ISO FileMaker Magazine: FileMaker Video Tutorials, Templates, Help & More

by Matt Petrowsky

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FileMaker 11 came with a fancy new feature called Snapshot Links. These small XML-based files store all the necessary information in order to recall a "last known view" of a given data set.

Imagine, if you will, a user is working on a "donor call list". They are presented with a list view of a larger subset of data - the people they must call. The user has made it half way through the list and it's quitin' time for today.

The courteous thing to do would possibly be asking "Would you like to save your place for tomorrow?" and simply doing so upon an "Ok" confirmation and closing the window.

The next day the user comes in to work, the database is opened to a dashboard layout with a portal displaying a task list. There at the top of the portal is an item titled "Finish donor call list". Clicking that portal row simply opens a new window taking the user back to the exact location they were at when they left the previous day.

Normally, this type of feature would require many different scripts and a good amount of time to implement. Now, what would you say if this could be done in two simple scripts? Well, if you're interested, then watching this video will answer your questions about Snapshot Links.