What’s New in FileMaker Pro 21.1? Exploring AI-Powered Semantic Search, Developer Productivity Boosts, Security and More

FileMaker Pro 21.1, the newest update to Claris FileMaker 2024, introduces powerful new AI capabilities and significant quality-of-life enhancements for developers. The Beezwax team gathered to dive into these exciting updates, including Chief Innovation Officer Vincenzo Menanno, Director of Engineering Andrew “Red” Witschonke, Developer & Systems Engineer Simon Brown, and Senior Developer Fabio Bosisio. Here are the highlights from their discussion.

AI-Powered Image and Text Search with Semantic Find

FileMaker Pro 21.1 introduces enhanced AI support, adding image-based semantic search in addition to text-based embeddings. By leveraging this new functionality, developers can use FileMaker’s semantic search across both text and images, ideal for organizing large collections of visual content or categorizing data semantically.

The release also expands AI model options, now supporting Cohere as well as custom models, giving developers greater flexibility in implementing tailored AI solutions.

Additionally, AI-related logging now includes a truncation option, streamlining logs by reducing verbosity, and a new method that provides clear tracking of token usage.

Security updates to “Open Quickly”

The “Open Quickly” feature now includes updates that limit search visibility to specific privilege sets, so developers can control access to layouts, scripts, and other elements without revealing unnecessary information to unauthorized users.

Enhancements for Greater Control

Several script steps now default to commonly-used values, saving developers time by reducing manual adjustments. A new setting allows developers to prevent automatic transaction reverts on errors, enabling custom error handling within scripts. Claris has introduced the ExecuteSQLe() function, which returns detailed error messages—perfect for debugging complex queries.

Field validation messages are now customizable through calculations, which helps support localization as well as tailored feedback.

For container fields, FileMaker now offers a “With Fewer Folders” storage option, which consolidates storage paths to streamline data migrations.

Another major improvement—one that Vince is particularly fond of—is FileMaker’s new ability to remember your last window size settings. Now, when you reopen Manage Database (or other dialogs), the window will retain your previous adjustments, saving time and keeping you in the zone!

Layout Management Made Easy

Developers can now designate a default theme for new layouts, standardizing the creation process and eliminating the repetitive task of manually changing themes each time a new layout is added. In our discussion on this, Fabio emphasized that developers save time while also reducing the chance of inconsistencies or design oversights.

Enhanced File and Folder Management in Admin Console

For FileMaker Server, we have new server management options that allow users to manage subfolders, control automatic database reopen settings, and obfuscate license keys for enterprise servers. This makes handling multiple files and settings more efficient and secure. Simon noted that this change removes the ability for engineers to retrieve license keys directly from your server, so it becomes essential to keep a copy of your license information stored securely.

Schema Change Notifications

With FileMaker Server v21.1 (2024) there is new functionality for plug-ins to receive notifications of changes to database schema, layout, custom functions, or scripts. These come in the form of a JSON payload. Using our bBox plug-in, Simon has provided a few examples of managing these notifications, using Syslog, DuckDB or OData.

Final Thoughts

FileMaker 21.1 delivers intuitive, productivity-boosting features for developers and end-users alike. Whether it’s the AI-driven image search capabilities, flexible scripting control, or convenient server management updates, the above is just a sample of the 300+ improvements within this release.

Visit the Claris FileMaker site to see a full listing of FileMaker v21.1 new features.

---

At Beezwax, we’re here to support every aspect of your FileMaker applications, from updates to advanced customization.

Professional FileMaker Consulting

Red, Fabio and our other expert developers can take your FileMaker solution to the next level, tailoring it to meet your unique business needs. Simon and our integration engineers can work with you to extend what your FileMaker app can do. Vince and our research team can analyze your database with InspectorPro, providing deep insights to optimize performance and uncover areas for improvement.

FileMaker Licensing Support

If you’re new to FileMaker or need additional FileMaker licenses, we can simplify the setup process, ensuring you’re fully equipped and ready to grow. Let Beezwax help you unlock the full potential of your investment in Claris FileMaker.