The topic – Moving to FileMaker 12:

Sub Topics Include:
• Test your existing solution with FileMaker 12
• How to Convert your existing solution to FileMaker 12
Tim Neudecker, from Kyo Logic, hosted FM Academy’s twelfth webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series, on May 17th.

The topic – Moving to FileMaker 12:

Sub Topics Include:
• Test your existing solution with FileMaker 12
• How to Convert your existing solution to FileMaker 12
• Back up your data and settings from your current version of FileMaker
• Uninstall the older version of FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server
• Create a custom installer so users do not need to enter license information with each install
• How to deploy FileMaker server and connect it to your existing Web Server
• Manage existing plugins with the new FileMaker 12

If you missed this webinar, you can watch the recording below. You can check out other past webinar videos at FM Academy YouTube Channel.

Moving to FileMaker 12 – Video:

The topic – ExecuteSQL:

FileMaker 12 adds a dozen new functions, including the much anticipated ExecuteSQL, some Location functions for iOS devices, new ID functions, a set [...]]]> Greg Lane, Skeleton Key, hosted FM Academy’s tenth webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series, on May 10th.

The topic – ExecuteSQL:

FileMaker 12 adds a dozen new functions, including the much anticipated ExecuteSQL, some Location functions for iOS devices, new ID functions, a set that accompany the new container method, and others.

FileMaker 12’s new ExecuteSQL function opens up the power and flexibility of the SQL query language to any FileMaker calculation. This webinar presented techniques for using the ExecuteSQL function, within calculations to gather and manipulate data for reports, charts, dashboards, and more. We used a variety of built-in and custom functions to slice and dice data in a variety of context. We also covered the basics of the SQL SELECT statement to help anyone get started quickly.

If you missed this webinar, you can watch the recording below. You may also download the demo file, with all the examples shared during the webinar, by clicking HERE. Stay tuned for our follow up blog which will explore, in greater detail, answers to the questions that were covered at the end of the video. You can check out other past webinar videos at FM Academy YouTube Channel.

ExecuteSQL – Video:

Greg Lane is Vice President of Application Development, a FileMaker Certified Developer at Skeleton Key.

About FM Academy

FM Academy is a consortium of seven FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum companies. Our goal is to educate FileMaker users and developers, encourage best practices, and foster adoption of the FileMaker platform. The members of FM Academy are 360Works, Anvil Dataworks, Fiddlehead Software, IT Solutions, KyoLogic, MightyData and Skeleton Key.

About Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key is an accomplished team of technology consultants who solve business problems. We specialize in the rapid development of custom applications, integrating Macs and PCs in the professional workplace, and providing
personalized FileMaker training and coaching.

Skeleton Key is a Platinum Level FileMaker Business Alliance company, an Authorized FileMaker Trainer, a member of the Apple Consultants Network and a Microsoft Registered Partner.

There are over a dozen new functions in FileMaker 12, several of which accompany significant new features such as enhanced container fields, [...]]]> One Tuesday, May 8, I had the privilege to present the new calculation functions in FileMaker 12. This was the eighth webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series by FM Academy.

There are over a dozen new functions in FileMaker 12, several of which accompany significant new features such as enhanced container fields, new window styles, and a new plug-in updating methodology. Yet it doesn’t end there, as there is a pair of functions that deal with ID values, some FileMaker Go specific functions, and native access to FileMaker’s SQL engine with the ExecuteSQL function.

Container Functions

Two new categories appear in the calculation dialog: Container Functions and Mobile Functions.

New Calculation Functions

The former provides the ability to get the height and width of content in containers using GetHeight() and GetWidth() functions. This returns height and width in pixels for images. Other items in the container field, such as movies or files, return 0. In addition, we have the ability to generate a thumbnail of an image with the GetThumbnail() function.

Since FileMaker 12 now enables us to store containers in external folders, checking the validity of the stored data reveals whether this has been changed or tampered with outside of FileMaker. Using VerifyContainer() shows 0 or 1 depending on whether the files have been changed or deleted, or if there are no changes.

Mobile Functions

There are two specific mobile functions that deal with Location information: Location() and LocationValues(). Previous versions of FileMaker in mobile devices were forced to get geolocation information using JavaScript. By making this native you can get longitude and latitude from Location and store these in your database. LocationValues displays a return-delimited list containing longitude, latitude, altitude, horizontal accuracy, vertical accuracy, and age in minutes.

Both functions accept two parameters, one required and one optional. The first is the accuracy in meters, and the second is the length in seconds allowed before timeout.

Updating Plug-ins

Another new feature in FileMaker Pro 12 radically changes the method to update plug-ins. Previous versions managed this through a daunting and often complex AutoUpdate process via FileMaker Server. There is now a new Install Plug-in script step, and a function to get a return-delimited list of currently installed plug-ins: Get( InstalledFMPlugins ). This returns the plugin name, version, and current state – Enabled, Disabled, or Ignored. One thing to note is that the version is only returned if the developers entered this in the resource file (Windows) or info.plist.file (Mac), so keep this in mind when setting up this process.

ID and Tab Panel Functions

The new pair of ID functions each return a long string of alphanumeric characters, but are completely different in purpose. Get( UUID ) returns a universal unique identifier, a unique 16-byte string in the format 8-4-4-4-12, such as E10FD6CB-2CB3-471A-B4B5-3CC2509F49EE. This function lets users create unique keys, and avoids key collision when merging records from multiple tables, for example.

Meanwhile, Get( PersistentID ) captures the unique identifier of the device accessing your solution, either desktop or mobile. Whereas you still can get the account name or user name, the new string like AF376F280690001931BFED4E890FADDB shows the device ID.

Along with some new tab control script triggers there are two new functions.

• Get( TriggerCurrentTabPanel )
• Get( TriggerTargetTabPanel )

When coupled with the script triggers, navigating from tab to tab will return values via these functions. The first shows the originating tab panel (number and object name) and the second the current tab panel (number and object name). The naming might be a little confusing, as the values are activated when going to a new tab, so the “current” is actually the target. Still, with these values we have a way to track and control navigation between tab control panels.

FileMaker Server has an option for SSL certificates. The new Get( ConnectionState ) function will show the security state of the file’s current network function, such as if it uses a non-secured network or a fully verified SSL certificate.

Connection and Window-Style Functions

A new feature in FileMaker 12 is the ability to have two new window states. Previously new windows were all document windows, so if you wanted to prevent the users from closing them you needed to set up a script, pause and then start the script again, or use script triggers to validate some action prior to allowing the users to continue.

Now you can set up a floating document window and a dialog window. So, to go along with this, we have a function that returns a number as to the state of the window, which we can use to determine action based on that window. Get( WindowStyle ) will return the following:

• 0 – Window is a document window
• 1 – Window is a floating document window
• 2 – Window is a dialog window

Execute SQL Function

Finally, a function that deserves a webinar all on it’s own, and in fact FM Academy just had such a webinar: Greg Lane’s walk-through of the ExecuteSQL() function.

This is a function that previous required plugins. There are some limitations compared to the plug-in functionality, because ExecuteSQL() only permits use of the SELECT statement. This means no ability to update, insert, delete, drop, or replace via SQL. Yet, having this as a new tool in FileMaker creates great opportunity. The function is formatted as follows:

ExecuteSQL( sqlQuery ; fieldSeparator ; rowSeparator { ; argument … } )

The sqlQuery is the SELECT statement, placed inside double quotes, such as “select first_name from contacts”. The fieldSeparator and rowSeparator default to a comma and return when you use “” for the parameters. You can use other separators such as tab, pipe, etc.

The optional arguments parameter lets you use a record’s field value as a parameter, useful when querying the context of individual records. I’ve previously blogged about ExecuteSQL (insert link). Learning this function will give you a great new tool in your FileMaker development.

Watch the recording of the webinar below for more coverage of these functions.

On Thursday May 9, it was my pleasure to walk through several new features in FileMaker Server 12, mainly concentrating on backups and remote container data storage.  We wrapped at the 40 minute mark with plenty of time for questions – and boy, there were many.  This review is [...]]]> By Colin Keefe, IT Solutions Consulting

On Thursday May 9, it was my pleasure to walk through several new features in FileMaker Server 12, mainly concentrating on backups and remote container data storage.  We wrapped at the 40 minute mark with plenty of time for questions – and boy, there were many.  This review is my follow up to those questions.  Some were answered during the presentation itself – for these I tried to provide a clearer explanation here.  Some we didn’t get to or promised an answer later; for those I’ve provided explanations where I could.

There are one or two that I don’t have answers for currently, notably questions about the relative performance of secure vs. open storage over a WAN.

On the agenda for the presentation:

Changes in FileMaker Server 12’s Backup scheme and the new ability to store Container data externally offer significant improvements in data protection, performance and data delivery to the user.

In this session we explored how Progressive Backups work.  We also discussed changes in the way Container data is delivered to the user through http streams, and we reviewed how all of this operates at the client level when building databases and navigating them as a user.

Topics Included: 

• Full Backup functionality changes (or, what are hard links anyway?)
• Understanding, Configuring and restoring from Progressive Backups
• Understanding and implementing External Container Data storage
• How streaming and buffering works
• How to configure your Container field for external storage
• An explanation of Secure vs. Open Storage

Questions and Answers:

Q: So a hardlink links to ONE file, but what happens if the backed up hardlinked file somehow got corrupt, e.g. due to a faulty disk sector? Can you choose to schedule a daily FM 11 style backup to avoid this problem and then subsequent backups in the next 24 hours hardlink to that specific days’s full backup?

A. Yes.  You can set up an old style set of 5 backup schedules, one for each day – M / TU / W / TH / F – and since they’re separate backup schedules, they would keep their own hardlink schema. In other words, files are only hard linked within a backup schedule, not between them.

Q: If I put my FileMaker database on a 3rd party outside server to run as secure SSL, what questions, such as who has access to the hardware, do you recommend asking to determine the best option? As many questions you can think of are very much appreciated.

A. The easiest way to determine suitability of an outside vendor for security purposes is to find out if they are SAS-70 compliant and, depending on your usage, HIPAA complaint.  If they are, their website will say so.  Note that this only offers assurances of security of the facilities and access to the hardware/OS.  You need to confirm that your database itself has no design flaws that expose data to unauthorized usage.

Q: Can progressive backups be on an external or networked disk?

A. They can be on a locally mounted separate drive or a SAN.  I don’t know if it’s technically impossible to write them to a networked disk but would strongly discourage it unless it’s a SAN.

Q: In the case where the FM12 container fields are used to store files externally…  for each FULL individual backup, is the directory containing the external files also backed-up & duplicated?  Thus generating a potentially very large storage need?

A. I punted on this one during the webinar.  Basically the answer is that container data that hasn’t changed from one backup to the next IS hard linked.

Q: How do you suggest doing anti-virus checks and not destroying the data files?

A. The main thing you should do is provide exclusion rules for the AV software you’re using so that it omits key folders from the AV schedule.  At a minimum I suggest excluding the Database and Backups folders.  In rare cases of conflict with AV software I’ve had to exclude the temp folder because of overly aggressive AV checking on FileMaker’s scratch file.

FileMaker provides a best practices document for managing servers which we imagine will be updated for FMS 12 fairly soon.  It’s on TechNet – which you should join if you’re not already a member.  It’s free.

The FMS 11 version of this document is here:

https://fmdev.filemaker.com/docs/DOC-1123

Q: How do you recommend optimizing a system’s RAM since Filemaker 12 now uses half of a machine’s RAM?

A. I’m not sure if this is a FileMaker client or FMS question, but since this is a Server webinar, I’ll just say that RAM is just about the cheapest thing you can throw at a machine.  Max it out.  If that doesn’t get you to the minimum specs for FMS12 with memory to spare for the OS, then you should be considering a new server.  There really isn’t anything wrong with upgrading your hardware every 3-5 years, and if you’re on the 5 year end of things, it’s going to be natural for the specs to no longer support the most recent versions of any software product.

There are a number of performance tuning recommendations in the best practices document linked above.

Q: Is there anyway to store a file somewhere other than on the server itself (e.g., a shortcut on the server pointing to another drive)?

A. I assume we’re talking about database files.  If you’re talking about drives not physically attached to the server itself, the answer is only yes if we’re talking about a SAN, which has a very high throughput over fiber when configured properly.

The main reason for this is that FMS is VERY disk-intensive, and you want the path between memory and disk writes to have near zero latency.  Optimally you want a very fast, local server grade drive subsystem, hopefully a RAID 5 or RAID 10, but at the very least, the best disk drive your money can buy.

Q: Do remote container files need to be stored on the same disk as FMS?

A. They will be stored wherever the actual database files are stored.  You can’t put them somewhere else.

Q: Do remote container files get backed up as well?

A. Yes.

Q: To encrypt the files in container, we must have Filemaker Server 12 or can we do the same with Filemaker PRO 12, working as a Server (filetofile).

A. You can encrypt the files in a single user or peer-to-peer shared file.  You cannot stream the data.

Q: Do remote containers support any RAW image formats?

A. They don’t.  RAW image formats are data as exported from cameras – they’re proprietary to the camera make, and are “RAW” – what the camera captured without any post-processing.  While various OS level image imports (like iPhoto on OS X) have RAW import support, the goal of an image management product like iPhoto is different from a database management product like FileMaker Pro.

Here’s a list of supported Container Field types:

http://www.filemaker.com/12help/html/add_view_data.4.34.html

Q: I already have a huge legacy file system with 50,000 files.  How can I make that accessible through Filemaker?  We need to be able to access it directly.

A. The need to access the container data directly is pretty much a showstopper for FMS 12.  I would suggest using 360Works SuperContainer, which allows for image data hosted through an external web server – and from there you can configure the directories on that web server to be accessed the way you need.  I would only point out that by accessing the data both ways, you face file management difficulties.  What happens in the database when a source file is deleted?  Who “owns” the data?

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the relative advantages of FMS 12 and SuperContainer.

http://fmforums.com/forum/blog/62/entry-336-filemaker-12-and-supercontainer-a-comparison/

http://www.360works.com/supercontainer/

Q: Does file encryption affect database speed?

A. My guess is yes but I haven’t seen any documentation or metrics on this.

Q: Secure vs Open Storage – In large repositories, do you receive any type of noticeable performance hit for having these stored files encrypted?

A. This is the same question, with the same answer.  I don’t know yet.

Q: Can you get FM to rename its stored copy of the file being imported? For example, customer is on a FM ‘job record No. 1234′ and imports an image called “my picture.jpg”. But we want it renamed and saved using the job number, e.g. ’1234.jpg’? Does this type of functionality still require a plug-in?

A. Yes, you’re going to need a plugin for that.

Q: Is there any advantage to using webviewer versus container for purposes of accessing files or images through the database?

A. Yes, depending on your requirements.  I would again point to 360Works SuperContainer (http://www.360works.com/supercontainer/).

Q: Are there any new ways of getting the meta data from a say a jpg?

A. To my knowledge, no – using GetAsText(containerfield) appears to work as before; there’s no real additional data.  Remotely stored data is tagged as “remote:” but that’s about it.

Q: The difference between FM Server 12 and Filemaker PRO 12 working as a Server, and dealing with containers is with FM Server 12 we don’t need to wait to interact with the files, correct? The rest is equal?

A. To my knowledge, yes.

I strongly recommend not sharing peer-to-peer however.  Over the long term there are too many variables that can be introduced to corrupt database files – non server-grade disk drives, ethernet plugs getting pulled on laptops, sleep mode activated, dependence on wireless signals…any and all of these things will happen over the life of a database ecosystem if it’s housed on a peer-to-peer network.

Q: If storing thumbnails, how do you determine when FM shows a thumbnail or the full resolution image?

A. My understanding is that when the “Generate and store thumbnails for images” bit is set in the Manage Containers dialog, then thumbnails are ALWAYS delivered to the client.  The thumbnails themselves are generated and cached on the server.

You can get more granular with this using the GetThumbnail function to request a Thumbnail of a given height/width for a given field.  So you could do, for example:

GetThumbnail( MyContainerField;
GetLayoutObjectAttribute(“myContainerFieldLayoutObject”,”width”);
GetLayoutObjectAttribute(“myContainerFieldLayoutObject”,”height”) )

Q: With thumbnails, if you use permanent storage and a file is updated or changed.  Does it update the stored thumbnail, or leave the old one and create a new thumbnail creating an orphan?

A. I don’t know the answer to this!  Thanks to each and every one of you for preparing me for my FileMaker 12 Certification Exam.

Q: If container storage directories on the server should be out-of-bounds to viewing and editing, is there any reason at all one might prefer to use Open container storage in a served environment?

A. To my mind, no.  What hasn’t been answered (by me) is the question of whether or not the encryption affects performance, which would be a factor in this choice.

Q: Question on container field thumbnails being stored locally. Is FM smart enough to use the one thumbnail store (perm or temp) even if the same container field is on multiple layouts (and with multiple dimensions).

A. You guys are making my brain hurt.  I don’t know.

Q: Great presentation!   About container external storage, I would like to know if another user/application can modify the stored files on hard disk of the FM server ?

A. Yes, another application can modify Container Data files.

Since you can open container data in any number of applications, FileMaker Server has no control over whether you can edit the file in another application.  What it CAN do is determine whether a file has been modified outside of its control – in which case you’ll get a message like this:

It does this for security reasons – if a hacker can replace/modify media on the server, then they can inject bad stuff into the data being streamed down to the client.

You can also query the validity of container contents using the new VerifyContainer calculation function.

The point I made during the webinar still applies here: leave the files alone.  Remote Container Data storage is most definitely NOT meant as an OS-level image share/repository.

Q: Can the server be controlled (Backups, etc) from a remote location??  I can’t even change a global field!!!

A. Yes, the server can be controlled via the Server Admin Console, if the Server’s configured to accept Console requests from outside the physical machine.

I think your issue with editing a global field is unrelated, but I’ll just point out that global field behavior is a bit tricky when a file is hosted.  Here’s a link to the appropriate Help File Topic:

http://help.filemaker.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3604/~/global-fields%3A-an-overview

Q: “Compress this File” aka Archive is that still OK?

A. Yes.  This seems like a good place to mention that the Save As Copy dialog now has a new option, as shown:

The “self-contained copy” gathers up any externally stored data into the new copy of the file, which offers a convenient way to build a consolidated file.

Q: If two different but identically named files are imported into the same container field on different records, does one overwrite the other or will FMS rename one of them accordingly?

A. The behavior here bears some explaining.

Open Storage, with default directory used:

When importing different, identically named files into the same container field on different records, FMS will rename the second file with a _1 incremented suffix.

When importing the same file into the same container field on different records, FMS will store only one copy of the file, and will keep that file until all records referencing it are deleted, or it’s cleared from all container fields referencing it.

If you want separate, explicit copies of the file, you can set the container folder to increment in the Options for the field, using the table’s unique ID, like this:

For example, in the image below:

• Two identically named, different files were imported into the Document_NoUniqueValue container field.  The second file was appended with “_1″.
• Two identical files were imported into the Document_NoUniqueWitheIdenticalFiles container field.  FileMaker Server kept one copy.
• Two identical files were imported into the Document_UniqueValue container field.  Because the storage location for this field was specified by calculation (as noted above), each record has its own storage folder, “1″ and “2″, so two copies of the file are kept.

All three of these fields are set to Open Storage.  For Secure Storage, FMS keeps individual copies of files under its own schema.

The takeaway here is that FMS does manage all of this seamlessly and understands the difference between identical files and identically named files, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it.

Q: If you’re restoring from a backup…how do restore all the external container info also?

A. When you copy from the backup folder to the Databases folder, include the RC_Data folder that was backed up with the file, keeping the directory structure intact.

Q: Does remote storage work with IWP?

A. Yes.   Streaming works too, but there are security considerations you should bear in mind.

Q: When using FileMaker with PHP, does a container content get streamed from the FileMaker engine or is it uploaded directly from the web server?

A. Well, interestingly, three separate components would handle this kind of thing:

1. The Web Publishing Engine would handle the PHP
2. The Database Engine would handle the database calls
3. The TomCat HTTP Server embedded in the FMS 12 product would handle delivery of the container content.

As an aside, WPE has been completely rewritten from the ground up, and is significantly faster.  This is not your Dad’s Oldsmobile, and I think you’ll be pleased.

Thank you to everyone who attended and for those who couldn’t make it, here’s the full video:

As files are converted to the new version of FileMaker, we will notice changes to the layout appearance.  Objects will use the default themes of [...]]]> Sameer Khan, of Anvil Dataworks, hosted FM Academy’s seventh webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series, on May 1. The Topic – Design Surface Behavior Changes:

As files are converted to the new version of FileMaker, we will notice changes to the layout appearance.  Objects will use the default themes of a layout, or that rounded or gradient themes options are already applied.  In the webinar we looked at the new applied theme control, default themes, and the new assistance tools.

Some of the behavior changes reviewed:

• Pixels to Points, a change in base measurement
• Options no longer available (such as Patterns and Effects)
• New Grid Control
• Guides, custom and dynamic

If you missed the webinar, you can watch the presentation below. Continue to follow us through the 12 Days of FileMaker 12, and make sure to check out the FM Academy YouTube Channel.

Most important among the new tools are:

Externally stored container data: Reduce the size of your databases and stream data to users for faster performance.

Validation For Container [...]]]> FileMaker 12 brings new features to container fields. In this webinar we presented several new features and showed how we could use them to design better applications.

Most important among the new tools are:

Externally stored container data: Reduce the size of your databases and stream data to users for faster performance.

Validation For Container Fields: Prevent users from uploading files that are to big or of the wrong type.

Inspector Options: New options to controlling streaming and content viewing for container fields..

Insert File Script Step: The improved insert script step allows us to more tightly control how a user inserts data into container fields.

Plug-in Updating: The new container fields work in conjunction with the new script step to install plugins right from your solution.

Please check out the video:
FileMaker 12: Container Field Enhancements

Table View might just be one of the least appreciated features in the FileMaker Pro product line. True, it hardly changed in versions 7 [...]]]> Mark Richman, Skeleton Key, hosted FM Academy’s fifth webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series, on April 24th. The topic – Quick Table View Enhancements:

Table View might just be one of the least appreciated features in the FileMaker Pro product line. True, it hardly changed in versions 7 through 9, and the changes in 10 were welcome, but fairly simple. All that changed in 11 with the addition of two bold new features which allow a developer to quickly create a table and perform summary analyses, all without ever leaving the comfort of browse mode. FileMaker 12 brings welcome refinements to this important family of features, and makes Table View a tool worthy of a fresh look.

Mark demonstrated the practical uses of Table View and showcased changes to it in FileMaker 12.

The webinar agenda included:

• Evolution of a Feature : slow and steady wins the race
• What’s New in FileMaker 12 : better contextual menu organization, quick charts
• Miscellaneous Items Worth Mentioning : subtle differences, some limitations, playing nicely with others

If you missed this webinar, you can watch the recording below.  Stay tuned for our follow up blog which will explore, in greater detail, answers to the questions that were covered at the end of the video.  You can also check out other past webinar videos at FM Academy YouTube Channel.

Quick Table View Enhancements – Video:

Mark Richman is an Owner, the President, a FileMaker Certified Developer and a FileMaker Authorized Trainer at Skeleton Key.

About FM Academy

FM Academy is a consortium of seven FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum companies. Our goal is to educate FileMaker users and developers, encourage best practices, and foster adoption of the FileMaker platform. The members of FM Academy are 360Works, Anvil Dataworks, Fiddlehead Software, IT Solutions, KyoLogic, MightyData and Skeleton Key.

About Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key is an accomplished team of technology consultants who solve business problems. We specialize in the rapid development of custom applications, integrating Macs and PCs in the professional workplace, and providing personalized FileMaker training and coaching.

Skeleton Key is a Platinum Level FileMaker Business Alliance company, an Authorized FileMaker Trainer, a member of the Apple Consultants Network and a Microsoft Registered Partner.

On Thursday, April 19, I had the privilege to present the new FileMaker Go 12 for iOS (iPhone and iPad). This was the fourth webinar in the MightyData 

On Thursday, April 19, I had the privilege to present the new FileMaker Go 12 for iOS (iPhone and iPad). This was the fourth webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series byFM Academy.

The first and most important new feature is that FileMaker Go 12 is now free. This is truly a game changer. Anyone with an iOS device can now give it a test drive. FileMaker Go 11 is still available as a paid app so there is more incentive to move to FileMaker 12.

Several features in FileMaker 12 make it easier to design screens for the iOS. There are sixteen starter solutions, each with layouts for iPhone and iPad. Four of these are installed by default with FileMaker Go 12: Assets, Contacts, Content Managements and Tasks. FileMaker Pro 12  has screen stencils with the specific dimensions of the iPhone and iPad in portrait and landscape mode.

There are 40 new layout themes, five specifically designed for iOS: Cool Gray Touch, Onyx Touch, Ocean Touch, River Touch and Wave Touch. They have larger fonts and objects ideal for touch screen devices.

Multitasking has significantly improved in FileMaker Go 12. In earlier versions, FileMaker Go had to terminate when it was sent to the background. Now it goes into a suspended state, which means it will resume much faster when it comes back to the foreground. The fmreauthenticate extended privilege gives you more control over when a user has to re-login after the app goes into the background.

FileMaker Go 12 includes support for exporting records directly in the iOS. You can create tab-delimited, CSV, DBF, HTML and Excel (XLSX) files to email or open directly on the device. It can also read and write Snapshot Link files. Snapshots allow you to save a state of the database (current layout, found set, record, sort order) and share with another user who also has access.

Charting functionality has been enhanced in FileMaker 12. This is great for creating management dashboards for mobile solutions. In addition to bar, line and pie charts, FileMaker 12 now has  Scatter, Stacked Bar, Positive/Negative, and Bubble charts.

Container fields have been improved across the entire FileMaker 12 product line. FileMaker Go 12 can access remote container data managed by FileMaker Server. It can view streaming and interactive content like video and PDF files. Interaction with content on the iPhone/iPad includes access to the camera and photo library, recording audio, capturing a signature and viewing multiple file types (PDF, Excel, etc.).

FileMaker Go 12 includes two new calculation functions to work with location information on iOS devices. Location ( accuracy { ; timeout } ) will return the latitude and longitude for the device.LocationValues ( accuracy { ; timeout } ) will return latitude, longitude, altitude, accuracy and age of the data. Note, these functions only work with iOS devices.

Other calculations (some old, some new) for working with iOS solutions include:

• Get ( SystemPlatform ) - Returns the operating system for the device
• Get ( ApplicationVersion ) - Returns the version of FileMaker Go (iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch)
• Get ( PersistentID ) - Returns a unique identifier for the computer or  device
• Get ( ConnectionState ) - Returns whether FileMaker Server is using a secure connection (SSL)
• Get ( UUID ) - Returns a universally unique identifier useful for primary keys

These are just some of the features I covered in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 webinar on FileMaker Go 12. If you missed it, you can watch the recording below. There were several questions asked during the webinar that I did not have a chance to answer. Watch for a follow-up post once we retrieve the questions from vendor.

FileMaker Go 12 Enhancements video

Most important among the new tools are:

Dynamic Guides: These guides appear as you move objects on the design surface.  They [...]]]> FileMaker 12 houses powerful new features to align, position and manage objects on your layouts. In this webinar we presented several new features and showed how we could use them to design better applications.

Most important among the new tools are:

Dynamic Guides: These guides appear as you move objects on the design surface.  They can be used to show alignment, sizing, text  baselines, and spaces among objects. Dynamic guides can be turned on and off in the View menu in layout mode.

Drag-Out Guides: Replacing the T-Square, these guides allow unlimited horizontal and vertical guides to manage your layout space. These guides can be global for all layouts or localized to a single layout.

Customizable Grid: The new customizable grid allows you to set minor and major divisions for aligning objects. These settings can be changed in the inspector.

Unlimited Undo and Redo: In the past, we could only save or reject the last changes we made in a layout.  Now we have 1000 rollback/roll-forward points.  However, beware, these rollback points end when the layout is saved.

New Object Handles: FileMaker has made the behavior of selecting one or multiple objects more similar to other design/drawing applications. Sizing, alignment and integration with the inspector all have been greatly improved.

Last but not least, we presented a great method for designing balanced layouts with improved organization and eye flow. FileMaker has given us these new layout tools so developers can build better applications. We shared some insights inspired by Heather Winkle from FileMaker on how to use layout columns to improve our designs.

Please check out the video:
FileMaker 12: Layout Mode Enhancements

In this talk we reviewed the changes made in the charting engine in FileMaker Pro 12.  We reviewed the expanded chart setup window and showed how to completely control the look and behavior [...]]]> In version 11, FileMaker Pro introduced the ability to chart your data natively – in version 12 this has been dramatically enhanced.

In this talk we reviewed the changes made in the charting engine in FileMaker Pro 12.  We reviewed the expanded chart setup window and showed how to completely control the look and behavior of your charts. We also covered additions to the charting types available to us.  In addition, we reviewed some real world examples.

Topics covered:

• Review of enhancements to pie charting (better tool tips, better labeling)
• Revisiting the line chart
• Creating a basic scatter chart
• Creating a scatter chart with more than one series of data
• General improvements (backgrounds, legends, axis)

The following questions were asked by individual attendees:

Is it possible to create charts on the fly?

Yes!  Right-click in any field and you will find a new selection called “Chart by…”  This brings up the chart setup window where you can preview any chart type based on the current found set or related records.  You can then print the chart, save as a PDF and email it if you want.  If your database privileges allow creating new layouts, you can save the current chart as a new layout too.

Can charts be used in FileMaker GO?

Yes!  Place your chart on any FileMaker layout and use it in FileMaker Go without additional work on your part.

Can charts be used in FileMaker Pro 12 Advanced runtime solutions?

No.  Charts cannot be used in bound solutions.  This is similar to saving as PDF, which is also not possible in bound solutions.

During the presentation, you showed a technique to show every other value in the X axis.  How do you do this?

Showing every other label reduces clutter in the X Axis.  To do this we used an If statement for the X-Axis Data.  Instead of just using the “Field Name”, I used If(mod(FieldName;2);FieldName).  Look for a blog post on this topic shortly.

Please enjoy the video: