FileMaker and IT, Computer News

Layout Manipulation Tips

Layout Manipulation Tips

Who doesn't love making their software look great? We all want our solutions to be visually appealing, highly usable, and efficiently streamlined. Along with these desires comes the need to understand the environment so you can easily modify your layout and achieve...

FileMaker Server was Hacked

FileMaker Server was Hacked

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...

Single Pass Loops

Single Pass Loops

In the world of programming, there are various concepts you need to understand in order to create software which is both functional and resilient. Maintaining that code may be another challenge, but if you don't learn about exception handling and determining if your...

Cool Tools for FileMaker – Coding Faster with Typinator

Be sure to use the link below if you're interested in purchasing! There may be unexpired discount codes available. Being more productive when developing in FileMaker is something that will always pay off. You’ll create solutions faster and feel better about how...

Client Side PDF Forms

Client Side PDF Forms

PDFs have become the digital equivalent of what was once printed on paper and will likely remain in use for a long time. They offer an easy way to present structured information, and FileMaker simplifies PDF generation by allowing you to save your layout's design as a...

Ultimate JSON Part 1

Ultimate JSON Part 1

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...

Leveraging Inspector Pro 8

Leveraging Inspector Pro 8

InspectorPro 8 offered by Beezwax, and created by Vincenzo Menanno and Brendan Pierce takes advantage of the newer Save a Copy As XML feature of FileMaker. This new version of the "Enhanced DDR" provides great insights into team development and the growth and changes...

Safer Global Variables

Over the years, I've met a wide range of developers. Just like the variety of clothing styles you'll see at any popular concert, there are potentially just as many different programming styles. The usefulness, however, of development standards is equivalent to the...

Render Fields

One of FileMaker's most advantageous tools added in recent years is the Button Bar. It was the first way to present dynamic, calculated content directly on the screen. This removed the need for the decades-long practice of adding "yet another unstored calculation...

Leveraging Script Triggers

FileMaker's script triggers can be problematic if you don't properly test and debug the user interaction flow. Some developers, perhaps even yourself, avoid script triggers for this reason. However, script triggers can be incredibly useful. Unlike JavaScript in the...

JSON Set Variable Power Tools

Our world of software development is changing rapidly! With AI influencing the way we develop, it becomes increasingly important for developers to become informed about the tools which help them become more efficient. Fortunately, we still live in a world where people...

Solution Wide Popovers

Expanding on a recently released article about Incredibly Easy Menus, which used a Card Window and showcased minimal use of popovers, I've now created a new dedicated setup specifically for use with popovers. Using this method, you can implement the technique and...

Exporting JSON

JSON, JSON, JSON! If you haven't gotten used to it yet, you'd better start. It's the way you communicate with the web. It's the structure that's winning. XML is too verbose, and .tab and .csv aren't always clear enough. So, what are some of the ways you can create...

AI Coding is WAY Faster

While some of the excitement around AI deals with using the technology within your FileMaker solution, it's likely that, as a developer, you should be more excited about how AI changes what you do as a developer. In fact, it's theorized that the occupation of being a...

Testing Privilege Sets

Testing Privilege Sets

If there's one thing you shouldn't ignore from the start of any FileMaker solution, it's the way security is going to factor into your creation. You need to know who the users and groups are and what their access rights are. These access rights are called privilege...

Claris FileMaker 2024 – Discovering new features

Claris FileMaker 2024 – Discovering new features

Companies release new versions of software all the time. One of the issues we may face as developers is that not everything is documented and the "marketing spin" might not provide all the technical details. In this video I showcase how I go about the process by...

Fundamentals: Knowing Context

Fundamentals: Knowing Context

Over one's development career, you'll come across a number of people who "think" they know how something really works. You then proceed to show them some of the cool things they can really do, like a "context jump" within FileMaker. You then smile at their surprise,...

Status Messages Enhanced

User interface related topics are always exciting when they work really well within FileMaker. Regarding non-modal status updates, e.g. showing the user what happened or is happening, we have a few options we can use. The most simple is to toggle a value which uses a...