FileMaker and IT, Computer News

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...

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...

Spreadsheets: Copy / Paste / Import

Spreadsheets really suck!... Long live spreadsheets, they're super useful! This simple contradiction, however, is likely a part of our technological lives for the rest of time. Unless AI removes the need for people to directly interact with data, spreadsheets are...

Proper Image Handling

Just because you can click the Create button to add a new container field doesn't mean you should do it. In fact, you might want to consider never adding a single container field to your main solution's tables. "Really?", you ask. Yes, because there are many...

Navigational Indicators

Providing users with some type of indication about where they are within the current layout is always a nice thing. People don't typically like that feeling of being lost and there are multiple ways to indicate where the user is. A simple header or label is always one...

Complete Barcode Scanning & Generation in FileMaker

Complete Barcode Scanning & Generation in FileMaker

There's nothing more fraught with errors than allowing a human to enter a long string of digits. Some people are detail oriented and others less so. Who cares if you transpose the seven and zero right? Well, we developers care, that's who. We need things to be...

True Drag & Drop Lists

True Drag & Drop Lists

When FileMaker simply can't do what's needed natively, you resort to pulling out the old web viewer and just doing it there. Yes, learning JavaScript may be something you're resistant to - or - maybe you've fully embraced the maximum extent of the power we have access...

Automating Data Capture of PDF & Images

It's always interesting to measure the metrics of how long something takes. Adding automation to a process not only saves time, but makes it less mentally taxing. This increases the sense of accomplishment and can make the process itself more gratifying. I remember...

Global Utility Fields

Global fields in FileMaker Pro are a staple of how you define what your user interface can do. Without global fields, your ability to present variable scenarios of data is almost impossible - or - at least, unrealistic. You would be limited to using calculated fields...

MBS JavaScript Power

Living the 100% FileMaker native life is certainly possible, but can be seriously limiting when it comes to all the things possible with various other technologies. JavaScript, as one of the predominant languages used across the Internet and beyond, is quickly...