We are pleased to release bBox version 0.95. bBox is a free utility plug-in to extend FileMaker solutions to easily use code libraries and macOS-based functions from Python, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, AppleScript, Bash/sh, XPath, and SQLite. Also included is a demo file that has over 210 examples of how you can put bBox functions to work for you.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed for v0.95 is a problem that sometimes occurred with paths when using bBox_SymLink.
- A notarization issue that could cause problems with macOS Catalina’s security has been fixed for v0.95.
Note: Since version 0.94, bBox has been code signed for use with FileMaker 18.
New Script Steps & Functions:
In bBox v0.95 is a new bBox_Zsh function and script step. The function prototype looks like this:
bBox_Zsh( mode; text {; ...} )
That notation, by the way, means the following:
- two required parameters: mode, and text
- one or more optional parameters
Zsh is the new default shell interpreter in macOS Catalina. Zsh is fairly similar to Bash in many respects, but watch for some key differences with its parameters and syntax. In particular, there’s a subtle difference if using Zsh’ -s option to pass parameters in to your shell script. The bBox_Bash and bBox_Shell functions will remain available, so you can continue to use those if desired.
New Options:
The bBox_FileRead function has a new optional parameter, filename. This can be used for cases where you want to store the file using a different name than the source file has. For instance, you could have a lot of files coming in with a name like untitled.jpg, but you instead want to use image_12345.jpg. Previously, you’d have to first rename or copy the source file, then import that.
bBox_Symlink also has a new option: hardLink. Although hard links have more limitations on their creation compared to symbolic links, they can be a better option when you want to replicate the same file in multiple locations or refer to the same file using different names. Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_link for some background.
Download bBox plugin
bBox product page
– Simon