The Support Group Blog

Since this time of year is associated with giving, we thought that we would share a FileMaker iOS gift. We created a retirement app using the FileMaker SDK. Some of us may find this app useful sooner than others, but we hope you benefit either way.  The free app is available on iPad only on the Apple App Store. 

We’ve been writing FileMaker scripts for over 25 years now (ever since FileMaker Pro 2.0, when the ScriptMaker first appeared) and we’ve developed our own set of best practices in terms of managing them here at The Support Group. Every FileMaker developer has his or her own set of methods, preferences, styles, etc., but we all agree that writing and maintaining scripts properly can save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run. Whether you're an experienced FileMaker developer or new to development, you should find these seven scripting tips useful.

Six years ago we created and shared a white paper titled Six Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your FileMaker Consultant. We thought it would be helpful to update the information within the paper since many of our readers continue to express interest in the topic.

The Support Group has a free white paper entitled Six Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your FileMaker Consultant. This white paper is for you if you have made the decision to invest in FileMaker Pro.  Maybe you need to add new features, improve an existing FileMaker system, or build a whole new FileMaker solution.  If your organization lacks the time or expertise to do it in-house, you will likely hire a FileMaker consultant.  And selecting the right FileMaker developer is crucial to saving you time and money. This complimentary white paper highlights the most important attributes and qualifications of top-tier FileMaker consultants so that you can easily distinguish the quality performers and make a better-informed, more confident decision. We’ve identified six specific questions you need to ask to gain valuable insight into a prospective FileMaker consultant’s competency and business practices.  The answers to these questions will give you the assurance that your developer has both the expertise and the experience to support your FileMaker needs—now and in the future. Download your free copy of Six Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your FileMaker Consultant.

Please note, we've updated this white paper to reflect the current Claris and FileMaker credentials. Nonetheless, the qualities of a good FileMaker developer haven't changed significantly over the years. Experience, business or work structure and cost model are still essential criteria which you should use to evaluate potential FileMaker developers. In addition to knowing what to ask, you also need to understand the substance of the responses you might receive. This white paper adequately addresses what you should look for in order to make the most of your time and money.

A reader asks:

Is it possible to create a portal paging system with filtered portals in FileMaker 11?  I am interested in showing a portal without the scroll bar.  Buttons will take the user to the first, previous, next, and last set of records in the portal.  I know this is possible when the filtering occurs on the Relationship Graph but I can’t figure out how to do it when the filtering occurs on the presentation layer in FileMaker 11.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010, Chad Novotny presented Finding and Sorting Your Data, a webinar hosted by FileMaker, Inc.  You can download the video (which requires the WebEx WRF Player), as well as the sample FileMaker file used in the presentation. This file is best used with FileMaker Pro 10 or later. Not all aspects of the file will work in earlier versions of FileMaker Pro. We hope you find this webinar informative and useful.