Some of the prizes include iPads, iTunes gift cards, iPods and even some FileMaker Training. So if you’re going to DevCon and want to play or watch, check out all the details on FileMaker Feud.

As you can see, longer content – such as very long names – don’t fit within the allotted space.  Ordinarily you could just set anchors to have the field grow to the right, but in this particular use case, we already have one anchored field – Notes – set to grow rightward.

In this type of situation, I can call on Conditional Formatting to save the day.  I actually got the inspiration for this one by using the calculator on my iPod Touch.  Type a number and it appears in the calculator, pretty large.  If you keep typing digits, then number gets smaller to fit in the area of the display.   Brilliant!

How can we do this with conditional formatting?  It’s relatively simple; the technique involves setting multiple conditions to a format based on Length().  See the screenshot below:

The conditions are evaluated in the order they are listed, so as the length of the contents of the field gets longer, I apply a smaller and smaller font size.  In addition I like to use the ‘Condense’ feature.  This writes the characters just bit closer than normal.

The final result is shown below.

This technique can be used on list views and also on printed reports.  It is so natural that your users won’t even know you are doing anything sophisticated!

Enjoy this guest post by our friends at Skeleton Key in St. Louis.

I used to use the keyboard shortcut in previous versions of FileMaker Pro to get to the “object info” window. One of the things I didn’t like about FileMaker Pro 11 is not being able to get to the inspector without using the mouse. Then I found the shortcut. You may have known this from the start, but if you did shame on you for not telling me

While in Layout Mode on Mac OS X you can use Command+1 to go to the Position tab of the inspector. Command+2 takes you to the Appearance tab and Command+3 takes you to the Data tab. Use Control instead of Command on Windows. Once there, the tab key will navigate you through the items on that inspector tab.

Also if you have multiple inspectors open at once (one showing each tab), then these keyboard shortcuts will switch inspectors for you instead of switching tabs on the current inspector window.

Thought you might want to know about this hidden gem!

Chad Adams, FileMaker Certified Developer at Skeleton Key

There has been a lot of buzz floating around the web regarding the content management system called Drupal.  Over the next couple of weeks I am going to investigate this growing platform from the perspective of a FileMaker developer.  Drupal is not a Filemaker replacement, but there are definite use cases where Drupal is an ideal content management choice. Instead of my regular posts about filemaker techniques, I will explore how Drupal is similar and different from my platform of choice.  With a nod to a good movie about exploring other cultures (Crossing Delancey) I am calling this series Crossing Drupal.

In this first installment I would like to simply lay out some simple terms, so we can all speak the same language.  A rosetta stone if you will.

First, let’s talk about what Drupal is.

What exactly is Drupal?

Drupal is a framework that lets you build a web site with dynamic content.  The web site happens to be built using PHP and the database is MySQL.  But you don’t really need to know that to get off the ground.  Drupal, like its cousin WordPress, is a tool to build websites.

Im not a PHP or SQL expert how can I understand how to use this tool?

As a FileMaker developer, I typically think in terms of Tables, Fields, Relationships and Layouts.  Drupal has some of these things but they are not named the same.  Let’s mark out some places where these FileMaker terms have analogues in Drupal.

Drupal is a essentially a content management platform.  Content comes in different types.  A content type is similar to a FileMaker table.  On the default Drupal installation there are two content types: Pages and Stories.

Let’s take the default installation as an example.  You can think of this set of two content types as a two table file, in which each table contains two fields: title and body.  It’s possible to add more fields through the CCK (Core Construction Kit) module, but you always have the two ‘default’ fields to start with.  You can also add more Content Types.  Need to track Authors?  Make it a Content Type.  You can also enable a number of basic definedContent Types (Forum, Poll, Book Page, Comment, Blog Entry) that are disabled with the default install.. Just like using FileMaker, the purpose of the database will dictate the form that the database takes.  A Drupal site will be dependent on the purpose.  For a company that sells books, you might see the following content types:

• Books
• Authors
• Salespersons Blogs

For a community group you might see these content types:

• Members
• Committees
• Teams
• Group Blog (i.e. What’s New)
• Committee Minutes

The big message here is “Content Type” is like a FileMaker Table – at least conceptually. Put in more generic ERD terms, Content Types are Entities. Don’t be misled by this, however; if you look at the back end database a Drupal site creates, you will not find a Books table or a Members table.  All of this is abstracted away.  It is important to use the Drupal Tools provided, until you know what you are doing.

Next Steps

Over the next couple of entries I am going to demonstrate the power of this platform by building a simple web site for a fictitious store.  Our web site will have products listed and a Blog section.  The features include:

• Users of the site will be able to browse and search a product catalog.
• Users of the site will be able to read a blog where specific products are highlighted.

Once this is built I will show how to make simple links from the ‘public facing’ web site to a ‘back end’ FileMaker database.  The database will pull in product info from the FileMaker database.

Keep an eye on this blog for future installments!

Recently I was on a family trip to Pittsburgh.  We were walking around the campus of Carnegie Mellon and I saw this memorial brick;

It got me to thinking about some of the monster databases that I have had to take over for clients.  When I take over a project, often I am spending a great deal of time just trying to figure out what the developer was trying to do.

Our earlier posts on this blog are generally concerned with improving the user experience(better printing workflow) or getting more out of your data (One Report two sets of summarized data).  Today I would like to return to that lowly person, the developer.  Anything that I can do that can make my job easier will make be a better developer and ultimately make my customers happier.  Or as my grandfather would say to my grandmother, “What would you do if I got hit by a bus?”

When I create a new script, I always try to write the outline in the comments before I add any code.  By writing the comments FIRST, I am sure that they are there when I am done the script, saving me from having to go back and add it to the code.

The hardest part is knowing what to comment and what not to.  I have seen developers that comment almost every line, and some who don’t use comments at all.  The trick is to comment the broad strokes, I like to think of them as the ‘Turns in the Story’.  You want to comment those things that you think you are most likely to forget.  Also those things that are not obvious.

My rule of thumb is to try to always start with the basic pattern.  Each script is written in the following pattern

1. Permission. Can this script be performed at all.  Check for User status, appropriate setting, appropriate record.  Examples, only Super Users can perform this script.  This script can only be run on a particular layout, or this script can only be done on a record with certain fields filled in.
2. The body.  This is the heart of the script.  Make the report, make the changes etc.
3. Cleanup.  Be a good Boy Scout.  Leave only footprints and take only pictures.  Make sure you are on the right layout, the right found set, the curser is the right place.  And any globals used are reset.

With this in mind, almost every script I write starts with 4 lines.

With this as a starting point I can begin to fill in either write the script from here or start putting in some comments.

Here is an example of a complete script.

Note that by just focusing in on the comments, in bold, you get the idea of what the script is doing.

Obviously not all scripts can fall neatly into this structure, but you will be surprised at the number of scripts that can.  Using this as a starting point will also help you to keep your scripts understandable.  Another example.  Right after the Permission section, just after the ‘Done Error Trapping’ comment in my scripts.  I will almost always set all the globals and variables I will need for the script.  Doing this task at this point assures I will always know where to look the next time I visit the script.  If I am feeling partially generous, I will even put in a comment for the exceptions.  That is any variables that can’t be set at the beginning.  For example a variable that can’t be defined until the user answers a dialog box.

The idea is to make sure you always know where to go to find out what a script is doing.  This will make it easier for you to trouble shoot any problems months after you have forgotten why you wrote the script in that particular way.  Using this framework will also help you identify things that are out of the ordinary.  These are the things that will most likely need a comment.

- Jerry Salem

The status toolbar is the gray area located horizontally across the top of aFileMaker Pro 11 window and can be easily customized to suit your needs. If you’re using older versions of FileMaker, the status toolbar combines all of the functionality of the old status area, which was located on the left side of the window, and the optional standard toolbar, both of which existed in versions prior to FileMaker 10. By default the status toolbar comes loaded with commonly used features, such as record navigation (the book), Show All, New and Delete Record, and Find. Depending on how you use FileMaker, there may be other buttons that make more sense for you to have on the toolbar. With a few clicks, you can set up your FileMaker toolbar however you’d like.

The button section of the status toolbar is completely customizable so you can remove buttons you don’t use and add functionality that you use often. You no longer have to click through the menus to find your favorite features. The changes you make are specific to your copy of FileMaker, so your favorite buttons are the same no matter which database you have open and don’t have any effect on other users logged into the same database.

When using FileMaker on Windows, right-click in the button section of the status toolbar and then click the Customize button. The Customize dialog box will appear and you can then move the existing buttons to different positions by clicking and dragging them to the new location. Remove buttons by simply dragging them off of the toolbar. On the Commands tab, select buttons from the Customizable or Standard categories. Add new buttons to the toolbar, by dragging them from the dialog box to the desired position. On the Toolbars tab, click Status Toolbar and then the Reset button to restore the toolbar back to the default buttons.

When using FileMaker on a Mac, the process is very similar to Windows but looks a little different. Control-click (or right-click) on the status toolbar and select Customize from the shortcut menu to display the sheet that contains all of the customizable buttons. To add elements, click and drag buttons, spacers, or separators to desired locations on the toolbar. To remove them, simply click and drag them away from the toolbar. To restore the default toolbar, click and drag the entire default rectangle from the sheet. You can also change the toolbar to include text only, smaller icons, or the default large icons.

While toolbar customization cannot be programmed, as it is specific to each user’s FileMaker installation, the button names can be changed using Custom Menus. Since each button corresponds with a menu item, any change to the name of the item will also change the button on the toolbar. Also, if privilege settings prevent a user from accessing a menu item, the corresponding toolbar button will appear gray and be inoperable.

If you have any questions about customizing toolbars in FileMaker or would like more information, feel free to contact Jason Mundok at jason.mundok@itsolutions-inc.com.

five different types of charts to your FileMaker layouts including vertical and horizontal bar charts, line charts, area charts, and pie charts. At IT Solutions, we’re very excited at the ease at which we’ve been able to use the new FileMaker Charts feature to build very rich dashboards in existing FileMaker solutions.

What data can you chart?

Any FileMaker data can be represented using one of the five chart types as long as the data can be represented in a data series. The data series is simply a list of value pairs that represent the two axes on your chart. For example, if you were charting total sales over four quarters, your data series would include four value pairs: Q1 $23,000, Q2 $18,000, Q3 $28,000, and Q4 $24,000. If these values were represented on a line chart, the left side of each pair would make up the X-axis or bottom of the chart and the dollar amounts would make up the Y-axis or left side of the chart.

FileMaker offers several different ways to access data in a series. You can use data from related fields, data from fields in the current record, or data from fields in the current found set. The third option can be extended to include summarized data (the groupings on a summary report) when the data is sorted appropriately.

Transforming data into the appropriate form for a desired chart can be tricky. Start with the end in mind by considering what the data series should look like based on your goals with the chart and figure out where the chart will be located (on which layout in your database). Based on that layout, first make sure you can see the raw data in the correct form. If you can, then the chart will be a breeze.

Dashboards

A dashboard is an overview of the data in your system, often originating from different data sources, for the purpose of seeing a bird’s eye view of your organization. Unlike a single chart on a layout or report, dashboards are often a collection of different charts and/or lists of data that can come from a variety of sources, either different databases, or different tables within the same database. As a result, one dashboard may utilize different types of charts that access data from different sources in different ways.

This is an example of a four-panel dashboard that has been added to a simple project tracker solution built exclusively with the FileMaker Chart tools. Each chart is based on data from different tables in the database and the layout is based on a “system” table. None of the data represented on the dashboard is stored in the system table. Different techniques are used to transform the data from each source into the proper data series structure for each chart. Together the charts make up a high level overview of four different parts of the system.

The next example is a dashboard from our own internal project management solution. This dashboard mixes charts and data elements to create a robust overview of our open projects. The bottom of the dashboard is dynamic; a project is selected in the drop down and the data elements and four charts are updated to show only data pertaining to that project.

Conclusion

FileMaker Charts is an exciting new feature that allows developers to take FileMaker solutions to a whole new level, without the use of any third party tools. All FileMaker Charts are fully customizable to match the look and feel of an existing solution. By combining data and charts from a variety of data sources, robust and comprehensive dashboards can provide an executive overview of an entire organization on one FileMaker layout.

If you have any questions about FileMaker Charts or dashboards and would like more information on how we can add dashboards to your solutions, feel free to contact Jason Mundok at jason.mundok@itsolutions-inc.com.

If you’re a dedicated FileMaker enthusiast, the place to be this August is San Diego, CA for the annual FileMaker Developers Conference, also known as DevCon. Each year, FileMaker developers from around the globe gather for the four-day conference to learn about all things FileMaker, connect and network with other FileMaker enthusiasts, and discover new FileMaker related products and services at the product showcase.

Starting with preconference sessions on Sunday, the week is full of general sessions, workshops, and panels where you can learn about and discuss the technical side of FileMaker, development best practices, or how to manage FileMaker projects or an entire FileMaker business. This year will also feature an entire track of sessions for certification preparation that are based on the FileMaker Training Series. Sunday evening will include a keynote address where FileMaker executives will showcase FileMaker technologies for today and beyond.

To assist with networking, evening events will include a welcome reception following the keynote address on Sunday, a special awards dinner for FileMaker Business Alliance members on Monday evening, and a dinner for all conference attendees on Tuesday evening aboard the USS Midway. DevCon is the ultimate place to meet and discuss FileMaker with like-minded enthusiasts and members of FileMaker, Inc.’s staff.

IT Solutions’ Jason Mundok will be presenting two sessions and moderating a panel at this year’s DevCon. During the PreCon sessions on Sunday, August 15, Jason will be presenting “Managing FileMaker Projects Using Agile Methodologies”. In this session, Jason will explain the Agile methodology used at IT Solutions to manage all FileMaker development projects and how FileMaker is the perfect platform for this flexible and iterative approach. On Wednesday, August 18, Jason will be presenting “Streamlining Workflow with FileMaker Pro” which will focus on a few features currently being used in FileMaker workflow solutions such as RSS feeds based on FileMaker data, text messaging from FileMaker, and using the FileMaker Charts tool to build an executive dashboard. Later that afternoon Jason will be moderating a panel of FileMaker industry experts who will be discussing training and professional development tips for developers to stay on top of their game.

We’re also going to be planning an IT Solutions/Philly FileMaker meetup at this year’s DevCon. If you’re from the Philadelphia area or connected to the IT Solutions network and would like to meetup at the conference please contact Colin Keefe directly at colin.keefe@itsolutions-inc.com to get more details and let us know to look for you. We hope to see you in San Diego!

If you have any questions about DevCon 2010 or would like more information, feel free to contact Jason Mundok at jason.mundok@itsolutions-inc.com. Visit the official DevCon website at http://www.filemaker.com/developers/devcon/.

Other exciting new features in FileMaker 11 include:

• Enhanced Table View for quick spreadsheet like reporting.
• Snapshot Links to preserve a found set of records including layout and sort order, or to email a link to a specific set of records in the database.
• Recurring Import to automate imports for an Excel spreadsheet or text file every time you open your database or visit a particular layout.
• Quick Find allows a browser-like search for data across all fields on your layout without leaving browse mode.
• Inspector takes layout mode to a whole new level combining all of your favorite design tools in one efficient palette.

For more about FileMaker 11 visit www.filemaker.com.

During the summer of 2009, three top names in the FileMaker community, Andy Gaunt (FMPug), John Sindelar (SeedCode), and Ernest Koe (Proof), thought it might be cool to gather a bunch of FileMaker minds together in a hotel with one goal: share. The idea was to share ideas, techniques, and best practices around all things FileMaker. There would be no commercial advantages, no booths, no ads, and most importantly, no registration fee for anyone who wanted to attend. Sounds like an unconference!

With no budget to speak of, they turned to the free side of the web and social networking giants like Twitter and Facebook, along with free event planning resources, to handle what little organization they would actually need. In a recent interview with Ernest Koe and John Sindelar, Koe explained that at a minimum they just needed to pick a time and place. And so they did. The first Pause On Error unconference was scheduled for July 16 and 17, 2009 at the Ace Hotel in New York City. Approximately 60 or 70 people from around the country crammed into attendees’ suites to speak, listen, and share. It was a smashing success and word spread around the FileMaker community with lightning speed. After the dust settled in New York, Molly Connolly (Thorsen Consulting) joined the original three and formed the Pause On Error steering committee. They soon set their sights on the west coast.

Pause II was held at the Ace Hotel in Portland, OR on January 21 and 22, 2010. How could this sophomore effort prove to be better than its predecessor?  Koe explained that Portland had the benefit of following New York’s template. Sindelar chimed in that there were a lot of philosophical questions being asked before New York.  Those questions had answers by the time Portland was being planned. Having a baseline from which to work made planning quite a bit easier. Also the dates were announced with more advanced notice for anyone planning to travel.

I was fortunate to attend the first day of Pause On Error and was blown away by the high level of enthusiasm, collaboration, and content. Over one hundred people descended on the Ace in Portland and to the dismay of the steering committee, they had to cut off registration a few weeks before the event in fear of overcrowding the accommodations. The hotel was at capacity and some late registrants had to stay elsewhere. Sessions were held in four suites on the fourth floor. In the more popular sessions, seating on couches and chairs went fast, but attendees found whatever space they could, including the bathrooms and the beds. In the grass roots spirit of Pause On Error, sessions were geared more toward discussion and less toward a one-way dissemination of information. Presenters simply planted seeds and then opened up the floor and let the attendees guide the conversations.

In the evenings, without any kind of official events planned, attendees formed ad hoc social groups and explored the neighborhood in search of local cuisine, or simply gathered for continued conversation at the hotel’s pub and coffee shop. The night before Pause, I found myself with a seemingly random crew of eight developers from around the country sampling some fine seafood at a restaurant a block from the hotel. Then after a full day of sessions I spent hours catching up with friends, old and new, at the hotel pub over some fine local brew.

In the true spirit of a grass roots gathering, everyone contributed to the energy of the sessions by donating gear and helping run tech. In New York, the sessions had been streamed using Ustream, the free web broadcasting service. While the audio transmissions were adequate, the video quality was very poor. For Pause in Portland, the steering committee decided to record the sessions in HD with an assortment of borrowed cameras and high quality microphones. Each session had volunteers running the a/v equipment while the presenters recorded their screens. In the weeks following Pause, live video and slides will be merged for a full quality broadcast for anyone to experience. According to Sindelar, Pause is still being broadcasted, just with a little delay.

I attended two sessions about testing and development practices with Gerald Chang and Vince Mennano (Beezwax). While the sessions weren’t connected, there was some overlap in content. Gerald focused his session on the development and testing environment at his company where he’s an in-house developer. Vince expanded on the idea of development environments with a review of upgrade deployment options and an overview of some migration techniques that he has been working on.

In the afternoon I attended a packed session by Kirk Bowman (Mighty Data) on value pricing. The dialog was very lively as Kirk laid out the basis for Mighty Data’s migration from hourly billing to value pricing. It was obvious that the community is very interested in finding out more about this fresh approach to pricing projects. So obvious that the only free space I could find to sit during the talk was in the bathroom with six or seven other folks trying to squeeze in!

Jason Young (Mighty Data) presented his findings from some recent performance testing that he’s been doing to found out the fastest ways to set and get values from across large data sets. Did you know that looping through records is significantly faster on a layout set to form view, and that table view is significantly slower than both list and form? Another fascinating insight from Jason’s presentation had to do with getting data. When using a script, building a list of values from a field across a large found set is faster when navigating to each record in a loop and setting a field, as opposed to using a function like Get Nth Record. But as Jason pointed out, the List function (when applicable) still rules for getting data when it comes to performance!

Finally, my day ended in a session with discussion facilitated by John Sindelar (Seed Code) that focused on the FileMaker development community itself. It was obvious what was important to this segment of the community: we need to unify and become much stronger from a “big picture” perspective and not get hung up on the little things. We need standards, big picture conceptual standards, not more arguments over naming conventions. This end-of-day session was packed and encompassed all that I believe Pause On Error is growing to represent. It is a movement that is helping a community of developers find its way organically through enthusiasm, through the collaboration of people willing to volunteer time and resources to contribute to a higher cause, and through and extremely talented pool of resources that can bring a high level of content to the table so we all can become smarter and better at what we do.

I asked Ernest and John about the future. I asked them what is next for Pause On Error. Fortunately for the FileMaker community the answer wasn’t “nothing”. But we’ll have to wait for the dust to settle over Portland before we get to pause our day-to-day lives and book the next plane ticket. My advice is to get in early because it’s not going to get any easier to land the coveted spot on the couch at Pause III.

- Jason Mundok (IT Solutions)