FileMaker and IT, Computer News
Using GetLiveText()
Quick Native Charting
One of the greatest advantages of FileMaker's built-in charting tool is its immediate access to aggregated data. This is especially useful when you don't need highly customized charts. If you do require full visual control, using a Web Viewer with JavaScript typically...
Building Faster Solutions Using Open Quickly
Elegant Panel Wizard
Having a few pieces of code that can be easily replicated into any solution is one of the best ways to achieve efficiency in development. Yes, AI is revolutionizing how we build solutions, but it's still important to have a personal "treasure chest" of code you're...
Better UI Settings
FMIndent – FileMaker Code Formatting
FileMaker developers who use editors like VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, BBEdit, or even VIM are very familiar with the modern conveniences expected from a code editor: linters, code completion, formatting, syntax highlighting, and more. In FileMaker, however, we've been...
ForEach Function for Scripted Loops
When it comes to doing the same thing over and over again, you really can't beat a loop. It's the wet side of DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), where the "Don't" turns into a very big "Please, yes, DO." The trick with loops, especially when you're processing a lot of data...
Complex Conditional Formatting
Breaking down complex logic into manageable chunks of code is the smartest thing you can do when it comes to conditional formatting. Especially when it needs to account for an increasingly wider number of conditions. This week's video deals with what seems like a...
Effective Solution Settings
Using Gateway Files
One of the greatest joys of working in technology is that you never really have to stop learning - although you certainly can. Everything also moves so fast that it often feels like you can’t keep up. The great thing about FileMaker is that you're not stuck in the...
Critical Graphics Knowledge
Even to this day, after providing FileMaker-related technical education for many years, I still see solutions with less-than-optimal structure and storage. When it comes to graphics, “all things add up.” The cumulative cost of data or technical debt often comes back...
Re-Theming Existing Solutions
When tackling the task of updating a UI/UX look and feel, it can quickly become overwhelming — especially if you have hundreds of layouts and countless individual styles, some in use and others deprecated. While designing a new solution from scratch allows you to take...
Execute Data API – Stateless CRUD
Continuing from a previous video that introduced the Execute FileMaker Data API script step, this video explores the remaining CRUD operations added in FileMaker 21+. With the create, update, duplicate, and delete actions, we can now leverage more stateless data...
Execute Data API To Custom API
The Execute FileMaker Data API script step has been around for quite a few years. It was introduced in FileMaker 19, around 2020. If you haven't used it, you may be manually creating JSON for your records when you don’t need to — FileMaker can do this for you. I...
Collecting Related Data
Every development task involves both what you know and what you don’t. The key to achieving the desired outcome often lies in learning what you don’t yet understand. That’s exactly what we’ll explore in this video – how to collect data from related tables for use in...
Managing Layout State
One of the best feelings when developing is making new discoveries and finding solutions to common problems you didn’t know how to solve before. In this week’s video, I present an overarching solution for managing the layout state of any layout within your...
Ultimate JSON Part 2
The first and most common way you'll likely use JSON within your FileMaker solution - should you choose to adopt it for this purpose - is as your primary method for passing script parameters. If you haven’t done so yet, it is highly recommended that you use JSON for...