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Our Library of Videos
Sometimes, it's those little suggestions or tricks which make for a more enjoyable and productive development environment. In this video, I cover some of what I consider to be the most helpful things for working within FileMaker - at least when it comes to scripts and good habits.
Hate having to scroll down your long list of scripts in order to target the one script you're working on? Use a Testing Code script. Working with more than one developer and need a good method of communicating what was done and when? Use some dedicated "dev" scripts. Need to open those lengthy API docs for that integration you're working on? Make a Docs script.
If there isn't some little tip or tidbit in this video that helps you become a better FileMaker developer then, congratulations, you've reached the level of Master FileMaker Developer!
Learning JavaScript, while also learning FileMaker development, can seem like a daunting task. The trick is to take things little-by-little and pick up those essential skills which allow you to add in the really cool functionality.
You don't have to code your own JavaScript library. You just need to be willing to integrate them with that little bit of know-how you acquired. The great thing about this process is building the skills to be able to implement things in a quick fashion. In this video, I show you how to "hijack" a web page within the FileMaker Web Viewer object. We do this by injecting jQuery and then using another JavaScript library to convert the HTML we capture into a popular plain text format called Markdown.
By doing this, we essentially create a tool which allows us to easily and quickly pull content from the web. The bigger benefit, however, is knowing how to integrate JavaScript libraries onto the Web Viewer and being able to use our own JavaScript code to make a web page or integrated feature do the things we want it to do.
In this video we bring you the fundamentals of FileMaker Reporting. Some of FileMaker's features regarding arriving at that perfect report can seem somewhat hidden. The Sliding & Visibility settings are just one example.
It can also be a bit difficult in knowing how you can arrive at the perfect Summary report when you don't know which layout parts you do and don't need.
If you've struggled with creating that ideal output, whether truly printed or just for a digital PDF, then you'll likely find the answer within this video. If you don't find it, then leave a comment below and I'll do my best to get you an answer.
Within the realm of FileMaker development, there are a number of key techniques which allow you to do the types of things you'd normally expect in any development environment. Many of these have been around for many years. In this case, this one, a decade. The unfortunate thing is that some of these obscure methods and techniques just aren't that easy to replicate from memory. Some are hidden in the corners of FileMaker development because they feel like they're "hacks". But, at least they get the job done.
For FileMaker, the fact that you can derive a value list from a related set of values is extremely valuable. If you have a class of cars and you need a value list with a sublist of models, then getting a related value list is really easy and useful.
But, what if you need a bit more control? You want to specify the exact values used. They need to be custom and you want to include calculated values which are dynamic in nature. You also want them in some type of fixed order and separated with dividers. Doing this is "almost" impossible unless you know the special "hacks" which allow you to achieve the desired result. This video and technique file will show you how to take full control of value lists and use Custom Dynamic Value Lists in the exact way you think you should be able to!
When Add-ons were announced, it sounded like they were going to be the holy grail of transportable code within FileMaker. Thus far, I don't know exactly what the adoption rate is and if the effort is paying off for Claris. I think the concept still has legs; as you can see that the new experience Claris is putting into FileMaker currently leverages what was built.
While I have my own personal strong opinions about how Add-ons were implemented and are currently used, there's no doubt you can save a lot of time by using certain add-ons within your solution. For myself, the question tends to center around build-it-yourself or leverage someone else's efforts.
Fortunately, if you're comfortable with your own assessment skills regarding FileMaker development, you can determine if a given Add-on is worth using or not. In this week's video I take a look at installing and using an add-on download from the Claris marketplace. The experience is somewhat telling of what a new or even intermediate user might go through. It all comes down to implementation and the condition of the UI/UX. If you've not used a lot of add-ons or experienced how they might (or might not) be useful in your own development then give this video a once over.
When first starting with FileMaker, I remember learning all the default Date/Time/Timestamp functions. The documentation for FileMaker is great and the example calculations often lead you in the right direction.
One of the things I didn't know about was how dates, times and timestamps were treated internally. More importantly, how this impacted what I wanted to do with date/time calculations and integrating with external systems. Later down the road, I learned about all the other things I needed to know when considering time around the globe. Understanding UTC, how it impacts my solution, and running scripts on the server in a different time zone vs running them within the local client and how this might impact things based on times or dates.
This week's video and technique file will provide you with all kinds of understanding. The fundamentals and powerful custom functions which should provide you with a ton of date/time confidence for handlings most any date/time based task within FileMaker.
For many FileMaker systems, the number of concurrent logged in users, especially those who will hit issues with record locks, is often very low. Typically, these types of systems are used within the local area network and you just ask the offending user to unlock the record. However, with the number of remote users logging into a system through the WAN, a variety of things have had to change. The way you architect a database system can't necessarily take the same approach as was done before.
As a FileMaker developer, you should now consider the remote user and plan your system accordingly. Fortunately, this approach can be taken at any point in the life cycle of a FileMaker system. You can retrofit or plan from the outset to use a very creative way of avoiding record locks. Quite simply, you provide each user with their own personal file.
If you're familiar with using External Data Sources within FileMaker, then this may be common ground for you. If not, then you'll find a ton of useful information within this video. If your users are accessing a system from across the globe, then using the know-how here will help alleviate a lot of connection stress and struggles because it's a method of data collection and transfer which directly emulates what users do when they interact with a standard web based application. Need the benefits of speed and performance? Look no further than Avoiding Record Locks.
One of the most satisfying things about being a solution developer is the opportunity to create the user interface. You get to create, and modify, how users interact with your software creation. It's like shopping for just the right outfit for that perfect occasion. The one which will present your software in just the right light and with the right amount of pizazz.
Of course, you have to be willing to update and change your style over time. Nothing stays popular forever - right? So, you constantly need to be learning about ways you can make things look and feel differently within your software.
In this video, I showcase a number of tips and tricks related to making your user interface just a little bit prettier. It's not a word you'll use that often, but, by taking the time to prettify your solution, you'll find it's a rewarding task. Learn from this video and the provided example file and make sure your solution's UI is as pretty as it can be. Prettify it!
When first using FileMaker's Filter Portal Records feature it's easy to get excited about how you can limit the set of records to exactly what the user needs to see. You start adding a single filter and the result feels like magic. A simple search filter using a global field will let you extra exactly the records you want. It's great!
However, when start adding more and more filters things start to get complicated really fast. You have to become super comfortable with creating complex calculations with a lot of Boolean logic. If you don't know how to use your AND and OR operators, then it can really seem daunting.
In this video we take a detailed look at how to break down a complex multi-filter approach and make it seem really easy to achieve some super advanced portal filtering. If you've ever been confused about making your portals show exactly what the user needs, especially when using multiple filtering vectors, then enjoy the understanding you'll receive from watching this video.
Who doesn't need to mark subsets of records? I've rarely, if ever, worked on a solution which couldn't take advantage of simple record marking. Whether it's for creating a user based subset or simply toggling an active or favorite value.
Marking records is something which should just be standard. So, why not make it both standard and universal. Meaning, you use one single script regardless of whether you're dealing with a current found set of records or a filtered portal - and independent of a specific field.
That's what this video and technique file are all about. Universally marking records within your solution. A small collection of scripts for targeting any given Boolean field and making it so simple and easy that you don't even need to think about it. You just call the one universal utility script and call it a day. Your records are marked - or unmarked.
Looking for a smaller, and easier, FileMaker solution to manage? Then start using utility scripts and make this marking solution one of your go-to recipes.