1. Automate Data Collection from the Field with Mobile Apps

    February 12, 2013 by Karen

    We are supposed to be living in a paperless society, but having been a business owner for the past 20 years, I know many organizations out there are still using paper forms and clipboards in the field to gather data.  This leaves managers hoping that all the papers make their way back to where they are supposed to end up, and then, that all the data from the papers is correctly uploaded into the company’s software system. You can call that a wing and a prayer system! Is your company still stuck with that painful paper inspection or survey form? [...]

  2. FM Academy Webinar Nov. 15

    November 12, 2012 by Karen

    FM Academy Webinar: FileMaker Server – Beyond the Admin Console Join us Thursday, November 15th for a free one-hour webinar at 2pm (EST) where we will show you how to select and configure the ideal server for your organization. Your databases are only as good as the servers on which they run. Fast, reliable operation of your server is essential to get the best performance from your database. In fact, the most important decisions you’ll make in regard to your server’s performance happen before you install FileMaker Server. We will explore the following topics: •Why a database server is different [...]

  3. Integrating FileMaker With the Operating System: A Beginners Guide to the Command Line and Apple Scripts

    November 6, 2012 by Sameer

    Developing FileMaker systems generally rely on the application and its built in functions, script processes and calculation engines. However, there are times when more programming is required to solve a customer’s requests. Solutions that require “extra” features tend to include plugins and operating system level scripts. Plugins can offer excellent options to extend FileMaker, but we can find that they are specific to tasks, and still have limits. Our next option then is turning to operating system level scripts to handle the tasks required. One popular process, the ability to zip a series of attachments and email, has been described [...]

  4. Developing Secure FileMaker 12 Solutions

    August 20, 2012 by Sameer

    Security in FileMaker can be an overwhelming task unless you are aware of the fundamentals associated with Restrictions, Privileges and levels granting access. Unfortunately, with lack of knowledge or worse yet, lack of time, many solutions end up accessible by an Admin or Full Access account. Let me share an analogy that I came across that describes security access:   “Imagine a hotel with those new-fangled magnetic card key systems. Non-guests have access only to public spaces. They cannot enter through staff-only doors nor into guest areas such as sports facilities, and they do not have access to the bedrooms. [...]

  5. 3 New Webinar Topics Added to 12 Days of FileMaker 12 Series

    May 14, 2012 by Karen

    By popular demand, 3 sessions are being added to FileMaker Academy’s 12 Days of FileMaker 12 Series! (But we aren’t changing the name to 15 days of FileMaker 12; that just doesn’t have a good ring to it.  We also aren’t changing the top-quality speakers and free recordings you can download from the blog if you can’t attend the webinar live.) Webinar 13: Windows Styles Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Enhancements to the New Window script step will give developers much more control over new windows and their behavior. This webinar will present techniques for utilizing the new “Specify Advanced Styles” [...]

  6. 12 Days of FileMaker 12 – Design Surface Behavior Changes

    May 9, 2012 by Karen

    Sameer Khan, of Anvil Dataworks, hosted FM Academy’s seventh webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series, on May 1. The Topic – Design Surface Behavior Changes. As files are converted to the new version of FileMaker Pro, we will notice changes to the layout appearance.  Objects will use the default themes of a layout, or that rounded or gradient themes options are already applied.  In the webinar we looked at the new applied theme control, default themes, and the new assistance tools. Some of the behavior changes reviewed: Pixels to Points, a change in base measurement Options no [...]

  7. 12 Days of FileMaker 12 Webinar Series – New Layout Design Surface

    April 16, 2012 by Karen

    On April 10, Anvil Dataworks presented the first webinar in the series 12 Days of FileMaker 12.  Here is a link to the webinar about the new Layout Design Surface, presented by Sameer Khan.  If you’d like to register for any remaining sessions, please visit the FM Academy web site. When designing new modules or systems, one bottleneck to the turnaround time involves the development of Interfaces.  The layout design surface of FileMaker Pro 12 provides tools to streamline interface development, revamps layout themes, and gives the Inspector additional control of objects.. Here is the video from the webinar. We [...]

  8. FileMaker 12 is Here!

    April 11, 2012 by Karen

    FileMaker Pro 12 is the fastest way to create stunning databases for you and your team. With the latest version of FileMaker Pro, now you can quickly build solutions that are crisp, clean, and make you more productive than ever. Instantly change the look of your layout by applying one of 40 stunning new themes specifically designed for your iPad, iPhone and desktop. Each theme comes with pre-defined fonts, colors, and object styling. In just a few clicks your layout has a professional, new look. Easily customize a layout to meet your needs by adding gradients, images, and more. New [...]

  9. What’s lurking in your datacloset?

    March 7, 2012 by Karen

    During any given year, we at Anvil Dataworks and our sister company, Corporate Network Services are certain to see at least four of our customers move into a new space. This could be a new branch office opening, moving the whole office to a new location or even merging two offices into a single new large office. Each of these has their own challenges, but they all have one thing in common – it becomes a great time to look at all of the forgotten devices in the network closet and make some upgrades. Let’s face it, the network switch [...]

  10. Free FileMaker Webinar on Leap Day

    February 23, 2012 by Karen

    There is an extra day in this year’s calendar, why not spend part of it learning something new?  Join the FM Academy on February 29 at 2 PM EST for a free webinar, Look Before You Leap – Pick The Right Deployment Model for Your FileMaker Go Application. Even though FileMaker Go is easy to install and easy to use, you will still want to plan carefully how you are going to deploy it.  Some factors to consider include the development style of the existing solution, security concerns, data availability requirements, the physical network topology and performance expectations. The webinar [...]