Software Requirements

* iOS 10 Required by FM Go 16

* iPad 4 and up can run Fm Go 16

* iPhone 5 and newer can run FM Go 16

* If you previously downloaded

 an older version, you can still access it.

Websites and learning resources for FileMaker

* LearningFileMaker.com - Training Courses

* FileMakerVideos.com - Free videos

* FM Starting Point - FREE CRM starting solution for FileMaker

* fmforums.com - forum that is not run by FileMaker

* FileMakercommunity.com - Forum run by FileMaker Inc. 

 * support@rcconsulting.com -Contact RCC's support team

Compare and Contrast Go and WebDirect

* Both are purchased using Connection Licenses on the FileMaker Server

* FLT license program is a simple licensing program

* User Interface largely similar between Go and WebDirect

* FMSP has grouped layouts for different types of devices:  Mouse, Touch and Phone

* Action Menu has most of the Menu Options

* In FMSP, we have a startup script that checks screen size.

* FileMaker Go has overall faster performance ... than WebDirect

* FileMaker Go is optimized for iOS Devices

* Barcode and Signature Capture is NOT available on WebDirect

* Prices are the SAME for both GO and WebDirect.

Use Dropbox to Upload or Download Local files...

* Access to Dropbox is a manual process and cannot be scripted

* Uploading and download files is useful for "local" files and not necessary for Hosted Solutions.

Using Email to download local files...

* Using Email to download files is a manual process and cannot be scripted

* Uploading a local file is limited to the maximum attachment size of the email server... which typically will be around 25 megs.   This CAN be automated with scripts, but we do not show that in this video.

Using Airdrop to download local files

* Apple devices only

* Using Airdrop to download files is a manual process and cannot be scripted.

* Airdrop can be used to post files out... but we do not demonstrate that here.

* Airdrop is NOT scriptable

Yuk...I would rather clean a toilet.

* iTunes is the "original" Sync method developed when the iPhone shipped in 2006.   Pretty much no one uses it.

* iTunes Sync is a manual process... that is not scriptable... but it can upload or download a local file of ANY size.

* Webpages can be used to provide links and direct download of FileMaker files to Dropbox

FLT - FileMaker License for Teams is Great!

* FileMaker Go is Free

* There is no licensing costs for running local files

* Accessing a "shared" solution requires an available connection license on the FileMaker Server

* FMI has an evolving strategy of charging just for Connection Licenses... or so it seems

* Connections are allowable "slots" that allow a user to connect to a FileMaker Server

* Connections Licenses are sold in Blocks of 5

* You can buy Perpetual License (where you own it outright)

* You can buy an annual subscription for 1/3 the cost

* If you want to use FileMaker Cloud... you must have an "Annual License."

Icons in Different places... but largely same functionality

* Three fingers sliding down shows menu bar. Three fingers sliding up hides the menu bar. 

* No "Settings" menu in WebDirect, and no manual spawning of Windows in WebDirect, or manually selecting of Windows.

* UI for WebDirect was specially designed to be Android compatible

No manual control of Virtual Windows with WebDirect

*Pro and Go generally work the same... allowing both manual control by the user and also via script.

* Toolbar versus Menu bar. FM Pro uses a Status Tool Bar. Fm Go uses a Toolbar and Menu bar. Must use the correct script command depending on the platform.  

* How to hide and lock the tool bar so it can't be displayed. 

* Apple's New iOS allows to Apps to be open side by side. This allows you to have email, notes, or another app open next to Fm Go. 

* WebDirect has NO manual control of multiple virtual windows for a single session.  WebDirect does allow scripted access to multiple virtual windows for a single session.

Card Style in Go & WebDirect

* Behavior differences of the card style in Go versus Pro

* Card Style in WebDirect?  (Bonus Material) 

* How to use Card Style

FM Server Fm Cloud how to connect using FM Go

* FM Go is free but connecting to server is how FMI Monetizes FM Go. 

* Click on hosts, add hosts in FM Go to connect to a sever using an IP Address (the "location")

* FM Pro and Go 16 point out if encryption has not been turned on

* FM Server can allow any .fmp12 file to be uploaded, but only one version previous can access the server(EXAMPLE: a server running FM 14 cannot be connected to by FM Go 16) 

Basic Video - FileMaker Go Specific Stuff

* The Scroll control in FileMaker Go and the version that you see with WebDirect.

* Scroll control is somewhat different from Pro

* 2 Finger Swipe allows you to flip through records.

* Gesture Controls is also available on Windows Machines with a Touch Screen

* Gestures are also supported on a Mac with a Magic Mouse.

* Record locking is a database capability to prevent multiple people from editing the same record at the same time.

* SQL databases do not do record locking automatically

Basic Video - FileMaker Go Specific Stuff

* Form view is a single record view. In FMSP this is called Detail view

* List allows records to be scrolled through

* Table view is like an excel worksheet. A grid where each record is a row and each cell is a field.

Basic Video - FileMaker Go UI Discussion

• Quickfind is available in FileMaker Go... but it generally takes longer to execute than a standard find request. 

* A targeted Find on a specific field is generally much faster

* Targeting Index fields speeds up Find Commands

* Re-Find ... aka..."Modify Last Find" is Command-R

* Adding Multiple Find Request is Super Powerful

* New FileMaker users rarely use multiple Find Requests

* Entering an equals sign (=) in a field will do a find for any records with that field empty 

* Special Operators are available in FileMaker Go... but not visible in a Menu like in FileMaker Pro.

* Changing Field Sort Orders... can be managed by finger Gestures

* Tab Panels work great in FileMaker Go

* We have a special video that explains how the Calculation that drives the Tab Panel works

* Single Finger Swipe can move a Slide Control on FileMaker Go. (gesture)

Slide Controls

* 2 fingers left and right when in form view allow records to be browsed

* Can slide between panels using finger. When in a slide control area. Also in tab controls.

* Slide control behavior can be scripted 

Tap capture "Pre and "Post" Script Triggers

* Can capture the amount of taps using script triggers

* On Gesture Tap is the script trigger 

* Pre-Script trigger happens before the "event"

* Post-script triggers happens after the "event"

Force Touch 

* Can't utilize currently within the App

* This is the feature of pressing down harder or softer on the screen to get different options 

Optimizing FM Go Layouts 

* Layouts for FM Go should be built different than desktop layouts. 

* Larger Fields and buttons to click on with a finger versus a mouse

* Reduced objects on a layout for Go will improve speed greatly

* Wide area networks impact FM Go Performance greatly

The Right Sized buttons for Mobile Devices

• Following Apple's Human Interface Guidelines is Recommended

• 80/20 Rule - When building iOS layout, 80% of the users need only 20% of the features.

• Buttons Sizes should be larger than the mouse buttons if possible.

* Usability Testing for User Experience is important.

* Testing UI in the field is important

* Tips for Testing User Experience

Fm Go Screen Layout versus desktop layout

• Understanding Screen Size Limitations 

• Wider Portal Rows for Touch Screen

* Large Buttons for Touch Screen

* Introduce Directed Work Flow

* 80/20 rule again

* Testing layouts with actual users can help to identify suitable sizes of buttons and overall usability 

Workflow for iPads FM Go 

* Allows people onsite to access information more easily

* When done right it can be a very straight forward process. Each screen is a step of the workflow 

* Keep things simple with only a few options so people don't get distracted 

Identifying Device (Hardware) and System Platform (Client)

* Get(Device) tells us what type of device is being used. Allows a script to direct specific devices to specific locations. Used to direct users to the correct layout

* Get(SystemPlatform) tells us what platform the client is on. Used to find Webdirect while device tells users the hardware being used

Network Tpyes

* Get (NetworkType) only works when called in FM Go. Finds the type of network. Cellular, WiFi, wired, none and unknown 

Locking iPad Screen zoom Text is 10-15% Larger on iOS

* Two taps natively locks the zoom in. This can be frustrating to users especially if theydon't understand this function. 

* Zoom to 100% and lock the layout to avoid this "feature" 

* Text is 10-15% bigger than on Desktops. This is because the space between text is different and is part of the operating system

Detecting Orientation, adjust layout 

* Get(Window Orientation) returns the orientation of the window by 1 and 2. 0 is a square which doesn't really happen

* Can no longer lock orientation

* Use the Get(Window Orientation) Command for Script Triggers, at layout, On Layout Enter and on Layout Size Change 

* Resize layouts or two different layouts based on orientation. Requires building a layouts twice but can be very precise. 

Using a Layout Creation Wizard 

• Creating a new layout in Pro for the iPhone

* Pre Canned Layouts can be handy.

* Don't forget to use an iOS specific theme.

* FIELD PICKER tool is great for quickly adding fields to a layout.

* Stencils are available in FileMaker Pro to give you some guides for the most common sizes.

* FileMaker uses "points" and not Pixels anymore.  FileMaker is resolution independent.

* There is a chart that shows point sizes for the different iPhones

Optimizing Layouts by reducing objects and XML

* 200% performance improvement by optimizing layout and CSS 

* More objects on layouts = more blocks of XML

* Within blocks of XML are CSS. 

* The more XML the slower the DB  communicates to the server 

Optimizing Layouts and CSS

* Imported files use the classic Theme

* Improves performance by reducing objects and optimizing layout by using a themed style for objects on screen

* The goal is to have items that have the same attributes (Styles). After making changes to a style save the changes to the style or save a new style

Optimizing using shared styles 

* Format Painter tool is not sufficient. It does not attach shared styles. DON"T USE IT. 

* Also avoid, copying and pasting fields between layouts using different themes

Animations between states (Transitions)

* Popover Windows. Slide Panels, Navigation Animations allow for animations

* Navigation Animations only work on Go 

* No Support in WebDirect

* No transition when switching windows 

Insert From Device Options in Fm Go 

* Go Devices allow inputs from touch screen and camera, something previously unavailable. Insert from device is the script step

Selecting the correct Custom Keyboard for FM Go Users 

* Default system keyboard is the standard keyboard iPad users are used to seeing

* System Default keyboard is optimized to the right input for the field being selected

Barcode integration with iOS Device Cameras 

* Insert from Device is a great script Step to allows you to stick an image into a container.

* Insert from Device can also input Bar Code info directly into a text field.

* 1D and 2D barcodes are supported.

Manual Activated or Script Activated

* FileMaker Pro does NOT support direct access to a connected camera.

* Manual insertion of a Image is supported with FileMaker Go.

* A Script can InsertFromDevice ... which will only work in FileMaker Go.  

* Access can be specified to front or back facing camera... with a specific time limit.

* There are UI design considerations for activating the script.

* The Container can be tapped on to bring up options.

* Maybe make the container a button to activate the script.

Capturing Signatures from iOS Devices 

* Capturing signatures using insert from device is the script command

* Full Screen, Overlay and Embedded are the three container field options for capturing signatures

* Each option takes up a different amount of space on the screen. Useful for different applications. 

* Embedded doesn't work on the iPhone but overlay does and it does nearly the same thing

* Security built within FM. Get Container Attribute verifies if a signature was copied and pasted or if a picture was taken versus inputted

Font Rendering between Desktop and iOS

* Not All Styles on FileMaker Pro (Mac/Win) are supported on iOS in FileMaker Go.

* Use the FM Go 16 Training Tool to see this for yourself.

* Spacing for fonts is different based on the platform

* Vertical Spacing between Mac and iOS will be  different.

* From Mac to Window... Font Space is the same vertically... but laterally... it is wider on Windows.

iBeacons and RangeBeacon Command

* iBeacons use RangeBeacon (Command) to find local iBeacons. Could be used to track fluffy bunnies or other objects

* No bearing or heading, just closeness indication

* UUID is no necessarily unique instead the Major/Minor indicates the specific Beacon

iBeacons and Script Triggers

* Configure Region Monitor is the script step used with iBeacons

* To Hunt for iBeacon must know the UUID. To identify the different beacons use Major and Minor identifiers

* Get(RegionMonitorEvents) is used to Monitor the beacons being looked for 

Getting Attributes from Pictures and MP3's from FM Go

* Get(ContainerAttribute) can return latitude and longitude of where photographs were taken. Can Also give attributes of MP3's if it's an actual registered movie file with iTunes

* Containers will optimize pictures by displaying a thumbnail rather than the full size image. Improves speed

Container Attributes and Interactions 

* At the bottom of the inspector containers, it can be specified for video versus images. This tells FileMaker to put a player in the container or not

* Interactive players can be set to play automatically or that they have to be initiated. This is a check box below the interactive player in the inspector. These settings are specific to FileMaker Pro and ignored by Go

* For Go to use the videos use insert from Device script step to bring over specific media from the iOS Device

* Transparency check box is not supported by the interactive player 

Remote Containers with Fm Go 

* External Storage became a FM feature as of FM12. Previously this required a plugin

* Setup in options under a Container Field in Manage DateBase

* FileMaker Go can't store pictures separate from the DB File. Pro and Server can store externally, but if the server is setup correctly Go can use the feature through the server. If FM Go is being used Locally this is NOT a feature

Web Viewer

* Primary Limit of FM Go and Web Viewers is the limited RAM on iOS Devices (RAM Cannot be upgraded on those devices) 

* Web Viewers are able to play one quicktime player at one time

*Goes over the limitations of quicktime players and web Viewers

Streaming Video Through Web Viewers versus Containers 

* Streaming through containers is limited. 

* Full screen versus embedded 

* FM Go is much more nimble in managing embedded videos with the use of script triggers 

AVPlayer commands 

* AVPlay: Plays a Video 

* AVPlayer Set Options: Settings for a video that is ALREADY playing. For example setting the player to full screen

*AVPlayer Set Playback State: Sets start/stop but only after AVPlayer Play command is used

* Get AVPlayer Attribute: tells user anything that took place with the video: was is started, stopped, fast forwarded ect. 

AVPlayer Script Triggers

* On File AVPlayer change script trigger controls AVPlayers since they aren't really an object. This allows developers to stop users from skipping videos amongst other factors 

* There is a multitude of options with this trigger

* Controls go out the window when a video is played from YouTube

How to Draw within FM Go 

* No Native way to draw in FM Go

* GoDraw allows drawing on images and elsewhere with FM solutions 

Unsupported script steps in FM Go Error 3

* Error 3, script step that is unsupported by FM Go. FM Go will skip over that line of code and continue 

* Some scrip steps work only in Go like "Insert From Device" 

* In the script workspace in the upper right hand corner, there is a setting to view script steps that are unsupported in FM Go. It will gray out the steps that are incompatible. This works will work for all platforms of FileMaker

GPS Functions

* Script step Location returns the latitude and longitude values and accuracy

URL Protocol and Sandboxing 

* Sandboxing

* Goes over the URL Protocols between the different FM Platforms

* URL is used to pass information back and forth between files

* If entering a record in Fm Go and the App sleeps and a URL is called a user will be returned to that record and state without the data being reverted or committed

SASE, Plugins and PSOS for Go 

* Plugins can't be installed in Go but they can be installed on the Server that is the best work around. Meaning scripts using Plugins must be run on the server (PSOS)

* When using PSOS from Go it might be worthwhile to tell the script to "wait for completing" 

* Script Parameter can also be used to pass info to the server based on the context of when and where the script is being triggered

Set error capture and user abort controls 

* Set Error Capture has no effect on Get Last Error 

* Allow User Abort allows a user to abort a script while its running if ON and stops them if OFF

* Don't set User Abort too OFF unless absolutely sure the script runs properly because if the script does not, the end a user is stuck

Printing from iOS, Airprint and Printopia

* iOS Devices can print to local WiFi Printers using Airprint

* Most new printers support Airprint

* Use of Legacy printers don't work by default

* There is a software workaround 

* "Printopia" works on a Mac to allow older legacy printers to work with iOS devices

Prinotopia and limits of printing in FM Go 

* Printopia allows documents to be saved to shared folders on Dropbox

* Printing options are limited in Go. The print options prints script doesn't work in Go. Many options and features are missing 

* Print options will default to whatever was last used

* Many specialty printers do NOT have air Print capabilities

Limits of Printing in FM Go 

* Custom printing settings are part of the iOS or OS not the FM solution 

* What is not supported with scripting: Custom page size, DPI Size. Work around is to turn dialogue on to set manually each time

* Previous settings are per device not per user 

* Getting printing to work in complicated scenarios is going to be frustrating and will change with each new iteration of FM Pro and Go 

Manually and Scripting Sending a PDF

* When creating a PDF manually... Print Dialog Exposes the Save as PDF command

* When creating a PDF manually... you will be presented with a dialog... to save the PDF somewhere.

* Save to FileMaker Go (Black and White Icon)... saves the PDF to the Documents Directory.

* Most people will save the PDF locally... or send it out via email through the local email client on the iOS device.

* The Send Email Script Step... always requires user interaction via the email app dialog.   

* Scripting the PDF creation gives us more flexibility.

* We can save a PDF to the Temporary Directory.

* The Temporary path is invisible to users on FileMaker Go.  The operating system will periodically clean things out.

* We walk through building a script which automatically creates and emails the PDF... completely hands off.

*  You can recycle the PDF creation from FM Starting Point... or in a separate demo file.

* Path Name is set into a variable.

* Sending email out out via SEND EMAIL script step.... we use the "SMTP Server" option... so it goes out without the user's interaction.

* The path to the PDF in the variable... is passed as an attachment... to the SEND EMAIL script step.

Manually and Scripting Sending a Export File

* Manually activate "Export" menu item from the Action Menu.

* When creating a export manually... you will be presented with a dialog  to save the exported file.

* Scripted process... the SAME as the process for Saving and sending the PDF discussed in the previous video.

Key Chains are awesome!

* Key chain allows a user to log in and out without reentering the username and password every time

* Go can be setup to require iOS device password to add level of security without requiring a full login

* Settings are under Manage Keychain 

iPad Sleep and Restore

* iOS Apps in the background are in a suspended state of "sleep"

* FM Go is in the memory so it does not need to restore. This means it reactivates quickly 

* Sleep and Restore is a huge factor if security is of high concern 

FMRestoreLogin vs. FMReauthenticate

* Understanding the old "FMRestoreLogin" Privilege Set and how that was replaced with "FMReauthenticate"

* Decide what level of security your DB requires

* Re-authenticating in FM Go (extended Privileges)

Understanding FMReauthenticate

* Removing FMReauthenticate entirely... will prevent files that are already open... from requiring security credentials by FM Go Users

* Put a number after "FMReauthenticate" to set the "grace period" that the device can be asleep or inactive before they must reinput credentials.

* Files converted from .fmp7 (FileMaker 11) do NOT have "FMRestoreLogin" and will have the "FMReauthenticate0" extended privilege set added

* 10080 minutes is a maximum grace period... which is one week

Understanding "Hibernation" process and Scripts

* Hibernation was improved with Sleep Restore using the Re-Authenticate extended privileges 

* Hibernation is a hidden file written by FileMaker Go or Pro that tells FileMaker how to restore itself... IF it has to reload itself into memory.

* Normally Hibernation files are not needed and not used.

* Normally, the Sleep/Restore process is used and the Hibernation file is never leveraged.  The Hibernation file is essentially a backup process... if the sleep and restore fails. For example... the user hard closed the FileMaker Go App.

* Scripts that are running when FileMaker Go goes to sleep will attempt to restore and continue themselves... ONLY if the Sleep/Restore process executes correctly.

*  If the Dehibernation process is activated as a backup... any running scripts will NOT continue.  Scripts only continue if the Sleep/Restore was successfu

Useful for Accessing a Database with a Finger

* The Keychain can send credentials to FileMaker Go... without a Passcode or TouchID approval.

* Alternately, you can make the user enter their passcode OR TouchID... before the Keychain activates.

* TouchID is not accessible inside of FileMaker for you to access with scripts, etc.

Deployment of Go, Server with limited Internet Capabilities 

* It's ideal to connect directly to FM Server if using Go 

* If there is no good internet connection, look at third party Applications like MirrorSync

* DON'T use DropBox to house databases

* NO off-line access for Android users 

* FIAS is ideal for adding on FM integration but is not ideal for a standalone solution 

PHP "beaming" from FM across the web ADVANCED

* PHP Allows info to be sent from a File and reimported in a container field. Bay 64 allows this feature

* Essentially a large file is broken into little pieces and "beamed" and then rebuilt at the other end

Setting up your Own Sync...without 3rd Party Tools

* Using the Import Script Step.  This has to happen on the Destination, NOT the source.

* You can also write a script that runs though a series of set field commands.

* Set field allows for precise testing and control of each field. 

* Set Field is a slower process to run, and it takes longer to setup.

* Import is a faster commander to run... and to setup.  It just provides for less precise control.