Composing FileMaker Code

It almost sounds like a line from a movie. "Dammit Jim, don't you know the calculation engine is all around us?". Within FileMaker, this is actually true. Especially, when you consider all the places where the calculation dialog box pops up and allows you to enter calculation code.

Typically, when you're entering code into a calculation, whether working within Manage Database or composing scripts, you're doing so within the context of what you're working on.

Context, in FileMaker, simply means if you're looking at a layout tied to the table which has the field you wish to reference then you're in context while creating the calculation.

For the most part, this is often necessary, as being familiar with the immediate context is needed to create the workflow you may be working on. However, there are many situation where you're simply creating code which does something.

Maybe it parses text or builds out content for a Web Viewer. Whatever the code is, which does not require context, composing that code within a calculation field or even a Watch variable within FileMaker Advanced's Data Viewer requires you to go in and out of many dialog boxes while working on the whole solution to the problem.

A better way to approach this is to use FileMaker itself to compose your FileMaker code. In this video, I showcase a tool I use for composing my own code. It serves a couple of purposes and makes it quite easy to both compose code and perform the frequent trips to research material which all developers end up making.

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