While taking the time to write a four hour custom function the other day, it occurred to me that some viewers may think that complex custom functions are just something which pops out of your head and immediately ends up on the screen.
When, in fact, the truth is it takes a lot longer than you expect because you rarely get things perfectly the first time. It's all about wading through the errors and issues and ending up with the desired result.
In this video, I walk through my process of compo
Who doesn't like the simplicity of using a single field to search across many. That's essentially what Quick Find is. In fact, by default FileMaker makes the silly assumption that every field you add to a layout is something you want the user to be able to search.
Essentially, you want to take control of the user experience in terms of search and make sure the user is not only searching what you want them to search, but also able to search in a fashion which is both familiar and comfortable.
T
In many situations, you'd think the easiest solution would be the best. Saving time and getting the job done quickly. This, however, just isn't the case if you're going to allow users to use a simple text field for managing keywords or tags. A tagging system relies on making it easy for the user, but it may not be so easy to implement itself. Here are a few questions you might be faced with.
What happens when one user enters "devloper" on record 1 and another user enters the correctly spelled "
When talking about logging, error handling and writing clean code it's never quite as exciting as working on the key features of your solution. Adding in the "cool" stuff and simply making things work is way more fun.
Yet, one of the main things you rely on when developing is information from users and from your software itself. If you don't capture any of that helpful information, then you're essentially developing in the dark. You'll get obscure support requests like "It doesn't work." which
Choosing the Name
From exporting data to excel sheets to custom print layouts, automated naming for exported files can help with organization and create a more professional look.
The first thing to consider when scripting to automate file naming would be to determine a field that makes the record or set of records unique. For single records, it will most likely be a user facing identification field such as, Job Number, Serial Number, or perhaps Username and Job Title as long as it’s
FM Quickstart 19
The latest version of FM Quickstart–DB Services’ free CRM app for FileMaker–is finally here! Our team has listened to feedback from FM Quickstart users, and have added some major new features including:
Task List
Calendar
Sidebar Navigation
Additionally, DB Services is excited to announce the launch of our FM Quickstart Implementation Plans! These new plans will help you get set up with your new FileMaker system using FM Quickstart, including user setup, server setup, lic
Causing a user to make an explicit choice within your software really only happens from some sort of "locked-in" process. This process most typically happens within the form of a dialog box. It's the one roadblock you can stick in front of a user and expect input. Your software then uses that input to determine the output or direction.
While FileMaker Pro does have its own native dialog box, there are some limitations to the native Show Custom Dialog script step. The number one limitation is th
DB Services Ranks on Inc. 5000 for 2020
For the second year in a row, DB Services has ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. For 2020, DB Services ranked #3,992 out of 5,000 on the list.
DB Services now joins the ranks of other Inc. 5000 list alumni such as Microsoft, Intuit, Zappos, Oracle, and others. DB Services is also the top ranked Claris FileMaker Platinum Business Alliance Partner on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list and are #50 in the state of In
Learn how to generate massive amounts of test data in your FileMaker app by leveraging new FileMaker 19 features that allow you to interact directly with JavaScript.
Part of good app development is testing with conditions that are similar to the environment you can expect your app to eventually operate in. One of those conditions is the amount of data your app is working with. It’s a not infrequent occurrence that someone comes to us with a system that worked well with a few records but
Who doesn't want their software to perform as efficiently and as quickly as possible. Don't we always want things to go faster and work better?
Of course we do. The problem is, we don't always take the time to fully think out what is happening when we solve a problem. Sometimes, we just robot our way through the code we are creating because it's how we've always done it - and it's easy or faster.
Being an "efficiency nut", when it comes to code, is something I really enjoy. It represents the f
DB Services Named FileMaker Partner of the Year 2020
On August 5th, 2020, DB Services was named the Claris Excellence Award FileMaker Growth Partner of the Year for the Americas for 2020. This is DB Services 4th consecutive year bringing home the award from Claris International, Inc. The award is presented annually to each region’s Claris partner that achieves the highest revenue and brand growth for Claris.
DB Services CEO, Kevin Hammond, reflects on this award: “It is an unprecedented hon
Surveys for Success: UNITY Performing Arts Foundation
In these difficult times, it is more important than ever to give back whenever possible. DB Services continues to support organizations with our Surveys for Success program, and this quarter, our charity partner is UNITY Performing Arts Foundation!
The UNITY Performing Arts Foundation and their CEO and founder, Marshall White, have been leaders in transforming the lives of children and young adults in so many ways. UNITY provides after-scho
Even though your "database" includes the word "data", data isn't the only thing we categorize and track. We often need to track discrete files and FileMaker is perfectly adept at doing this. In fact, FileMaker's container field is ideally suited to store all kinds of different files.
The problem, however, is simply throwing a container field onto your layout is never really a good idea. If you allow users to simply drop anything into a container, then you'll surely end up with a collection of d
DB Services Ranked on IBJ Fast 25
DB Services has been ranked on the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Fast 25 list.
This yearly list ranks the 25 fastest growing companies in Indianapolis area based on year over year growth of revenue. DB Services ranked 20th out of 25, with 78% revenue growth from FY 2017 to 2019.
DB Services CEO, Kevin Hammond, shared his thoughts on the ranking: “DB Services is proud to be a growing member of the Indianapolis tech community. Since our start in 2003, our g
