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One of the cool things that conditional formatting has allowed us to do ever since its introduction in FileMaker 9 is to build inline field labels that become hidden when the field contains text. With the introduction of field state formatting in FileMaker 12, we can take these inline labels even further and make them even more awesome… Read more
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You may have noticed a lack of article postings over the last couple of months, and fewer articles overall this year. Please don't panic for it has not been through laziness or lack of content. Instead, I have been somewhat pre-occupied with other things that I would like to share with you now… Read more
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A little while ago I received an e-mail asking for ideas on how to implement a multiple choice testing database. It just so happens that I had begun to build a database a few years ago which does just that. While it is not finished, I have decided to release a first version for people to download, dissect and use. Read more
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Portal scrolling has always been a bit of a struggle in FileMaker Go up until the release of version 12. This article outlines some of the changes to portal scrolling in FileMaker Go 12 and we give a couple of examples how it can be set-up to give a very nice native-application look and feel. We also cover field scrolling. Read more
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FileMaker 12 is here, and with it comes many new cool new features, a lot of which are a result of the new css-based layout engine. In this article we are focusing on one small change borne out of the new layout engine which has massive potential for building new interface controls… Read more
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This is the third article in our series of tips and hints for FileMaker. This time we are focusing on scripts - from their creation, to editing and debugging. Take it as it is - this is just an assortment of our favorite time-savers, shortcuts, tips, hints, tricks, tools of the trade and more… Read more
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Script triggers are a great feature in FileMaker that allow you to initiate a script when certain actions occur such as committing a record or leaving a layout. Not only do they run when user initiated, they can also be script initiated by script steps. This can sometimes produce unexpected results and so you may wish for triggers to be disabled. This article presents a very simple and elegant method of suppressing script triggers from firing when initiated by other scripts… Read more
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In this second article in our series of tips and hints we focus on the relationship graph. Take it as it is - this is just an assortment of our favorite time-savers, shortcuts, tips, hints, tricks, tools of the trade and more… Read more
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This is the first in a series of articles that will present some useful and time saving tidbits for various areas in FileMaker. In this first article we focus on layout mode. Take it as it is - this is just an assortment of our favorite time-savers, shortcuts, tips, hints, tricks, tools of the trade and more… Read more
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You may be familiar with the Sort Records dialog in FileMaker which allows you to display records sorted by one or more fields. What you may be less familiar with is the ability to more explicitly define a sort order with the assistance of a value list. This article gives an introduction to this often overlooked feature, and provides a few examples along the way… Read more
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In this article I will demonstrate a very nice way to format a portal using conditional formatting. This method is suitable for portals whose underlying relationship is sorted by a grouping/category field - similar to if it were like a sub-summary report. The easiest way to explain it is to just get stuck in with an example, so here we go.... Read more
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Most of the time when we print records in FileMaker, the output of every record appears pretty much the same, with similar formatting and design. But what if we want records to print with a completely different output design depending on the type of record? In this article we detail some of the various ways in which this can be achieved, and the pros and cons of each method… Read more
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Kiosk mode is a cool way to run a FileMaker database in a full screen environment where users are prevented from accessing the other functionality of the operating system. But what if you have a normal FileMaker solution and wish to use kiosk functionality in certain areas only?
In this article we illustrate how a typical FileMaker solution can be enhanced with a kiosk component for carrying out certain actions. We use the article example file to help illustrate this. We also give some information on what kiosk mode is, and things to watch out for when developing for it. Read more
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In part two, I demonstrated how to implement the basics of the join table solution in FileMaker. While the solution works fine as an illustration for join tables, it lacked many of the basic interface features that would make it a usable solution.
In part three, I will show how to implement some of these features, namely the following: Better selection of a Student for an Enrollment, Deletion of Enrollments & Prevention of “over-enrolling” a course… Read more
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Part two carries on from where Part one left off. This article outlines the construction of a basic join table solution from woe to go… Read more
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Perhaps one of the most asked questions that I see asked on the FileMaker Cafe is in regards to join tables. While some users have an understanding of what they are, they may lack the FileMaker skills to implement them. Others are unfamiliar with the concept altogether, but will explain their real word example. Usually it is a prime candidate for a join table. This article provides a real world example that will give you an understanding of why join tables are important, and in what circumstances they should be used. The example will then be implemented in a simple FileMaker solution… Read more
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Displaying a long list of items on a layout generally means that the majority of the list is hidden from the user until they click into the field, with no feedback as to the size of the list. This article details a nice technique you can use to present the same list in a truncated style that gives live feedback on the number of items… Read more
In the final part of this two part series, we cover the technique introduced in part one in more detail. We also carry out a number of tests and present the results. We also try to address some of the limitations of this technique and ways in which you could try to work around these… Read more
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In the first of a two part series, we begin the search for a faster way to perform aggregates in FileMaker. We cover why aggregates can be quite a costly operation - especially on wide area networks - and use that as a jumping off point for finding a faster method… Read more
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Navigation of portals in FileMaker is a pretty simple affair, you either have a scrollbar, or you don't. In this article we demonstrate another way to navigate portals using a pagination style. We also demonstrate how it can be implemented at the relationship level, or the portal level using filtering… Read more
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In part one, we built a basic navigation bar made from repeating fields. In this followup article we take the formatting of the navigation bar further by introducing highlights. We also adjust the construction of the navigation, and introduce a custom menu implementation that can be used in conjunction with, or in place of the navigation bar… Read more
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When FileMaker sorts records it happens on the client machine. Consequently, sorting can be a very painful process for users over a slow connection to a database. In this article we show a very fast way in which records can be presented to the user in descending creation order, without sorting delays... Read more
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In this article the term "self-aware window" refers to a FileMaker window that can know in real-time whether or not it is the currently selected window, and act accordingly. We introduce a technique for allowing windows to know this, and some examples of what windows could do with that knowledge… Read more
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In this article I demonstrate how you can use image maps with web viewers in FileMaker. In doing so, you can display images that, when clicked, can report the coordinate chosen back to FileMaker to handle in whichever manner you wish… Read more
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It has been a stressful last 8 months for everyone here in Christchurch since a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on the morning of September 4th of last year, and subsequent aftershocks continue to fray the nerves... Read more
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Using an auto-enter calculation on a field is a great way to populate its contents when other fields are modified, including itself. But what do you do if you want to use a calculation that references itself without having it trigger its own auto-enter calculation? The answer lies in thinking outside the calculation... Read more
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In applications such as Mail, you may notice that window names can be dynamic, dependent upon the contents of a field. In the case of Mail, the subject dictates the window name. In this article I'll demonstrate a way this can be replicated for FileMaker, and more importantly, how these dynamic windows can easily be selected again once created… Read more
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If you have spent any time developing in FileMaker, or programming in almost any language, you will be familiar with the concept of a loop. When scripting your loops you probably have a favorite method that you use. This article presents and compares a number of looping techniques that can be used in FileMaker in an attempt to locate the fastest method... Read more
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One of the shortcomings of FileMaker is its inability achieve easy cross-tabular reports and data entry in a normalized structure. There are various techniques to replicate cross-tabular interfaces, but they often involve many relationships for either the columns/rows, or are for display only. The goal of this article is to present a lightweight method for cross-tabular data entry using as few relationships & fields as possible... Read more
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Pretty much everything in FileMaker comes with some form of comment box to let you add more information - such as fields, menus, custom functions, calculations, scripts, and the graph. However the one area lacking in a comment box is value lists, unless that is, you think a little outside of the box… Read more
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When FileMaker 11 was released, one of the lesser documented changes in behavior concerned the defining of menu names when dealing with Custom Menus. When any menu element has an empty name, an interesting thing happens… Read more
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All too often, the Refresh Window script step is used with the 'Flush Cached Join Results' option checked. Sometimes this is through lack of understanding, but other times it is required to refresh those pesky relationships which have trouble re-evaluating. This article explains why Flush Cache can be detrimental on performance, and offers an alternative and more efficient method for refreshing relationships… Read more
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There are many ways in which users can select records, so that each user can keep their own unique selection. This particular method uses a portal showing related records as a selection tool. The main technique involves using a value list & checkbox to easily achieve selection with no scripting required… Read more
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Recently I was working on building a large layout which is used for both printing and data-entry. One of the requirements was I needed to show a lot of "private" information that the data-entry person needed to see, but was not to be printed. The issue was solved using a very cool property of sub-summary parts… Read more
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Using Popup windows is common FileMaker technique for showing more information, managing dialogs, and running wizards to name a few. However, all to often little care is given to the aesthetics of creating and positioning a popup, leading to an unpolished and half-finished feel. This article gives some pointers on how you can create popups that are clean, efficient, and correctly positioned. Read more
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This article demonstrates how you can filter a relationship to one table, by using information located in a related table. The example I will be using is filtering a relationship to a Customer table, but by searching on a customers related Contacts, which are in an entirely different table… Read more
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The first in a series on the subject. This article presents a very simple and easy to setup method of navigation for a database, making use of repeating fields. An example file is also included so you can check it out for yourself! Read more
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Building layouts in FileMaker can involve adding a number of various elements such as fields, buttons, portals, tab controls, and graphics such as jpg and png images. It is the use of images on layouts that this article is all about. Read more
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This is a simple technique that I use all the time and find works very reliably. It involves having a script create a new window into which the script executes it's necessary steps, before closing it when done. Read more
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I've always wondered how many FileMaker dialogs you can have open at once, or more specifically, how many can you "string" together before hitting the limit, if there is one. So, though a little trial and error, I set out about trying to find the path to the most dialogs, and here is what I came up with… Read more
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When writing a script to carry out a particular task, ask yourself what conditions need to be true for this script to run properly.
Sometimes, a script will do something which can potentially fail, and cause a cascade effect or errors, IF the initial conditions were incorrect. It is always a good idea to check for suitable conditions before doing anything in the script… Read more
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The Replace Field Contents command/script step is a very powerful tool for updating field values across records in your found set. This article goes into depth about the use of this command, some of its benefits, and some of the potential pitfalls you need to be aware of… Read more
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FileMaker provides us with the ability to create related records directly from a portal. This is a great and easy way to generate records without the need to script the process, and for that reason it is a popular technique among both new users and Developers alike. This article extends this concept further and suggests various user interface improvements for making data entry in this method more user friendly… Read more
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In part one, we built a couple of basic conditional value lists to select sport names & equipment items. Part two demonstrated how the conditional value lists could be tweaked for use within a portal. The last part in the series gives some basic techniques to help the selection process from your drop-downs, and ensure that the chosen values remain consistent and correct… Read more
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Part two in this three-part series deals with constructing conditional value lists that are to be used within a portal. In part one, the conditional value lists built were for use on a single record on a layout. Portals however may contain many rows, each row being a record with it's own field values… Read more
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Conditional Value lists may be the most asked about piece of functionality on the FileMaker Cafe. To try and provide a thorough and easy to follow explanation of what they are and how they work, I decided to write an article on the subject and build a small example file to help illustrate the technique… Read more
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With the introduction of script triggers in FileMaker 10, live filtering or portals was made possible. Numerous techniques were introduced to help achieve this. In conjunction with existing filtering techniques, the "Live" aspect was achieved usually by introducing an OnObjectModify script trigger to the filter entry field. As soon as the user enters a value into the field, the triggered script would force a save of the fields contents, thus updating the relationship in question, which in turn updated results in a portal on screen… Read more
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In versions of FileMaker prior to 11, working with the Import Records mappings dialog was easy. You could very quickly select and deselect all mappings by selecting all fields and then clicking one of the arrow mapping icons between any two fields in the mapping… Read more
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Here is a nice quick technique that will allow you to place a layout object or objects into more than one tab on any given tab control object, without actually duplicating the object for each tab... Read more
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Recently on the Cafe Forum, someone asked if it was possible on a sub-summary report, to display the percentage of records contained within that sub summary part. Having never needed this functionality before, I decided to investigate how this might be done. What I came up with is a fairly simple and straightforward way to implement this. Read more
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This is a quick and simple tip for keeping your layouts tidy from the clutter that merge fields can produce… Read more
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A sub-summary report, is a special kind of report where records are grouped together by a specified field known as the "break" field (because it acts as a break between groups of similar records). Normally, the break between parts happens above your records, but there is a way in which to have the break "appear" to be beside your records instead… Read more
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The count function allows you to produce a count of the number of records through a relationship. However what may be less clear is that in order to achieve this, every record must be downloaded to the client computer, making the process very slow over a wide area connection. There is, however, an alternative to count in this situation which is almost instantaneous, this article explains how... Read more
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There are four main areas of your database where you can use special separator lines to help keep information organised, these are Scripts, Layouts, Value Lists & Custom Menus. This article will go through each and explain how to use them, and why they are a good idea to use. Read more
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The Let function is one of the most brilliant and underrated functions in FileMaker, and I think it should be used whenever and wherever possible. This article will give an introduction to the function, some possible scenarios when it should be used, and give an example as to it's use. Read more