ISO FileMaker Magazine

Script Triggers are making so many new things possible in FileMaker Pro. Searching is one of the areas which will benefit the most. As might be expected, searching is already the predominant feature of any database, behind storage of course.

In this video, I walk through a technique created by Ray Cologon of http://www.nightwing.com.au/FileMaker/. I show you how the technique works, how the script triggers are operating, and then I enhance the technique with a few of my own features.

If making your FileMaker database even easier to search is an appealing feature then make sure and watch this video!

Long live your computer mouse! It's here to stay, until we have fully reliable voice response systems or visual cortex tracking - or maybe even futuristic plugs in our heads to control our computers.

Until then, we can use things like FileMaker 10's new script triggers to allow users to navigate a FileMaker layout using the keyboard.

It's actually quite easy and this video will give you the tools and information you need to make it happen!

Note for subscribers. Access the file on the previous article Script Triggers OnTabLoad Video Article.

Yes, you've read the title correctly. I made up my own Script Trigger. In fact, you too can make up your own, and make it do whatever you want!

In this video, I expand on FileMaker's Script Triggers to show you how to create and leverage the concept of an OnTabLoad event which happens each time the user clicks on a tab within a tab panel.

By moving to each tab, you have the opportunity to execute as many subscripts as desired. While FileMaker's Layout Script Triggers and Object Script Triggers limit you to one script, the number of branching subscripts is clearly unlimited. Use this knowledge to create and use cool techniques such as OnTabLoad!

You've always been able to implement Hierarchies within FileMaker Pro - even back in version 3 - at least from a data standpoint. You can easily use two fields to manage a Parent to Child relationship. However, the biggest problem of understanding, implementing and using hierarchies rears its ugly head when it comes to managing and allowing users to interact with them.

Along comes FileMaker 10 (which the referenced file requires) and you're now able to more easily manage an unlimited number of hierarchies based on any tables or records in your solution and each hierarchy can have an infinite number of rows. There are no limitations based on table occurrences when you understand the data structure of how it all works.

The remaining problems to solve are related to user interaction with the Hierarchy and maintaining state of collapsed and expanded rows.

If you've always wanted a deep understanding of how to use these "folder trees" (know as posets in Hierarchy mathematics), you'll be hard pressed to find better information about getting them into FileMaker Pro!

Because I've added history features to the My Invoicer solution, I decided to add one more video to the mix about using a History table. The concept behind the whole approach is to simply use a dedicated table which will track pretty much everything a user does to any data in the database - provided you account for such actions. This isn't exactly audit logging. It's another dimensions to knowing who is doing what in the database.

Using a History table is an extension to using a Sessions table, wherein with sessions you're tracking what a user does between the times they login and logout. Add audit logging to using a history table, and you have an extremely robust tracking and logging system.

There are many ways to approach data history and tracking. In my solution, I've opted to use the History table as the primary place where users interact with data. With the addition of Script Triggers in FileMaker 10, it's certainly possible to achieve history tracking using triggers on events such as OnLayoutLoad. This means you don't have to edit data through a relationship, such as is done in the My Invoicer file. However, there may be some advantages to taking this approach. Ultimately, no matter how you accomplish it technically, the goal is to maintain the history of what is done to the data in the database. A history table helps you accomplish this.

Portal filtering is simply one of the many tools to be used when you wish to provide an easy path of data access to someone looking for that data. Typically named Clairvoyance or Type Ahead, it's the familiar feature of staring to type and having a larger list of results narrow down based on the addition of new characters. As you type, you find what you're looking for.

While the feature has been possible in earlier versions of FileMaker, via the use of Script Triggering plug-ins, it's now an even more appealing feature with FileMaker 10's built-in Script Triggers.

In this video, I walk through the very detailed specifics of what makes portal filtering work and how you can create/use a reusable script when supporting this feature in multiple places within your FileMaker database.

Coding in FileMaker can become like a drug. If you think it can be done, you may be tempted to create it. However, there are a few times when you simply shouldn't. When technology exists, which you can leverage, it's often much faster (and better tested) to go outside of FileMaker.

In this video I showcase exactly how easy it is to implement a Text-to-HTML conversion tool using a very popular method named Markdown. If you, or your users, have ANY need to generate HTML - and do so easily - then this video and file will have what you need.

Using Markdown, you can quickly create valid HTML from much more human-readable text. If you know nothing about Markdown and how it might benefit you, then make sure to watch this video and learn from the technique file!

Even the most simple of objectives can often be optimized. It's the fun of making code smaller, more readable, more efficient that drives the developer spirit. Even if you don't consider yourself a developer, the lessons in this video will help guide your decisions when implementing features into your database.

This video showcases the breakdown of one simple feature, double-clicking. It does this using an optimized custom function. The result is a more flexible solution with more efficient code - which could actually be optimized even more than presented!

If you simply need double-clicking features in your FileMaker database then steal the custom function in the attached file. If you want to learn a valuable lesson in FileMaker development, then watch the video!

There are certain techniques in FileMaker which may not be immediately usable in your day-to-day work. However, simply knowing about the possibilities expands your mental toolbox - making you a better developer. You're always more equipped when you know both the weaknesses and advantages to the software you're using.

In this FileMaker video, I showcase a technique I'm calling Script Dispatchers. This is a concept where you can centralize code for easier solution management and better documentation. It could also be called a Layout Dispatcher, as the main functionality depends on a dedicated area within your layout.

Watch this video to see how you can access a wide range of script triggers and how you might employ this technique is some of your own solutions.

Script Triggers now allow for all kinds of solution logic based on simple user actions. If the user changes tabs, switches layouts or enters into a field, you can now trigger a script.

Beyond these simple situations, you can also watch for any time a user hits any key on the keyboard - aside from fkeys and specialty keys on custom keyboards. This invokes a mind-opening realization, but some times it's hard to come up with ways to use these new features.

Well, how about a simple spelling fixer. Not a spelling checker. An actual script that will fix (or change) a word as the user types! For any area where industry specific words are used, think medical and legal fields, you can ensure that these words are spelled correctly. This can now be done with FileMaker 10 and the technique file associated to this video!