1. Things I’ve Noticed with FileMaker Instant Web Publishing

    November 25, 2009 by Biran

    If you use FileMaker 10 Server Advanced, having Instant Web Publishing (IWP) is a very fast solution to getting your database on the internet. However, there are certain unlisted criteria that must be cleared for online access to work. When creating a FileMaker Pro layout that needs to be displayed in IWP, if 2 portals are sitting side-by-side such that the fields in 1 portal entirely overlap the fields in the other on the horizontal axis, then issues will occur upon selecting any field on that layout in IWP.
    The page will attempt to load but nothing will happen and the [...]

  2. Sub-Summary Export to Excel

    November 19, 2009 by Sameer

    During my adventures in the world of FileMaker Development, I came across a request from a client to export records to Excel. “Sure, no problem” I said.  Then there was the twist… The client wanted to know if we could export the records, but instead of a mass export, they want to be able to group the line items together. Imagine an export similar to a Sub summary report. I started to shake my head no, but then realized, FileMaker can do just about anything if you put your mind to it…
    Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Sub Summary, [...]

  3. Calculating Business Deadline Dates While Accounting for Holidays in FileMaker

    November 13, 2009 by Biran

    Since FileMaker Pro 8.5, the List function has been a huge resource in implementing many features. One aspect it’s very useful in is calculating business date deadlines with holidays factored in. Say you had a BeginDate and needed to determine 10 business days after that date and show that calculated DeadlineDate on the same layout.
    Using a script trigger is not ideal for this situation and there are no existing functions that enable this feature. You will have to use a custom function to run through the days. Now, without holidays, you know there are 2 weekend days after every 5 [...]

  4. Quick Tip: Freeze Window Script Step

    by phin

    When executing a FileMaker script that requires you to traverse through numerous records and/or layouts, a Freeze Window script step can greatly enhance performance. The Freeze Window’s actual action in FileMaker is self explanatory, but many novice users may not understand its purpose or when to utilize it. When the Freeze window script step is executed from a script it hides the remaining actions (Script Steps) to the user. That is until a Refresh Window Script step is executed or until the end of the script. This is immensely useful because it will stop FileMaker from doing window redraws after [...]

  5. Layout Based Script Triggers Part 2

    by Sameer

    In my last blog, I walked through how to create a developer tool for displaying the code values of any key pressed on the keyboard (scroll down a ways if you didn’t read it). In that way, we were able to define a script to do just about anything, based on what the user presses on the keyboard. In this blog, we are going to apply this to a layout that we would generally view in Preview Mode. First let me outline the keys we want to use.
    Code Values:
    Esc: 27
    <- (left arrow) : 28
    ->(right arrow): 30
    D:  100
    Next thing we need [...]

  6. FileMaker On The Go

    November 12, 2009 by phin

    A FileMaker 10 solution can easily be made mobile with the help of PHP Site Assistant and a mobile device . The FileMaker PHP Site Assistant is a powerful tool, provided by FileMaker Server 10, which allows you to publish your FileMaker solution to the web. After launching the PHP Site Assistant, just follow the step-by-step guide to automatically create PHP web pages. These pages are based on your FileMaker solution. In one of the steps, you will have to choose a theme to set the visual style of the site. FileMaker had iPhone users in mind, as amongst your [...]