FileMaker 10’s new Script Triggers feature just keeps delivering. You might, at first, think triggers are limited to layouts and fields, but it turns out your triggers can fire with all kinds of objects. In this article we’ll show you how to run scripts when users switch tabs on your tab controls. In the end, we’ll also revisit a common FileMaker problem: tabs switch when you switch layouts. We’ll show you how to solve this problem quickly and easily using script triggers.
Month: January 2009
Make the Status Toolbar Work for You
[FileMaker 10][fm10]’s most visible new feature is the completely redesigned Status toolbar (formerly called the Status *area*). Perhaps because of its prominent position, or because it is such a striking departure from a 20-year FileMaker mainstay, this change has been met with its fair share of controversy. In this article we’ll show you why you don’t need to worry, and how you can make the new Status toolbar *work for you*.
[fm10]: http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/introducing-filemaker-10/ “Our complete coverage of FileMaker Pro 10”
Script Triggers: Filter as You Type
For years, FileMaker developers have been devising various *filter* techniques. The idea is that you type all or part of a name, part number, description, etc… and a list of results filters down to show relevant matches. As handy as these techniques are, they always stop just short of perfect because, before FileMaker 10, you had to *exit the field* before the filter would take effect. Using FileMaker 10’s powerful Script Triggers, you can make the impact of your filtering more immediate.
Using OnModeEnter Script Triggers to Display Custom Find Layouts
Script triggers have in many ways completely changed the game when it comes to Filemaker development. The fact that I can launch script triggers on mode changes opens up a whole slew of possibilities, one of which is being able to have a huge amount of control over where my users end up and what information they see while they are navigating my system. If I want to make sure that my users always have fields X, Y and Z regardless of how they get to find mode, I now have a way to make that happen.
Phoenix FMPug: Presenting FileMaker 10
Just a quick announcement for those of you in the Phoenix area. I’ll be presenting FileMaker Pro 10 with a focus on practical uses for Script Triggers at the next Phoenix FMPug meeting. We’d love to see you there.
Script Triggers: Using Layout Triggers for a Dynamic Tab Orders
If you’re a male, do you really need to be asked you if you’re pregnant when you are at a clinic? If your female, do you need a prostate exam? Probably not. There are little nuances to data entry that occur with just about every solution that make it just slightly more tedious to collect information with just a standard tab order. We’re going to remedy that with using a simple layout keystroke trigger.
Isolate Any Record, Anywhere, Anytime and Any Context With One Script
There are some things that are easier to explain through examples. Putting the Set Field By Name script step to work is definitely one of them. It’s not a complicated process, but seeing the new [Indirection][ind] capabilities that Filemaker 10 has to offer makes a much stronger impression than trying to talk through it. Also, all my introductory quips for “isolating” and “isolation” were turning out quite depressing. So, here is how we used to find a specific record, and how we can do it now.
[ind]: /wp/set-field-by-name-exposed/ “Indirection SFR Style”
Script Triggers: Using the Keystroke Trigger
Adding Script Triggers has opened up a world of possibilities for FileMaker developers. Each different type of script triggers has it’s own nuances and pitfalls to be aware of. In fact, with script triggers, FileMaker, in some ways, begins to expose the complexity of more advanced programming environments. Nothing illustrates this more than the `OnLayoutKeystroke` and `OnObjectKeystroke` triggers. In this article, we’ll look closely at keystroke triggers: the most powerful and complex of the triggers in FileMaker 10.
Set Field by Name Exposed
In our [article about FileMaker 10][fm10], we promised some tips on using the new `Set Field by Name` script step, which gives FileMaker the power of _[indirection][indirection]_. This is a complicated concept, and we’ll be posting some real world examples along the way, as well. But first, we’ll give you a full explanation of the new script step and function that make indirection possible.
[fm10]: /wp/introducing-filemaker-10/ “What’s new in FileMaker Pro 10”
[indirection]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indirection “Wikipedia on Indirection”
Filemaker Server 10 New Features & Backup Scheduling
At long last, 10 has arrived! After all the tantalizing little glimpses that we got last devcon, I for one am glad we finally have something we can get our hands on. There are a lot of new features and changes to go over, and I’m going to mention them all here, but for this particular article I am going to be focusing on the huge improvements to backup scheduling and how the configuration methods have changed for the better. The level of depth in the scheduling options that the new Retention setting and souped up controls over the timing of the schedules is a big step forward. Essentially, one schedule can now take the place of many. So, without futher ado, onto the details.