable via the clipboard. By combining AppleScript and/or JavaScript with a few command line tools, you can work in FileMaker with auto-expansions that make your job much easier!

If you're developing in FileMaker and haven't invested time in learning and using JSON, you're at a significant disadvantage. JSON is not difficult to learn, and it's used in so many areas of modern development that it's crucial to get familiar with it if you haven't already.

In this video, I begin with the basics of JSON and its implementation within FileMaker. Once you start using it, you'll find it's valuable for much more than just passing parameters. While passing parameters is one of the most common use cases — allowing you to pass multiple values easily — JSON also supports a wide range of applications, from creating UI features to saving the state of tabs, layouts, user preferences, and even capturing metadata about your stored data.

Additionally, many advanced FileMaker features, like web viewers, rely on JavaScript and JSON for functionality. As you explore data exchange between applications, you'll see JSON frequently in modern APIs as well.

Make sure to take full advantage of this multi-part video series, where I'll cover the various ways you can leverage JSON within FileMaker. This knowledge will significantly expand what you can do with the platform.