1. Things I’ve Noticed with FileMaker Instant Web Publishing

    November 25, 2009 by Biran

    If you use FileMaker 10 Server Advanced, having Instant Web Publishing (IWP) is a very fast solution to getting your database on the internet. However, there are certain unlisted criteria that must be cleared for online access to work. When creating a FileMaker Pro layout that needs to be displayed in IWP, if 2 portals are sitting side-by-side such that the fields in 1 portal entirely overlap the fields in the other on the horizontal axis, then issues will occur upon selecting any field on that layout in IWP. The page will attempt to load but nothing will happen and [...]

  2. Sub-Summary Export to Excel

    November 19, 2009 by Sameer

    During my adventures in the world of FileMaker Development, I came across a request from a client to export records to Excel. “Sure, no problem” I said.  Then there was the twist… The client wanted to know if we could export the records, but instead of a mass export, they want to be able to group the line items together. Imagine an export similar to a Sub summary report. I started to shake my head no, but then realized, FileMaker can do just about anything if you put your mind to it… Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Sub [...]

  3. Calculating Business Deadline Dates While Accounting for Holidays in FileMaker

    November 13, 2009 by Biran

    Since FileMaker Pro 8.5, the List function has been a huge resource in implementing many features. One aspect it’s very useful in is calculating business date deadlines with holidays factored in. Say you had a BeginDate and needed to determine 10 business days after that date and show that calculated DeadlineDate on the same layout. Using a script trigger is not ideal for this situation and there are no existing functions that enable this feature. You will have to use a custom function to run through the days. Now, without holidays, you know there are 2 weekend days after every [...]

  4. Quick Tip: Freeze Window Script Step

    by phin

    When executing a FileMaker script that requires you to traverse through numerous records and/or layouts, a Freeze Window script step can greatly enhance performance. The Freeze Window’s actual action in FileMaker is self explanatory, but many novice users may not understand its purpose or when to utilize it. When the Freeze window script step is executed from a script it hides the remaining actions (Script Steps) to the user. That is until a Refresh Window Script step is executed or until the end of the script. This is immensely useful because it will stop FileMaker from doing window redraws after [...]

  5. Layout Based Script Triggers Part 2

    by Sameer

    In my last blog, I walked through how to create a developer tool for displaying the code values of any key pressed on the keyboard (scroll down a ways if you didn’t read it). In that way, we were able to define a script to do just about anything, based on what the user presses on the keyboard. In this blog, we are going to apply this to a layout that we would generally view in Preview Mode. First let me outline the keys we want to use. Code Values: Esc: 27 <- (left arrow) : 28 ->(right arrow): 30 [...]

  6. FileMaker On The Go

    November 12, 2009 by phin

    A FileMaker 10 solution can easily be made mobile with the help of PHP Site Assistant and a mobile device . The FileMaker PHP Site Assistant is a powerful tool, provided by FileMaker Server 10, which allows you to publish your FileMaker solution to the web. After launching the PHP Site Assistant, just follow the step-by-step guide to automatically create PHP web pages. These pages are based on your FileMaker solution. In one of the steps, you will have to choose a theme to set the visual style of the site. FileMaker had iPhone users in mind, as amongst your [...]

  7. Simple File Handling with FileMaker Container Fields

    November 6, 2009 by Chuck

    The behavior of Container fields in FileMaker can leave a bit to be desired especially when your solution has multiple users. As a rule, I suggest storing all data in container fields as a reference. With multiple users, you then have the problem of the users storing the files in paths that are accessible to all users. Enter in the ubiquitous shared drive. I am going to share some interface techniques to make managing this process easier for everyone involved. The first step in the process is to make sure that all the users computers have access to the file [...]

  8. Setting up a FileMaker ODBC connection to a MySQL 5.1 database

    by Biran

    All of these steps should be performed on the computer hosting the FileMaker database: MySQL Driver Installation Steps: 1. Download the appropriate PC or Mac MySQL driver at: http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/5.1.html 2. Follow the steps to install the driver onto your computer with the default settings ODBC Setup Steps: 1. Open your computer’s ODBC management application a. On a PC, open Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Data Sources (ODBC) b. On a Mac, open Macintosh HD->Applications->Utilities->ODBC Administrator *Note that On Max OS 10.6, you must download ODBC Administrator from: http://support.apple.com/downloads/ODBC_Administrator_Tool_for_Mac_OS_X 2. Go to the System DSN tab and click Add 3. Select the MySQL ODBC [...]

  9. Portal Sorting

    November 4, 2009 by Biran

    The normal way to sort portals in FileMaker is through the use of the GetField function. You can have a global text field SortFieldName to hold the field name to be sorted, an unstored text calculation SortFieldText that holds GetField(SortFieldName), and an unstored number calculation SortFieldNumber that has the same calculation except that it excludes all the text fields to be sorted via an if statement [ If (SortFieldName = ”LastName” or SortFieldName = “FirstName”; “”; SortFieldName) ]. On the relationships graph, on the relation connecting the current layout’s table occurrence to the portal’s table occurrence, you would have the [...]

  10. Send Mail via SMTP

    November 3, 2009 by phin

    In order to schedule a script to send out an email to various clients, before FileMaker 10, would require a complex runaround.  A script must be created within your FileMaker solution that is entirely compatible to be run from the server. This just mean that all script steps must be web compatible and unfortunately the “Send Mail” script step was not. To work around this matter, another entirely different FileMaker solution needed to be created. The next step would be to set the file option to perform the desired script, to send out your emails, upon opening of this new [...]