Learning Claris FileMaker

As an add-on module, LOgiCATOR supplements FileMaker's native Find mode with an intuitive, rule-based search interface.

LOCATE DATA WITH LOGICAL PRECISION

LOgiCATOR builds on the immense power of FileMaker’s native Find mode, and wraps that power in a sleek and intuitive interface. Gone are wonkish operators and confusing find and omit requests, replaced by plain language prompts and options.

Now there is no excuse for NOT running imports on #FileMaker 18 server - stop by and check out this post... and "you may ask yourself..." how could I NOT have this in every solution.

Make things super speedy for your users by importing asynchronously!

A colleague recently posed this challenge: is it possible to show two columns in a portal, such that the first row displays records 1 and 2, the second row displays records 3 and 4, etc.?

With FileMaker, the answer is usually “Yes!”

Add a Full-Featured PDF Viewer to FileMaker

Christopher Edwards, from Beezwax, figured out a way to embed a full featured PDF viewer in FileMaker. 

And the best part is, he includes a Free FileMaker Example file, as well (click on the link below to get the download).

...

Typically, you buy an SSL certificate for a server from a SSL vendor. 

However, some companies may decide that they want to issue their own SSL certificates.

Often this is because the domain is only used internally, and most vendors don’t easily allow (if at all) the signing of server certificates for non-public domains.

Additionally, issuing your own certificates can remove complications caused by the certificate verification process used by most vendors, and there are no fees needed for each certificate.

Read more on Beezwax' blog post

FileMaker 17’s new master-detail layouts display the list of records in the user’s found set.

As the user performs finds, constrains, omits, sorts, or creates or deletes records, the master-detail portal will update to stay in sync. Imagine a portal that a user can sort any way they like, filter any way they like, and click a row to see details for that row, all right out of the box.

That’s the power of the master-detail portal.

Read the full post on Beezwax website ...

We (Beezwax) recently built an application that included PDF document management.

While it might seem as simple as a quick FileMaker container field, we wanted to impress our client with an integrated solution on par with a content management system (CMS).

Here’s how we built a powerful PDF viewer directly into FileMaker.

...

...

LOgiCATOR is a modular search interface for FileMaker that can be easily integrated into new or existing solutions.

It’s designed to help users locate data with logical precision, via a powerful yet intuitive interface for searching across FileMaker tables.

This article includes a download link for the module and demo file, describes what’s changed since the preview version (a lot), and explains how to integrate LOgiCATOR into your FileMaker solutions.

...

It’s here and I feel like I have to tell the whole world… which is what I am doing!

Now that FileMaker 16 is officially announced, there are lots of exciting things to talk about that are now possible.

I think one of the most powerful new features that have been introduced in version 16 is the capability to integrate with other applications or services.

There is so much to talk about what now becomes possible with FileMaker and other services/applications.

...

In this regard, the combination of FileMaker and Tableau make Tableau one of the most compelling tools for integration with FileMaker.

...

Read more on Beezwax blog

If you’ve been working with FileMaker, then I don’t have to sell you on the fact that it’s a great solution to help you manage your data.

Whether you’re an in-house developer, a consultant, or just starting to explore what is possible with this powerful platform, you will at some point come across the need to build in some kind of dashboard.

Maybe your group needs to see sales trends for the last year or perhaps you have a system that tracks projects and want to see the daily average of tasks completed.

In either case, dashboards are a great way to synthesize large amounts of information and provide you with insight in a simple and informative visual design.

...

... if you’re looking for a more flexible and visually engaging alternative to FileMaker Tab Panels, this combination of a slide-panel control and a button bar just might be your "Expert Panel."

Read more on Beezwax blog ...

A few years ago, I worked on a FileMaker project where the client told us that every week they need to import about 7,000 rows of data that represent some information that this company uses. And every week there might be some modified records, some records that don’t show up any longer, and some new records that hadn’t already existed. For this example, let’s just call it this data “Products”.

Over the years that weekly information grew to about 12,000 records per week. This PRODUCT table itself had 35 fields of data. So, without a way to manage the duplicates, every week lots of redundant data would need to be imported.


To give you an idea of how much data this solution grew to …

Read more on the blog ...

Here at the Beezwax, we have been performing research on FileMaker 18 import changes, specifically new support for ESV: Emoji Separated Values.

Recently we were asked:

“Can you use Apple Maps inside FileMaker, rather than using Google Maps or MapQuest?”

We decided to give it a shot, thanks to MapKit JS, the JavaScript implementation of the MapKit library widely used on macOS and iOS.

Here is a technique our FileMaker and JavaScript development teams designed to enable Apple Maps inside a FileMaker solution.

...

Now that the FileMaker Data API has been officially released (with FileMaker 17), it is time to share an update on Tableau-to-FileMaker integration.

We have better tools than ever in FileMaker to create reusable modules.

In this video of Mark Scott’s presentation at a Bay Area FileMaker developer meetup, he explores why the combination of card windows and JSON reigns supreme for modular FileMaker architecture.

Included is an in-depth look at how modules can open, close, and communicate.

Changes in FMS 17 Admin Console and How We’re Adapting

FileMaker Server 17 introduces a new generation of Admin Console, refreshed, fast, and reliable. If you are familiar with the FileMaker Cloud console, you’ll feel right at home in the new FileMaker Server 17 Admin Console. However, the update also brings some of the biggest changes in administrative functionality in years, perhaps ever.

While FileMaker provides an excellent overview of the differences, here I will highlight changes that affect us most here at Beezwax and some adjustments we’re making to compensate.


Summary: Like a souped-up, redesigned car—this year’s model—heading into an open mountain track, you’ll want to take it slow at first, but once you get familiar with the new navigation and “steering”, you should find the FMS 17 Admin Console a delight to drive.

In Part 1 of this series, “Introducing LOgiCATOR,” I mentioned that LOgiCATOR grew out of a search interface I developed for a project several years ago.

In ways we’ll briefly consider here, it wasn’t extensible, but all that has changed.

As that early search interface grew into LOgiCATOR, it made a quantum leap in context independence.

The reason we were able to accomplish that can be attributed to a powerful synergy of card windows, JSON, window improvements, new functions, and the Layout Objects window — in short, FileMaker 16!


Here in Part 2, we’ll explore how card windows made a huge difference, providing a whole new way to think about modularization and application architecture in FileMaker.

We’ll also look at 16’s other window improvements, two new functions, and the new Layout Objects window, all of which helped me develop LOgiCATOR and polish its UI. (We’ll save the central role that JSON played for Part 3.)

If you are FileMaker developer, but new to the notion of web APIs and web development in general, then you might take on a kind of deer-in-the-headlights look when confronted with FileMaker Server 16’s new Data API, aka “REST API”.

Fear Not! It really is simpler and more straightforward than you might expect.

I like to take the attitude that no skill is difficult, only unfamiliar.

With study and repetitive exposure and practice, any skill can be mastered.

Read more on Beeswax blog post ...

We’re excited to announce the release of LOgiCATOR, a new modular search interface for FileMaker.

It’s designed as a module you can drop into a FileMaker application and, with minimal configuration, add a rule-based search interface to any number of layouts in that solution.

LOgiCATOR is also a springboard for learning about some great new design and integration features of FileMaker 16, like card-style windows and native JSON.

Here’s an introduction to LOgiCATOR 1.0, including a brief background, overview of functionality, and first steps in implementing it in your FileMaker 16 solutions.

The download link is in the section “Your Exploration Guide,” below. So, please download

...

In recent years, design, has become such an important aspect of what we do; luckily FileMaker has responded with a much improved design surface.

With themes and styles, conditional visibility, SVG icon support, and new layout objects, we can now use design and color to communicate with users in ways not previously possible (see, for example, the “Priorities” example in the accompanying demo file).

Read more on Beezwax blog