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Our Library of Videos
There's nothing more basic than capturing information - it's cells in a spreadsheet or fields in a database. If we never cared about tracking anything, or the historical value of knowing what's happened in the past, then capturing data would seem pointless. But, as it turns out, we do want to know what has happened simply because we're creatures of history - and habit.
So, let's start with your basic menu command of "New Record" and move from there. While expecting a user to simply navigate to a layout tied to a given base table is certainly reasonable, it's not always preferred.
This means you need to know about all the possible ways to create new records within FileMaker Pro. By covering as many of the possible methods known, I hope you'll get a strong sense of what can be done so you'll know which method you should use when the time comes.
When you hear the word 'schema', and think about your database, you may think this deals with how your database is structured. While true, the data connections you make within the Relationship Graph are only one part of your whole solution.
You'll certainly have scripts which define the logical "use and flow" of how people interact with the data. Yet, the key to knowing how to structure your data schema is knowing what your options are and when to set them.
Part of knowing how to structure a database comes from knowing the options available, the other part comes from experience of knowing how to break out data so it fits the desired result - a true art derived from practice. There truly is no one single way of structuring the data because it depends on how it's going to be used.
This video takes a look at the basic setup of how data is most commonly stored and pushed around. You'll be provided with insight into the various possible options and provided with some tips about working within FileMaker's Relationship Graph.
Anyone CAN find a needle in a haystack, if they supply a seemingly endless amount of time and patience. The problem, however, is we often feel we have little of either.
So we strive to make things as fast as we can - including our database response time. This is where field indexing enters the picture. Fields in your database are indexed according to various rules. Different field types are indexed slightly differently, but it's all zeros and ones underneath.
For the most part, indexing in FileMaker is easy. FileMaker attempts to take care of this for you. It has a check box which is turned on by default, which basically implies "Don't worry, I'll just turn it on if I need it."
So, it's always good to know what is going on behind the scenes and what might bite you in the behind. Such as an accidental indexing set off across millions of record rows while a database is live.
In this particular video, I show you everything I know about how FileMaker indexing works and why you need to know about it. While disk space may be cheap, and making every possible field indexed is certainly possible, there's always a trade off. For example, if your file size is double of what it needs to be, then backing it up will obviously take a longer time.
So, taking control of the indexing is something any proficient FileMaker developer will do.
Update: While I strive to know as much as I can about the topics discussed, there are some times when my knowledge doesn't cover what I think it does. Here is a link to some elaboration on FileMaker indexing FileMaker Indexing Thread. Thanks HOnza, Winfried and Mark!
Because of how the FileMaker development environment was structured, there's a lot of in and out of dialog boxes - especially when working on a smaller screen. You often head into an area like scripts or Define Database and then out of an area as you craft your masterpiece.
In previous versions of FileMaker this used to be a forced situation - and still is in various areas. At least in current versions you can have Manage Scripts (always our beloved ScriptMaker to us old schoolers) and Manage Layouts open while still interacting with various other windows.
The real key to mastering your time when working with FileMaker is moving around the application and making things happen quickly. Think of it like a professional ballet dancer who can weave and shift across the stage with a degree of elegance that makes it look effortless - and probably feels so as well.
While knowing certain shortcuts will certainly save you time, there are a few other steps you can take to achieve that level of proficiency which makes you feel like a true master.
It doesn't really matter where your skill level is at with FileMaker Pro, there's always more to learn. Even after close to 20 years myself, and feeling like an expert, I learned something new in this video - and it feels good to learn.
What I learned happens to deal with the accessibility of help and how easily you can find help within the specific areas of FileMaker Pro.
This video starts off a new series about taking full advantage of the FileMaker development environment. There's one thing in common which some software users do when working with new software. It's to start with taking a look at all the menu options available.
While this is a great place to start, if you don't have any background, you don't know what the implications are of those various menu options. How can you use what's available? What are some of the unique options which may apply? How does that menu item factor into what you want to accomplish? What are the other parts of the software you need to know and where's a good place to start?
These are the types of questions I seek to answer within this series. I'd like to leverage my many years of working with this great database application and help you discover things you may not have known existed. Or, at the very least, validate what you may already know.
Oh, to keep things clean and tidy. That's the feeling many of us seek much of the time. Things can be found and seen when they are clean and neat - it also "feels" better.
These same feelings apply to times when bringing up new windows within the context of your own solution. Simply throwing windows all over the place in your FileMaker solution may invoke that same feeling when you're handed a business card and it feels like single ply toilet paper - wimpy.
It's all about perception. Fortunately, you get to control how windows appear within your FileMaker solution. With a bit of creative scripting, you can actually make this happen in a semiautomatic fashion. Throw in a little bit of Layout Properties and a few handy custom functions, and you've got a window management system which is both easy to implement and use.
Do you use something else which works better? We'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment.
It's simply amazing, yet not unexpected, at how much the tablet world is finally taking off. I fondly remember purchasing my second Apple Newton and thinking, "Wow, this is so cool, it's like the movies and it's happening now."
While it's taken us a little under a decade to get there, it's certainly happening now - and the cool thing is, FileMaker can have a pretty strong role in the whole equation.
As much as FileMaker firmly planted itself in the world of desktop databases, it stands the chance to do the same in the world of mobile devices. It's just "way too easy" to make something useful and deploy it instantly with FileMaker Go.
Despite some of the redraw issues currently faced by FileMaker Go, it looks like there will be a ton of opportunities to create many of those solutions which businesses will be clamoring for.
To that end, it makes sense that you be familiar with what you can and can't do - and how you can take advantage of what FileMaker Go offers. So it is, with this video, that I present a nice collection of hints, tips and techniques about how to design for this rapidly expanding platform!
Hey, just "Google" that...
Yeah, that's right, Google is the Kleenex of single field searching. It's not just on Google's own home page. It's the little search box in Safari, Chrome, IE, Firefox and whatever other piece of software provides some search feature.
True, there will always be other ways to search for things and FileMaker has always provided its familiar query-by-form method of searching for data.
The cool thing about FileMaker's relatively new feature of QuickFind is that - well - it's there!
Yet, I hear from many a developer who has not adopted this wonderful feature. Whether you're showing the status area or not, you can certainly take advantage of QuickFind.
Better than that, you can really capitalize on QuickFind by combining the Constrain and Extend functionality of found sets. So, if you've found yourself simply bypassing the QuickFind feature of FileMaker then be prepared to get excited!
When I first introduced the concept of using a tagging model, via the classification of data, I only discussed one of a few possible options.
The first option I covered, related to any given element in your database (in this case a person), was the ability to associate multiple classifications, otherwise known as tags, to a person.
What ends up ultimately happening is the desire to have a singular classification for an element. For example, a person can be a student and a parent, but how many times is a student both a 1st and 2nd grader? While the first video discussed multiple tags per element, this video now discusses the singular classification.
Wow, ok, this sounds pretty simple. Multiple vs. singular, that's easy. The trick however is the nuance in how you set up the relationship and the methods you provide for interaction within the user interface.
Essentially, we're providing radio-button-like functionality using a popup menu which is tied into our tagging system. While you may not use this exact and specific implementation, there's always a great amount of information and knowledge you can gain from what is covered.
As with all things, it's knowing what can and can't be done which makes you a better FileMaker developer!
If videos one and two of this three part series were the "pretty & shiny" parts, then this last part of the series is Vvrooom vroom of the engine - the stuff that backs up the pretty stuff. There are three elegant techniques added into the revised file.
The first of the three is a straight-forward implementation of user preferences. While it's simple to put into any FileMaker solution, it's not often the first thought to provide each login account with unique preferences to how they use your FileMaker solution. This one tip will hopefully present the simple elegance in which you can add into many areas of your solution.
The second technique is a simplified version of my article titled "Attractive Sorting Indicators". I showcase what the old way was in the starter solution and how you might improve upon this using the newer features in the current release of FileMaker. It's another easy add-on with limited overall cost.
The final technique in this three part series is one I called "Easy List Filtering". It capitalizes on FileMaker's new Quick Find feature and provides an easy way for users to filter any list view based on the record they currently have selected. The implementation is pretty simple and can easily be extended quickly to any fields desired.