ISO FileMaker Magazine

You've worked in FileMaker for a while now, and you've figured out that managing value lists can be a hassle. Especially, if you're the one to add a new value list each time the solution needs one. What if you could create a system that would allow admin users to make as many value lists with as many values as they want? Even better! What if you could allow them to assign these user controlled value lists to whatever fields they want - and do it from within your own FileMaker interface?

Want to know more? Watch this week's video to learn one of the most powerful methods for managing value lists!

One of the common interface controls in interface design is known as a Tree View. Unfortunately, FileMaker doesn't offer this control, as there's a lot to deal with when you're talking about hierarchy. However, you can accomplish the basic principle with a Simple Portal Tree.

This technique will allow a user to select a portal row, and have associated sub items connected to that row reveal themselves. This is useful for hiding and showing information within a dynamically updating portal.

It's a fact of life. Sometimes, some users change the wrong data. Keeping track of these changes is necessary in a number of situations. While FileMaker Pro doesn't offer the familiar rollback features you find in SQL systems, it is possible to automatically track the changes made to fields.

It's all about knowing what was in the field before the change and who made it. With the addition of a few fields, calculations and one relationship you can have as much field level tracking as one could want. Watch this video for all the How-To!

There are many methods for providing access to smaller sets of possible selections. You can offer popup lists or direct manual entry. You can start with all possible options and narrow down or you can start with no options and make selections visible after initial entry.

Sometimes you want to allow multiple selections so a user can control how a portal will filter. This week's video covers a number of the possible options for filtering a portal.

Getting what you want out of a large amount of text only requires you know where to start and when to stop. It's moving it into the right field that's the problem. Fortunately, with this video and the example files you'll put a stranglehold on understanding of how to parse text into the proper target fields.

If you ever wanted to pass structured information between your database and email, html or any other structured format then this video article covers what you need to know.

Sometimes, just thinking about the best way to organize and classify your data is enough. Do you classify, organize or both? Is there a difference?

This video and example files walk though the process of learning when to classify, when to organize and when to do both. Get a better understanding of compound multi-keys and how the structure of data doesn't have to match the presentation. You don't always have to use a new file to store the information!

You've been through the hassle and the expense. You've purchased barcode fonts and you've had to install them on each machine which needs to print them.

Well, what if you could generate barcodes within FileMaker without the fonts, without the hassle and have them work perfectly? Wait, don't answer that question. This video and set of files will teach you how to use the most common barcode symbology and also provide you with a means to get scanned barcodes back into FileMaker. This creative solution may be a first of its kind. Watch today and have barcodes within seconds!

In every programming environment, there are certain fundamentals used to accomplish a number of solutions. Modification triggers are just such a fundamental. Understanding how the use them, not only allows you to automatically format data, but allows you to auto time-stamp notes fields and keep a modification log of which fields were changed into what.

Watch this video to learn how to automatically format a phone number field - and in the process, understand modification triggers.

Working with FileMaker's Preview mode can be a bit frustrating when you want to provide both a preview of what will be printed and navigation at the same time. If your system turns off the status bar then moving from page to page must be done with the scroll bar. Zooming in to see smaller text distorts graphics on forms viewed in Browse mode.

How about an all inclusive solution that makes navigation of Preview mode a dream? Watch this video to find out how!

You know your database system is bound to grow. You wonder, "Have I coded things so the system will flexibly grow to manage the expanding features it offers?"

If you're always looking for a flexible way to provide access to preferences or even offering navigation to access-controlled screens then this video and technique will walk you through a great solution to this problem. Watch this video about a great method for managing preference screens.