Learning FileMaker Pro 14

Beginning Technical Walk through

Beginning of our technical walkthrough series, discussing the Preferences table, which has ONE RECORD. We do not show the status area when displaying layouts. Adding records to the preferences table is bad, and will result in erratic behavior of FMSP.

Desktop, iPad and WebDirect

Get the inside scoop on how and why RCC organized the FileMaker layouts the way we did, plus how we can support the devices that we support. For example, there is minimal support the for the iPhone. Why? Watch and find out.

Learn our organizational secret for Scripts in FMSP

Well, it's not really a secret. It's pretty straightforward, but new developers never think to do this. We start you out on the "right foot" with FMSP.

Complexity is Banned in FMSP... violators will be banished

I want FMSP to be understood by new FileMaker users... power users... or by "junior level" developers. More experienced FileMaker developers who write complex advanced scripts prevent new FileMaker users from understanding a database... and as a result... prevent them from making useful customizations.

Technical Walk through

Accounts are really companies or organization. Does your new project really need the accounts module? If not, you can remove it. FMSP key fields have prefixes. We also walk through the various sections and secondary navigation modules.

Technical Walk through for Invoices

Includes instructions on how to customize Invoice Status. Also what fields may be removed... depending upon the structure of your database. Also there is a limited inventory tracking system built in.

Technical Walk through

Email Template automated system... for quick selection of emails.

Technical Walk through

The features here have been in use for a long time... and people really like it. The 2nd half of the video is a technical under-the-hood look.

Discussion of Feature - Transactional Model

We discuss... our deployment of a "transactional model" within FMSP. We don't do this that often... but we need to here... because the FMSP Invoice Starter solution has a serious defect.

Also in Estimates

Margin and Markup are totally different formulas... so don't let their similarity fool you.

Also in Estimates

Margin and Markup are totally different formulas... so don't let their similarity fool you.

Super-Advanced Conversation on Calendar

The Calendar Displays makes use of 3 Layers of data that project through each other to make a functional calendar. Medical Warning...your head may explode...if you watch this video.

Advanced Conversation about how the FMSP Calendar Works

The Calendar projects data from the Activity Notes...and from the related Tasks.

Basic video overview

Collections of Similar types of information goes into Tables. Fields are individual data elements. What are outside examples of a database? Ebay is one! Database = Template = Solution. The FileMaker platform uses the .fmp12 file format. FileMaker uses screens, called Layouts.

Basic video overview

Files, Tables, Fields, and Layouts... and now we have relationships. Relationships are driven by key fields. Relationships allow data from multiple tables to be displayed on a single layout at one time. Scripts are little computer programs that can help automate activities in FileMaker.

Browse, Find, Preview, and Layout

Browse mode is for using the database and editing the data. Layout mode is for customizing the look of the database. Find mode is for executing a Search in the database. Preview is for "previewing" how a print job will look if the print command is run... or if a PDF is created from the current layout. The menu bar changes based upon the mode you are in.

Basic database usage by end users

Super basic video that might be good for people who have no previous exposure to FileMaker. Navigating between fields, Browse mode, flipping between records. Deleting records is not necessarily a good thing, so think about that carefully.

Yah... its totally automatic.

FileMaker saves pretty much everything automatically.

Upgrading a DB from FileMaker 7, 8 , 9, 10, and 11 to 13

Pretty straightforward... but a couple of "gotcha's" and FYI's.

Upgrading a DB from FileMaker 4 or 5 to the FM 7 format...

If you have a simple database, then this can be a simple process. But if you have a large complex solution, then this can be an ugly process. You will need MetaDataMagic to help analyze the .fp5 format to determine all the issues that have to be mitigated.

You might want to weigh the cost of migration, versus the cost of a total rebuild. A number of companies opt to go with the rebuild.

Use a custom sort order to sort BC and AD date fields.

Use a custom sort order to sort BC and AD date fields.

Search, Queries... FInds in FIleMaker

"Found sets" are collections of records that match a particular find request. Find mode focuses all user activities on the "found set." Default searches in FileMaker are wild card searches that search the first part of each word.

"and & "or" searches in FileMaker

Learning to do finds for various items at one time as an "and" find... or as an "or" find is an important skill to learn.

Hunt down ranges of records based on a date

Performing a range search in FileMaker is one of the most useful skills to use, and to teach other FileMaker users.

Reserve characters can help Finds.

Special operators... i.e. reserved characters can do magical things when in FileMaker find mode. Search for an empty field, email addresses, exact searches, or other wild card searches.

Where the rubber meets the road...

Understanding Indexes is the key to understanding how to make your finds run fast. Make sure that fields that users will search on will be indexed. If they are not indexed, expect SLOW performance.

Stored Calcs... will perform FINDS much faster.

Unstored Calcs ... cannot be indexed, resulting in slow searches.

95% of FileMaker users never use this.

Extending and Constraining a found set are super helpful skills to help figure out more complex finds... especially where multiple requests need to be worked out. Unless you're a rocket scientist and you can do everything in your head, you will want to learn this skill set to help build complex finds.

Fundamental Basic Skill Set

Sorts are limited to the current found set. Keep in mind, that added sorts will cause a performance hit on the database when you do it. So automatic scripted sorts should only be used for those sorts that you actually need. We haven't talked about scripting yet... but for now remember to limit sorts to perform only when needed. Not just for fun... especially for shared databases on the internet.

Sorting AD and BC date fields.

Sorts sound simple, until you have AD and BC dates.

Overview of Layout Menu Bar

Basics of the layout tools for building and editing layouts. Detailed discussion of the tool bar in layout mode.

4 panels of goodness

Understanding all the panels of the inspector is important, and will come with time as you start building solutions in FileMaker. FM12 only had 3 panels, but FM13 and 14 both have 4 panels. We talk about the POSITION panel more in a later video on object alignment. This is more of a well rounded summary.

Short discussion about naming objects

Formatting fields - Adjusting Currency... etc.

Adding new fields; finding space on an FMSP layout for new fields; introduction to Tab Objects; introduction to locking objects; Aligning objects; format painter tool; formatting number field for financial currency data type; reordering tab panels.

Basics of Defining Calc fields and Hiding Objects.

Introduction to calculation fields and hidden objects.

*** We do NOT discuss Unstored Calc fields yet.

Defining fields, and Custom Formatting of Fields

Creating fields for a survey is easy. Creating an easy-to-use survey takes more work. Formatting the fields for easy data entry is the trick. We will need to find a section in FMSP to build our pet survey. We will need to delete some existing fields to make some room.

How Value Lists really work - Basic Value list setup

Radio buttons and check boxes gone wild... in FileMaker. These tools can auto enter data into normal text fields which can be super handy. Radio buttons and checks boxes can also obscure actual data in the field... if the actual data in the field does not match an approved value for the value list.

Also Managing Objects Layers in FileMaker

Deleting objects on a layout without affecting the database structure, managing object layers, and customizing Tab Controls which are made up of individual tab panels. More advanced Object layering with hidden objects and conditional formatting of text blocks.

What do you do with funky formatted text?

Users frequently copy and paste text from other sources into a FileMaker database. This creates local styling which can override your nice pretty layouts. You need to clean the text and learn how to format text fields. Selecting multiple objects in layout mode.

Add Dynamic data to a Text block

Seamlessly adding dynamic data in the form of fields, tightly mixed with blocks of text data is best handled by Merge fields, which cannot be manually edited in BROWSE mode.

Performance and Update Issues

Sometimes you have a choice between using a Stored Calc, and an Unstored Calc. But often, FileMaker will FORCE you to use a unstored calc... because of the contents of the formula.

3 Things That can Make a Stored Calculation Field Reevaluate:

(1) When you First Define the Field... (Duh)

(2) Make a new record. FileMaker will reevaluate the Calculation

(3) If LOCAL referenced data Changes (Local... Not related data). Variables are NOT considered Locally referenced data. They are nothing. Not Local data and not referenced data.

Stored Calc cannot handle variables at all... and will not evaluate reliably. Think of Variables like transient Get functions. Always in flux and changing. For that reason... if your connecting a variable to a calculation filed, make sure it is unstored.

Unstored Calcs have the Same Dependencies, plus one additional One:

* If the Unstored Calc is drawn on screen... it will reevaluate

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FileMaker forces a Calc to be Unstored if:

(1) Reference Related Data

(2) Reference Global Field

(3) Reference Summary Field

(4) Reference another Unstored Calc (in case you're trying to cheat)

Summary of Button Options

Use conditional formatting to control Glyph Color.

Button Bar used in a Very Clever Fashion

Thanks to FileMaker's Nick Hunter for showing this technique to me.

Understand these layout objects

Slide Controls were added in FileMaker 13 and sometimes developers get confused as to the proper deployment for Tab Controls... as opposed to Slide Controls.

Popovers quickly display additional info

Popovers may seem cute and cuddly, but they have some serious short comings for both the FileMaker Go and WebDirect platforms. For FileMaker Pro... Popovers provide another awesome option for providing data, adding navigational controls, etc. Record locking is discussed.

Lots of options of auto populating data into fields

Auto enter options can fire upon creation of a record, upon modification, or upon trigger of a calculation, etc. They are extremely powerful. They are used to form the "backbone" of the automatic processes that drive FileMaker. My opinion... is that they are still useful... but more complex situations would probably be better suited by leveraging script triggers, which are new tool with exponentially more precision and power.

Digital Document Storage

Starting with the release of FM 12, and improved in 13 and 14... Digital Document Management is now built into the base FileMaker Platform... without the need for 3rd party add-ons.

Understanding streaming, Scripting etc

Selecting "Interactive Content" can hose performance... for a hosted solution. Plus we wrote some scripts to allow for easy opening of the container content. We also show how FM Go shows "Interactive" containers. We also show how to script the export of the container, into a temporary folder, and then have the operating system open it.

Major concept for Developers

Understanding how FileMaker files behave when shared with multiple users is an important skill... if you do much work in FileMaker. Understanding record locking, sorts, find, and Global fields... are all important to successfully deploying a shared solution. Of course FMSP already is designed to be shared... so we thought this out in advance... but you will want to learn this if you do much development.

Unique tools...one value for every record

Globals are a great tool for scripting or other unique data organization. Globals have different properties. One value ... for the table... but essentially accessible anywhere in the file through a relationship.

Popup text by mouse hovering

A user can add a text description to various objects in Layout mode. This text will then pop-up when a user hovers their mouse over the corresponding object. This has limited uses... largely due to the lack of controls provided by FMI.

Lots of features means lots of little icons

Part of learning to develop in FileMaker is learning all the little icons that may be assigned to an object in layout mode.

Aligning Objects and Misc features

Learning the various methods for aligning objects, and learning what works for YOU as a developer is an important step in your development. We will also spend some time in the VIEW menu item and also the POSITION panel of the inspector. Multiple Inspectors, Grid system, & customizing toolbar is "User Specific" so changes are not shared with other people. Also learn about: Unlimited number levels of undos and Grouping and Ungrouping objects.

Managing Stencils for all the iOS Devices

In addition to customizing a prebuilt FileMaker template like FM Starting Point, you can create a layout from scratch. You can specify a custom layout size in the Stencil. When you create a layout, you can also specify a custom layout size. Please reference the 2 cheat sheets in the work files for this training course.

Old school field Validations...that apply at the field definition level

WordCount allows you to count the number of words.

When I was your age...I walked 10 miles to school...barefoot...in the snow!

Before FileMaker 3... we needed repeating fields... and the LOOKUP functionality to make basic databases in FileMaker. Now... we use repeating fields sparingly. FM Starting Point uses repeating fields to help manage containers. In the mathematics and engineering fields... these are essential arrays... 1-D arrays.

Stay in Layout mode...and understand the badges...

No more drilling down for conditional formatting, etc, etc. FileMaker 14 has Layout level tooltips... to tell you all the attributes for an object. Very cool!

Managing Portals and Invoices...

By modifying your portal you can create a multi-page invoice. It is simple, yet powerful.

Inside the Event Management Starter Solution...

The Event Management Starter Solution demonstrates some cool new menus and labels

Container fields in FileMaker will act different depending on whether they are set with interactive content or not.

Shared Styles and Themes Part 1

Most legacy layouts will have the "Classic" theme, and that is very wasteful and slow when compared to other themes. Using a custom theme and shared Styles, like what we did for ALL layouts in FMSP 4, will make layouts load twice as fast. Before we start customizing a theme, we should remove unnecessary objects from the layouts... to minimize network traffic from the server to the client.

Shared Styles and Themes Part 2

Learn to make a layout load twice as fast. This video is one of the most critical videos to watch if you want to learn how to lighten your layouts and make the load 200% faster. No Joke. This is a new technique in FileMaker 13 and optimized in 14.

Shared Styles and Themes Part 3

Learn not to blow up your hard work of shared styles. Avoid the format painter tool because it creates it own blocks of CSS... AKA a "local CSS override." Be careful about copying objects from one layout, to another layout that uses a different theme.

Massive Performance Improvements

This is a super clever process that I learned from Nicholas Hunter at FileMaker Inc. This saves a ton of processing time and effort if you have a number of hidden objects with the same formula. This can be a factor in performance improvements.

Scanning for hidden objects...

This Get function is handy for determining if something is actually hidden... without using a big long calculation.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility!

OnWindowFirstOpen, OnWindowOpen, OnWindowClose, and OnWindowLastClose.

Pre Trigger and Post Trigger Execution, and Layout Targeted Triggers

OnLayoutEnter, OnModeEnter, OnRecordLoad. OnLayoutSizeChange is pretty much targeted at FileMaker Go users, so we cover this trigger in our $29.95 FileMaker Go video course... in detail.

Stopping Pre Trigger Events...with a Script Parameter

OnObjectEnter, OnObjectKeystroke, OnLayoutKeystroke, OnPanelSwitch... for Tab or Slide Panels.

Managing field validations and workflow

OnObjectModify, OnObjectValidate, OnObjectSave, OnObjectExit. Some of the most used script triggers!

New content dealing with more subtle issues of the script triggers. We also discuss Directed Workflow... for workflow management.

Exiting Objects, Records and Layouts

OnRecordCommit, OnRecordRevert, OnViewExit, OnModeExit, OnLayoutExit, OnWindowClose, InstallOnTimer.

InstallOnTimer is an automatic Window Script activator tool.

*** Super Advanced Topic ***

Advanced discussion, covering the use of OnRecordLoad Script Trigger, Get (NthRecord), Get(RecordNumber). Cartesian Join, Summary field List field.

*** Super Advanced Topic *** Uses Virtual List...

You need to have mastered the previous video on virtual list prior to watching this video.

Sample files available from http://www.newleafdata.com

*** Semi Advanced Topic ***

How to jump from one record... to another through a relationship. Also covers how this interacts with Anchor Buoy, and the design methodology of FMSP.

Also covers error trapping error 101, and the option of setting up Portals to add records by clicking on a new line... i.e. "Cascading adds"

*** Semi Advanced Topic ***

Richard Carlton and Michael Wallace go under the hood of the RCC FileMaker Layout Optimizer. From analyzing scripts to discussion of the Base Elements plugin, there is a lot of great info to be learned!

To download the RCC FileMaker Layout Optimizer: http://rcconsulting.com/downloads.html

You need to hack SVG's to get them to work with FileMaker

Featuring Claus Lavendt of DataManix... who explains what an SVG is... how its different that a PNG... and how to hack the SVG to get it to work with FM14. Unless it is hacked, FMI won't be able to control the color the icon dynamically. The helper tool assists with this.

FileMaker can be the center of your digital world

Importing, Exporting, generating Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, etc. Manual or automated activities. Email generation. We plan on touching on WebDirect and Barcode management in this section as well.

Basics of manually importing data into FileMaker tables...

FileMaker reads lots of different file formats, including Tab Delimited, Comma Delimited, Excel, Merge, etc. FileMaker will not directly read a PDF or Word document without the aid of a 3rd party plug-in. 360Works has a Plugin that assists in have FileMaker integrate directly with MS word.

Basics of manually exporting data out of FileMaker...

Export data into Tab Delimited, Comma Delimited, Excel File, etc.

Save your Ad-hoc Imports and Exports by Creating a Script

Power users and new developers forget to "save their work" when doing Ad-hoc imports or exports. This will cause a lot of wasted time reproducing the import or export a 2nd or 3rd time... from scratch.

Also, we cover a couple of additional import dialog options.

Recurring Imports, Scripted on a Robot, Scripted on a Server

What is SMTP...basics...and then more advanced skills

Learn the basics before getting into deep email Kung-Fu. We have a sample file to learn and play with the SendMail script step. You can get this file as part of our "pack" of work files... in a Zip... on the RCC website.

http://rcconsulting.com/Downloads/Work%20Files.zip

*** Important *** I failed to mention that the emails FileMaker sends are plain text... and NOT HTML based emails... which is unfortunate.

Use Lee LukeHard SMTP Interrogator tool to hunt for your settings

Digging through FMSP Code in detail

Passing script parameters, looping records, SMTP settings, and IF THEN decision trees. Substitute function to customize the body of email with custom values from each specific record. We didn't have to use the let function, but my developer got overly cute.

How far can you go... shooting mass emails out of FileMaker?

Once people figure out that FileMaker can blast out emails... they want to shoots emails out to everyone for sales and marketing. Is this a good idea? Maybe. You need to know the rules, and also understand what your SMTP email server expects... or will allow. Your outbound email provider will only allow "so much" outbound email traffic to be sent to them. You will probably need to pick up the phone and talk to them on the phone, to establish a "real" relationship, so they know who you are.

Firing off emails to people with attached PDF reports...

We discuss FileMaker access to directories. FileMaker has access to a temporary directory, and a documents directory. These techniques also work great for email exports from a table... or the Excel spreadsheet you exported.

How to Delete a File without a Plug in...Very Cool!

Just use the techniques you have learned previously, but make sure when you create the file... you have a found set of ZERO records.

Breakout the Relational Kung Fu!

You can only import data into a single table at a time! Common scenario... Excel file which needs to be imported into Accounts and Contacts... so we need to do multiple import passes... against the same Excel file. Pay special attention to when you turn ON auto-import options during the FileMaker Import!

A step by step process on importing multiple tables in FMSP

This is how to upgrade from FMSP 3 to 4, etc, etc.

This requires some thought and scripts.... but it is pretty straightforward. Good for updating contacts, or updating products with the latest prices, etc, etc.

A step by step process on how to setup

HTML emails cannot be generated or processed directly out of FileMaker without the help of a plugin. Here is a good one for making great looking emails.

Overview video... with some additional content...

https://www.geistinteractive.com/products/filemaker-barcode/?giref=1

Copy and Paste Two Scripts...and then reconnect one more...

Installing Geist Interactive's Barcode Creator software into FM Starting Point is a snap. Make sure you have at least FMSP 4.2 or better... for easy setup.

Adding Line items to a Invoice with a Scan Gun... Very Fast!

Scanning items into FileMaker can be made to work very quickly with some scripting, a bit of hardware, and an understanding of how barcodes work.

How does the Mac/Window layout scan barcode for invoices....

How we built the functionality for adding line items to invoices and estimate... for the desktop and laptop screen... for Mac and Windows Computers. Assumes you are using a Laser barcode gun, connected via USB or equivalent.

How does the iPad layout scan barcode for invoices....

How we built the functionality for adding line items to invoices and estimate... for the built in camera on an iPad. Discusses single document interface restrictions and the InsertFromDevice command that is specific to FileMaker Go.

How to customize your script to create your own Barcodes...

If you have purchased your own copy of the Geist Interactive's Barcode Creator... then this is a short discussion about how to create your own scripts... and tie those into FMSP... AFTER you have followed the instructions in video #0802.

You like my gun? The Adesso NuScan 3200u.

The Adesso NuScan 3200u. We talk about the suffix or termination character... and how you go about programming barcode guns... which is kind of cool. You can zap barcodes right out of the printed manual.

We have label printers... they probably won't work for you...

Printer layouts in FileMaker are somewhat finicky... and these will need to be customized and fixed by you once you get the printer you want to use and you get your printer drivers installed. Also... a trick for keeping your users from running wild with their scan guns.

Troubleshooting Barcodes... and some Q&A

The Test Barcode File is part of the work files which can be downloaded from this web page:

http://rcconsulting.com/downloads.html

Awesome Laser barcode readers....

URL Protocol allows FileMaker Go to talk the iLinea app, which you need too have installed on your iOS device.

FMS won't Generate PDFs, so it needs help from Pro!!!

There are several ways of doing this, including using a plugin from 360works... Remote Scripter. Also... introducing Perform Script on Client... PSOC.

Do you need a Robot... where do you hire one???

A dedicated computer with FileMaker Pro is still the best tool for most jobs. The robot can explode into little tiny bits.... and the FileMaker Server is unaffected. SASE... is the Server Activated Script Execution... which is basically a backup schedule system in FMS that doesn't run a backup... but runs a FileMaker Script. SASE is limited.

You need a Plug-in....and this is a good one...

A sit down and overview with 360Work's awesome plugin. HTML Emails, and a brief intro to Amazon's Simple Email Service (ASES) or just (SES). Plus the Plugin can send out SMS messages and IM messages. Very cool!!!

Progress Bars look really cool in your solution...

Andy Persons, from Excelisys, has created an amazing free tool that helps you easily add Progress Bars to your FileMaker solutions.

Download the free sample file here:

http://www.excelisys.com/blog/2014/08/28/filemaker-pro-13-tip-n-trick-v3-filemaker-pro-progress-bar/

Are your emails valid? Or are they getting rejected?

Making sure the emails that you are sending from FileMaker are valid is very important for your organization and to your email provider.

Get actual driving distance...and drive time...not as the bird flies.

This is a very cool service... that is essentially free come Google. It will output XML... so you may want to watch the video on XML parsing.

Dialing Phone Calls from FileMaker... Real Easy.

You will need to Leverage URL Protocal capabilities to talk with SIP. We also leverage Vonage, and X-Lite in this video.

Sending SMS messages without a Plugin....

This technology works on any of FileMaker's clients and is VERY cool. Sample file is included in the Work Files, but before you can use it... you will need to setup an account at Twilio.

Introduction and Context...

Writing Code and understanding where the FileMaker Client "is at" the moment the code is executing ... is called context. What layout and record is the FileMaker Client viewing? What is the found set and sort order? You will need to keep these items in mind when writing scripts.

Basic intro to this new Development Environment

Totally new in 14... and it's heavily loaded with Keyboard shortcuts.

If you like a mouse... then skip this video

Your first script...

We will be covering script creation, adding comments to scripts, and the difference between Set Field and Copy/Paste. We also build our first button and use it to activate the script. We did skip over the Table Occurrence conversation because we deal with that in our Relationship videos. So if you want to know about TOs... then please skip to that video.

Set Field works against fields not visible on layout....

Set Field works against fields not visible on layout... as long as they do exist on the table for the active layout. Copy/Paste/Cut will only work on fields if they are visible on the current layout.

And detailed discussion of FMSP Navigational Scripts & Modifier Keys

We talk about one button scripts, which are almost worthless. We will also cover how the navigational scripts in FMSP can pop-up a new window if the user holds down a modifier key. Super cool!!! We use this capability all the time when juggling a busy schedule! The modifier key function is omitted from GO and WebDirect for various reasons. The reasons range from "it just won't work" to.... both of these technologies use a "Single Document Interface"... unlike FM Pro. Popping Multiple Windows.

Navigating between records too...

Resizing a window to refit the content size.

Making Logical Decisions in FileMaker

If Then... go together everywhere... but you can also use ELSE then... and ELSE IF

Great tools for capturing and holding bits of data...

Global fields go way back... before variables were added to the FileMaker platform. Mastering both is important for good scripting skills.

To see global or local variables that are defined and in use while a script is running... pop open the Data Viewer!

Path names for files must use variables.

There is more than one way to script a Find...

You can script your finds using several different techniques. One is somewhat succinct ... and the other is somewhat more verbose.

Learn the Basic of Trapping for finds.

Discussion of how Error Capture in FileMaker is NOT historical in nature and only tracks the LAST error generated by a script step. Finds, GTRR (Go To Related Records), and other similar commands that are prone to failure MUST be trapped. Also, Finds can be trapped by using more than one technique.

Learning to "call" or activate scripts... i.e. pieces of "code" to save time...

You can call a common process... that repeats a behavior... many times. Write the code once in a script... then reference on other scripts as necessary.

Defining terms: Script, Subscript, Script Parameter

Demo: We take apart the Sent Email Script for FMSP from the contact module, script #0783

Passing data back and forth between scripts...buttons to scripts too...

Advanced Info: Passing values from multiple fields can be concatenated, and loaded into a script parameter or script result. Use the List function to make things much more simple.

GetValue Function is used to extract data.

Loop and EndLoop are Great Tools to add to your skill set...

Looping a script is a great way to process a group of records... or to perform some sort of maintenance on the records, etc. We have been using some sort of looping capabilities since FileMaker Pro 2... in 1990. A million uses.

Secret Agent Tracking Device for Your Scripts in FileMaker

The Script debugger is probably the biggest justification for buying FileMaker Pro Advanced. Script debugger doesn't come with "regular non-advanced FileMaker Pro." This tool is a like a leash for your dog... or "3 year old." Whatever works for you. Its great!

Get demo of firing a sequence of script triggers in scripts. Totally invisible.

The less used features...

Step Out, Triggers OFF/ON, Break Points, etc

How to spy on fields and variables... in realtime...

Learn how the variables and fields can be reviewed in realtime... while a script executes. Current tab will show the fields and variable being acted upon by the current script. The dots to the left tell you which field or variable is being affected by the current script step.

Viewer Requested "How to Video", review video 0528 first

Want to hijack some container fields... with open, insert, and delete buttons, and copy them to another screen... or layout? Well a viewer had that problem... so we made this video to walk you through the steps. Easy! We talk about Slide Panels, Tab Panels, Container fields, Script Parameters, Variables, Repeating fields... aka Arrays.

One Big Cohesive Plan

A quick overview of the best videos to watch and in what order to tackle your database performance issue.

How many users can your database service?

Making a database that can work with 100 simultaneous users is not something that can be easily done by novice developers. We have given you a good start in the right direction with FM Starting Point 4.5. This video provides a bit more direction on the topic.

Unload your client's burden...

Learn how a new script step can run your process-heavy scripts on the server... allowing your client to run more efficiently.

*** IMPORTANT *** If the process that runs the scripts crashes or quits running on FileMaker Server.... you can restart the process with the command line:

fmsadmin restart fmse

*No Animals were mistreated while filming this video

Important Things with PSOS...

SASE and PSOS tend to act like Clients even though they are not. There are some important things you need to know about how they perform.

PSOS, are you there?

Just because your using FileMaker Server 14... doesn't mean you have access to PSOS. We should actually test to make sure its available... especially if we are calling it "blind".

To Reset PSOS the Server enter the FileMaker Server Admin Command Line: fmsadmin restart fmse

Let Server help your Client...

Server Assisted Script Execution is very powerful. The function is very similar to PSOS with one major difference...

Can be easier to understand than "If, Then"

Advanced users and developers use Case statements regularly. They have the same functionality as an If statement, but are cleaner and more concise.

Purge your records of duplicates

Take a look at how RCC has wired in a way to eliminate duplicate records by some smart scripting.

Have you watch relationship videos yet???

This command can be activated manually or via a script step. It is exceptionally powerful... and also dangerous. Kinda like a tiger in the zoo. If you don't know what you're doing, your going to accidentally turn it loose... and it's going to start eating people.

Have you watch relationship videos yet???

This command can be activated manually or via a script step. It is exceptionally powerful... and also dangerous. It is different than Relookup, but also is pretty awesome if used properly. Used improperly... well, data is going to die somewhere.

Roadrunner / Coyote Sales Demo.

Beware of accidental script trigger detonation...

Before running a big script that does important reporting, etc, make sure that critical records the script needs to edit... are not locked...and in use by another user. This is another video on capturing scripting errors... as discussed earlier in another video. If two users try to edit the same record at the same time, FileMaker generates a Lock Sync Error.

You can use this technique to specifically test if the contents of a field are...what you expect... a number... a block of text...etc. Very Cool! Also, a quick explanation of the Trim function.

Calc Engine ... Super Powerful

The calculation engine in FileMaker is super powerful, and it is available in a ton of places. Time for an overview. We will be covering concatenating text; If then functions; IsEmpty functions; IsFull Functions (which don't exist); and Get(Thumbnail) function. FileMaker Experts generally never memorize all the functions because there are too many. The best strategy is to be familiar with the available capabilities, and then hunt for what you need. Also discussed creation of Calculated container fields.

Middle (text), PatternCounts, and Position Functions

Isolating an Email address ... How To

Word functions and Value List Functions.

Learning to clean up blocks of text, and parse into individual fields.

Learn to detect When the user is in Find Mode...or Browse...

Creating a reliable search method... when dealing with phone number fields. Get(windowmode) and Filter functions are useful or improving the User Interface for people who do not understand how things should look.

Lots of Cool Date Related Function to get your Job Done...

Adding numbers to a date... adds days...

Learn to detect what type of device a user is running

Two different get functions ... now complement each other to really identify the type of client and type of device being used by the users. Plus we have a good script sample, and instructions on where to find it. FMSP uses some of this to send the users to the correct set of layouts when it starts up.

A high speed walk through....

A high speed walk through....

A high speed walk through....Specific for 14

Universal tool for returning data on layout objects...

Will return info on all sorts of objects, but it is more useful on certain types of objects. Very handy for Web Viewers. Very handy for managing Slide or Tab panels.

Universal tool for returning data on container fields...

Will return all kinds of info from container fields, related to images, photos, PDFs, barcodes, and signatures. It is especially useful in finding out whether a signature is a valid signature or not.

Handy tools for generating unique serials...

These two Get functions can help you uniquely determine users and machines that are running your database.

http://filemakerstandards.org/display/bp/Key+values

Pretty Awesome stuff... and we use it everywhere

Practical discussion of generating an Email from Invoices with line items purchased in text body of email, using List function.

Double Click Sample File by Excelisys

Andy Persons, from Excelisys, has created an amazing free tool that helps you.

Sample file is in the Training Work Files.

Extract the exact block of text...you need... with this cool technique

Frequently, Google and other online services will send you data formatted in XML. You will need some additional skills to quickly chop on this block of text... to get what you want.