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Roll-your-own Edit Mode

The Problem

You really like FileMaker's edit-in-place field behavior. Just place a field on a layout and it works in browse mode and in find mode without additional code. It is a beautiful thing but the seemingly random, accidental edits by your users is driving you nuts.

This is a recipe for rolling your own "Edit Mode" feature using the power of global variables in FileMaker 8 or higher. Note: this article in intended to be a quick-start guide, do not rely on this technique to secure your database.

The Triad of Server

I recently attended a FileMaker, Inc. sponsored seminar about proper configuration of FileMaker® Server 8 and FileMaker® Server 8 Advanced. The day-long program featured members of the North American FileMaker System Engineer team.

At the outset of the program, the SE’s made a very critical point about successful deployment of FileMaker Pro solutions to FileMaker Server. That point bears repeating here. For a deployment to be successful, three keys parts must be properly configured and designed as well as properly aligned with one another:

•The Server hardware and operating system,
•The FileMaker Server services/daemons, and,
•The developer designed FileMaker Pro solution.

Typically, there has been some considerable discussion about the third point: solution design. The Certification Program, various on-line resources, educational programs, seminars, etc. focus on this. FileMaker Tech Support, the SE’s, the development engineers, and a few senior developers have provided guidance and information about the second point: the FileMaker Server services or daemons.

However, there has been very little discussion about the first item: server hardware and operating system requirements. Outside of the Server Best Practices White Paper authored by Wim Decorte [http://www.filemaker.com/downloads/pdf/techbrief_fm8_server.pdf] and some postings that he and I have made to various forums, there has been very little discussion about this until the SE’s started this series of seminars.

I want to commend the SE’s for conducting these seminars and to commend FileMaker, Inc. for providing them. They are absolutely critical in my view to having successful FileMaker deployment experiences. The responsibility remains however for us as developers to acquaint ourselves with the requirements of all three parts of the Triad of Server and to learn and follow best practices for successful deployments of solutions hosted by FileMaker Server 8 or FileMaker Server 8 Advanced.

Steven H. Blackwell
Platinum Member, FileMaker Business Alliance
Partner Member, FileMaker Solutions Alliance (1997-2007)
FileMaker 8 Certified Developer
FileMaker 7 Certified developer

Just add the table already

There's this one little remnant of "6-think" that has stuck with me. I like to think of myself as no longer beholden to the limits contained in that earlier version. Yet for some reason I have this aversion to adding tables to an application. I'm fairly certain this is a hangover from the 50 file/table limit in FMP 6 days. Despite my data modeling indoctrination whenever I encounter a problem, whether it be in a solution I'm building or that of someone else, my last thought is to add a table to "normalize" that data.

Creating multiple child records from a list

Problem
You want to create child records from a list of values in a set of parent records

Solution
Create a loop-within-a-loop FileMaker script; use the power of indexed variables

Download LoopInLoop.zip