Category: FileMaker 18

A fast, flexible Tableau Connector for FileMaker

by Vincenzo Menanno
Posted in All, Claris Development, Data Analytics, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, FileMaker Data API, FileMaker Server, Integration, Performance, Tableau, Techniques, Tools & Add-ons

Building a custom Tableau® Connector for Claris® FileMaker® enables faster, more reliable and more flexible connections between Tableau and FileMaker datasources, compared with the legacy Web Data Connector.

For a number of Beezwax client projects, we’ve installed and deployed a Tableau Connector (aka “TACO”) for FileMaker. The TACO was built using the Tableau Connector SDK (provided by Tableau) to connect to datasources on FileMaker Server. The TACO method uses JDBC rather than the FileMaker Data API for the connection between FileMaker and Tableau, and in our testing the performance of data extracts was up to 10 times faster.

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The Value and Benefits of Transactions with Claris FileMaker

by Beezwax Team
Posted in All, Claris Development, Events, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, FileMaker Server, Performance, Techniques

Let’s talk about Claris FileMaker and transactions! Join Vincenzo Menanno to discuss what transactions are, how they relate to FileMaker data operations (creating, updating, and deleting records), database normalization, and how to use transactional concepts to improve FileMaker performance, especially over a wide area network (WAN).

This is a live, virtual event as part of Claris Engage Beyond 2021.

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bBox for FileMaker v0.98 with M1, GraphicsMagick & Sips

by Simon Brown
Posted in All, bBox, Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, FileMaker Server, Tools & Add-ons

We are pleased to release bBox version 0.98, with with new image file functions and M1/Apple Silicon support.

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, C/C++, Bash/sh, XPath, and SQLite. Also included is a demo file that has over 220 examples of how you can put bBox functions to work for you.

Some of the changes in version 0.98 are:

  • M1/Apple Silicon binary
  • Ubuntu compatible version (in addition to CentOS)
  • updated to libxml2 version 2.9.12
  • added bBox_GraphicsMagick function & script step
  • added bBox_Sips function & script step
  • modifications to several functions & script steps to add parameters
  • fixed template text used in several functions & script steps to better describe parameters
  • limit POSIX commands to 3 cores
  • new mode to combine stderr with stdout

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Integrating FileMaker’s Data API and Ruby with the fmrest-ruby gem

by Pedro Carbajal
Posted in Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, FileMaker Data API, Integration, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Software Design, Tools & Add-ons, Web Development

We often work on projects that intersect two technologies near and dear to us: FileMaker and Ruby. This allows us to build robust web applications in Ruby on Rails, integrated with data sources from FileMaker solutions. When Claris introduced the FileMaker Data API we were naturally curious to try it out. At the time there was no off-the-shelf Ruby library for us to simply gem install, so we decided to roll up our sleeves and build one. Thus, fmrest-ruby was born.

This article will walk you through setting up and using fmrest-ruby in a Ruby on Rails project. Some level of familiarity with Ruby/Rails and FileMaker’s Data API is advised, although much of the content covered here is applicable to any Ruby project, Rails or not.

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bBox for FileMaker v0.96 with JSON processing, Python 3 and more

by Simon Brown
Posted in bBox, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, Python, Ruby, Tools & Add-ons

We are pleased to release bBox version 0.96, with JSON processing via jq, Python 3 compile/run,  and improvements supporting Zsh, cURL and Ruby.

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, C/C++, 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.

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Math in a FileMaker field, for Inputter’s sake

by Christos Savva
Posted in All, Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, UX

Editor’s Note: An often-ignored reality of data management is that entering data, correctly and cleanly, into all of these database apps we build can be a royal pain in the…
Assumptions can be dangerous, like assuming that your office manager-doubling-as-bookkeeper wants to manually calculate tax on every Invoice row. Or even has the time to.

Not many job titles (anymore) are simply “Data Entry Manager,” and yet entering data is a task that continually must be managed, by one or by many, in the role of “Inputter”. Just entering data can be tedious enough — so, let’s not make it harder. In fact, let’s strive to make it easier. With that in mind, Beezwax Senior Developer Christos Savva provides an example of performing math in a FileMaker field, using a custom function. This is designed to improve data entry user experience, for the sake of Inputters everywhere.

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Setting FileMaker’s startup file from CLI

by Simon Brown
Posted in All, Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, Techniques

We had a client that was upgrading their system to FileMaker 18. They had already pushed new FileMaker Pro clients out to their user’s desktops. But now that the upgraded system was ready, how could they give users a quick and easy way to launch right into the new database system?

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Connect FileMaker Server to Oracle Server and Oracle Cloud Using ODBC and TCPS

by Christopher Edwards
Posted in Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, FileMaker Server, Integration, Security

A longtime enterprise client recently asked us to integrate a FileMaker Server with an Oracle server. No problem, right? This task requires some development to optimize the database schema and script the data sync, but using FileMaker and an ODBC driver to connect to Oracle is straightforward.

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How to enable WebKit and JavaScript debugging in FileMaker Web Viewers

by Simon Brown
Posted in All, Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 17, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, Integration, JavaScript, Techniques, Web Development

FileMaker supports bidirectional communication between a web viewer and data or scripts. So, you may find yourself doing more development using plenty of web code and JavaScript integrations.

If you’re having difficulty getting your HTML, CSS, or JavaScript to render in a FileMaker web viewer, there’s a great way to help inspect and fix it. You just need to know the hidden option to enable WebKit debugging in FileMaker web viewers.

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bBox for FileMaker v0.95 Now Available

by Simon Brown
Posted in bBox, FileMaker, FileMaker 18, FileMaker Server, Integration, JavaScript, Python, Tools & Add-ons, Unix

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.

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I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found: InspectorPro 7 Global Search

by Christopher Edwards
Posted in Claris Development, FileMaker, FileMaker 17, FileMaker 18, FileMaker 19, FileMaker Cloud, InspectorPro, Tools & Add-ons

When I am working in the Bay Area, I often carpool to Beezwax’s Cupertino and Oakland offices with Vince Menanno, the creator and lead architect of InspectorPro. Over two years of commuting, I have been bugging him to add global search to InspectorPro, so FileMaker developers can search elements across the entire DDR for any solution. Vince must have gotten tired of my nagging, because at long last we can all enjoy this functionality, in InspectorPro 7.

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Show me external vs. embedded containers in FileMaker

by Beezwax Team
Posted in FileMaker 17, FileMaker 18, InspectorPro

Dear InspectorPro: Can you show me a report on the container fields used in my FileMaker solution, with a list of all externally-referenced vs. internally-stored (“embedded”) fields? Sincerely, Thanks in Advance-d.

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