Six Fried Rice Methodology Part 2 – Anchor Buoy and Data Structures

In the last post about the Six Fried Rice methodology I went over the concept of data separation and why we use it.  That is essentially the starting point for how we structure the files of our system.  One file contains all of the UI components and scripts for the system while a second file contains all of the actual data.  Just doing that one basic separation provides several benefits that generally make life easier, but how we structure the data within the Base File itself is equally if not more important than the data separation.

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Using Global Variables for List Selections

A funny thing happened while I was stumped over the question of how to allow one of our clients to select and deselect multiple items in a list.  Multiple people would be using the list at the same time.  I was struck by the fact that I’ve been making something more complicated than it needs to be for as long as I’ve been working with Filemaker.  After toying with various methods which included adding fields to the records in the list, join tables, global fields and horribly convoluted scripting it occurred to me that you can actually write a relatively simple custom function to handle it all.  It will add or subtract a value from a list that is stored in a global variable and then simply do some conditional formatting to highlight the selected items in the list.  No additional fields or scripting are needed, the global variable is session specific and once you are done you’ve got your list of data ready to go as is.

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Dynamic Finds in FileMaker 10

In an earlier article we explored an [isolation technique][isolate] that was specifically designed to work on ID’s and that’s it. There is a lot more that can be done with the new `Set Field By Name` step and in this article we’ll take a look at a slightly more complex but much more versatile search method. This technique will rely on the use of our dictionary functions, so taking a look at this [article][tab-article] is a definite prerequisite.

[tab-article]:http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/filemaker-dictionary-functions/
[isolate]:http://sixfriedrice.com/wp/isolate-any-record-anywhere-anytime-and-any-context-with-one-script/

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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.

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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”

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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.

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An Overview of the Six Fried Rice Methodology

When I came to Six Fried Rice as a novice developer, I was essentially a completely blank slate in terms of development style and processes. Luckily, Jesse and Geoff are anything but novices at this. They’ve been working with Filemaker long enough to have made all the mistakes I was likely to see, so when it came time to train me on how best to follow the Six Fried Rice methodology they had a pretty broad set of standards and processes ready to go. Those processes have helped me really understand and develop solid, easily understandable and extremely stable systems that if I had been left to my own devices would have taken me years to figure out.

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