Philosophy of FileMaker 20 - Volume 3

Builds a script-driven receiving workflow for purchase orders, handling partial shipments, updating inventory, and using a dialog to set received quantities with red outstanding indicators.

Receive all items from a purchase order in filemaker by looping through portal rows, updating each item's received quantity and inventory.

Enhance the received workflow in FileMaker 20 by adding scripts to set status to received, commit records, sum received quantities, and hide the receive button when all items are received.

Gather invoice line items needing order and create purchase orders across multiple vendors. Use an on order checkbox and targeted finds to link lines to purchases and invoices.

Learn to gather on-order line items and move data from lines to p lines via import, create purchase orders by vendor, and attach items with vendor IDs and purchases IDs.

Learn how to save a found set without copying records, avoiding clipboard disruption, using variable and global loops, or recursion for speed and simplicity.

Learn how to save found sets in FileMaker by parsing a web form into a criteria table and later restore the set from that data.

Learn to restore a found set using the criteria table's stored criteria and construct a parse script employing let, get active field name, and position and size to extract criteria.

Make the parsing restoration script table-independent, fix the duplicate check in the save found set, and implement dynamic restoration with a relationship-driven value list tied to the current table.

Maintain the selected tab when changing layouts by storing and restoring tab state with a simple script using tab panel save and go to object.

Explore pre versus post script triggers in FileMaker by scripting record saves, learn how on record commit interacts with save actions, and integrate messaging, change logs, and backups.

Prevent carriage returns in text fields with an auto enter calculation and script triggers, using code and char to detect 13 and trim formatting.

Limit zip code input with an on object keystroke script trigger that caps entry at five characters and beeps on errors, using get trigger keystroke and a case statement.

Explore building a reminder system in FileMaker with a dedicated reminders table, fields, and scripts; create a button to show upcoming reminders and manage timers.

Create a dynamic reminders interface in FileMaker with a card window. Build the reminders form and script today’s reminders with a find and sort by date start and time start.

Enhance a FileMaker reminder script by adding global date fields and a completion flag. Filter reminders by date and status with a header interface and find-based scripts.

Learn to create user-specific reminders and reminder notifications by setting up a preferences record, a reminders field, and a tailored pop-up menu tied to the logged-on account.

Duplicate the customer picker to create a product picker with currency formatting and product/service filters using global fields, and learn streamlined scripting and debugging for efficient item selection.

Explore conditional tabs and slide controls in FileMaker to hide or reveal tabs based on activity, replacing tab controls with a navigable button bar for iPad and iPhone.

Learn how to use conditional tabs in FileMaker with active segments and layout changes, controlled by a personal checkbox to show notes or invoices, plus tips on grouping and formulas.

Master multilingual data entry in FileMaker by building English and Spanish fields, a concatenated search field, and a language-aware display via preferences using a popover or tabs.

Create a multilingual table in FileMaker to manage language-specific labels, tooltips, and placeholders in English and Spanish, with an order field, a window title, and a global repeating field.

In FileMaker 20 volume 3, multilingual labels and placeholders are cached in a global repeating field for fast access, updating on language change to avoid repeated SQL queries.

Explore building merge letters in FileMaker browse mode using global fields and a pop-up merge fields menu, with calculation-based letter templates to print or email for a found set.

Create, save, insert, and delete merge letter templates in FileMaker 20 by building a letters table with name and letter fields and using a global Zname for template management.

Enhance the merge letter feature by adding a signature field to insert an employee signature, using preferences to fetch data, and logging history for printed or emailed letters.

Design a report-driven database using sub summaries and a line-items table. Build a monthly product sales report with layout and summary fields, plus a script to fetch current-month data.

Learn to create dynamic FileMaker reports by duplicating a base report, adding product and customer sub summaries, and using a global field to switch views in browse mode.

Explore storing container data in FileMaker by choosing between inside, reference, or external storage. External storage offers portability and faster backups with universal access across devices.

Implement a single FileMaker script to open, export, or email container data, using a temporary path and default applications while keeping desktop clutter to a minimum.

Organize and comment your FileMaker scripts, layouts, fields, and relationships to keep the solution healthy and navigable for future developers, with clear names and consistent comments.

Set and save the tab order at the end to avoid mid-project changes, including only fields (not buttons or checkboxes) such as first name, last name, and date of birth.