FileMaker Script Triggers For Easier Portal Filtering

From Dwayne Wright PMP, PMI-ACP
Certified FileMaker Developer
WEB: www.dwaynewright.com
EMAIL: info@dwaynewright.com
TWITTER: dwaynewright
YOUTUBE: FileMakerThoughts

In early 2010,  I created a movie that is a FileMaker 10 script trigger tweak upon those techniques. I recently had someone mention the movie link from my original blog post was broken and asked if I could repost this article. So this is an EARLY video on using script triggers for portal filtering.

Here is the YouTube link to the video, CLICK HERE!

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More info about the author and FileMaker in general, contact me at info@dwaynewright.com.

© 2009 - Dwayne Wright - dwaynewright.com

The material on this document is offered AS IS. There is NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, expressed or implied, nor does any other contributor to this document. WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. Consequential and incidental damages are expressly excluded. FileMaker Pro is the registered trademark of FileMaker Inc.

Writing A Script For Show FileMaker Custom Dialog Box Branching

From Dwayne Wright PMP, PMI-ACP
Certified FileMaker Developer
WEB: www.dwaynewright.com
EMAIL: info@dwaynewright.com
TWITTER: dwaynewright
YOUTUBE: FileMakerThoughts

The Show Custom Dialog Box step allows the developer to script a message dialog box to come up on independent of the FileMaker screen and has many features such as ...

- the ability to show a customized title and message
- the ability to add data into three possible fields
- the ability to include three buttons that branch a script accordingly

Other features include the ability to use literal text or a calculation to show the dialog box title, the dialog box main message and the labels for the input fields.

Writing Show Message script branching is as easy as falling off a log, once you have done it a time or two. Basically, you create a script that branches in 3 possible directions depending on what ScriptMaker sees returned from the Get(LastMessageChoice) function. Here is an example of a branching script based upon what a user selects from a dialog box.

Show Message ["Here is what it looks like."]

If ["Get(LastMessageChoice) = 1 "]
Beep

Else

If ["Get(LastMessageChoice) = 2 "]
Beep
Beep

Else

If ["Get(LastMessageChoice) = 3 "]
Beep
Beep
Beep

End If
End If
End If

Here are some links to other posts that might be of interest in regards to this topic...

Show Custom Dialog Box
EXAMPLE: Show Custom Dialog
The Get(LastMessageChoice) Function

But wait, there is more ...

Looking for some more info about Show Custom Dialog? Check out this YouTube video from the good folks at Skeleton Key (Chad Adams specifically) on Custom Dialogs. It is about 6 minutes long and does a delightful job of showing some of the particular aspects (good and bad) about the Show Custom Dialog script step in use. The video never jumps into creating a custom dialog from scratch. Instead, it focuses upon seven different points about the largely undocumented aspects of custom dialog box design.

Here is a link to the video and thank you Chad / Skeleton Key for this putting this together and sharing it with everyone! By the way, wouldn’t SkeletonTube be a cool name for a video sharing service as well?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir30FUVapDU#watch-main-area

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More info about the author and FileMaker in general, contact me at info@dwaynewright.com.

© 2008 - Dwayne Wright - dwaynewright.com

The material on this document is offered AS IS. There is NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, expressed or implied, nor does any other contributor to this document. WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. Consequential and incidental damages are expressly excluded. FileMaker Pro is the registered trademark of FileMaker Inc.

Blink And You Might Miss It - Called FileMaker Script Triggers And The Debugger

From Dwayne Wright PMP, PMI-ACP
Certified FileMaker Developer
WEB: www.dwaynewright.com
EMAIL: info@dwaynewright.com
TWITTER: dwaynewright
YOUTUBE: FileMakerThoughts

As you are working on your FileMaker solution, you might have the script debugger open, in particular if you are troubleshooting a script trigger sequence. One thing that is easy to miss, the FileMaker script debugger will tell you what trigger type fired the script off! Pretty Cool!

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More info about the author and FileMaker in general, contact me at info@dwaynewright.com.

The FileMaker Export Field Contents Script Step

From Dwayne Wright PMP, PMI-ACP
Certified FileMaker Developer
WEB: www.dwaynewright.com
EMAIL: info@dwaynewright.com
TWITTER: dwaynewright
YOUTUBE: FileMakerThoughts

The Export Field Contents script step takes the contents of a particular field and exports it to a desired location. Although not exclusively used for container fields, this script steps really shows off its flexibility when used in conjunction with container fields. This is because a container field can hold just about any type of file, such as a graphic, a Word document, a sound file or even another FileMaker file. Many developers, this one included, will occasionally use a FileMaker table made up of container fields exclusively for media storage as it pertains to some business process. For example, we may use linked container fields in a solution to contain the scans of packing lists that come in from a shipping/receiving dock. The person in the receiving department and easily link these scanned documents to their associated purchase order. This way a user can use FileMaker as their digital file cabinet and never have to leave their desk to get the “hard copy” of a transaction.

Add to the mix the ability to scan documents directly into a container field by using a plug in like InsideScan and you can come up with some very interesting workflow practices for storing “hard copies” of transactions within a FileMaker file.

Anyway, back to the topic of the Export Field Contents Script Step...

The Export Field Contents script step has the two options of Specify Target Field and Specify Output File. The first option simply allows you to specify what field you want FileMaker to export. The second option is used to define the name of the exported file and the location it is exported to. The later option is quite interesting in the way it can be implemented by the FileMaker developer.

By default, the user is asked to manually hard code the destination for the exported field contents. This is one area in which the ability to use the calculation dialog to define a dynamic location is sorely missed... or ... is it? Although you cannot use a calculation in the box that defines the destination, it will accept a script variable. A script variable can use the calculation engine to determine its value. So you can use the Set Variable script step preceding the Export Field Contents script step and basically have the ability to dynamically determine where the exported field contents will appear.

Here you can see the dialog box that allows you to determine the location of the exported file and the file name it will have when complete.
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More info about the author and FileMaker in general, contact me at info@dwaynewright.com.

© 2008 - Dwayne Wright - dwaynewright.com

The material on this document is offered AS IS. There is NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, expressed or implied, nor does any other contributor to this document. WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. Consequential and incidental damages are expressly excluded. FileMaker Pro is the registered trademark of FileMaker Inc.

Pause On Error Portland - Here I Come

Looking forward to attending my first FileMaker Pause on Error conference at the Ace Hotel in Portland!