Check out the FMTraining.tv website. Richard Carlton and his team do a daily free live stream about FileMaker to watch. And they have a huge library of FileMaker training material to watch and learn all about the Claris FileMaker product family.
A few days ago Christian Schmitz from Monkeybread Software joined a live episode to talk a bit about the MBS FileMaker Plugin. Watch it on YouTube.
We recently added auto complete for MBS function names for 12.1 pre-release, which is really handy. Just type the component name and once you got the right one, maybe with cursor down key, you can press the dot to complete. Then you continue to type and a new auto complete list shows the function names:
Once you got function name and there is not much text following, the MBS FileMaker Plugin will add the parameter names as placeholders. You can directly put in variables with same name or enter some value there.
Available or recent FileMaker versions on macOS in MBS FileMaker Plugin 12.1.
Let's organize some local FileMaker developer meetings for Quebec City and Montreal:
If you live in this part of Canada, or you like to come over from the USA, please join those surveys to find the perfect date between 21st to 26th March 2022:
If you like to join, please add yourself to the survey and contact us soon to put you on the list.
I reserve a table in a nice restaurant and I will be there. You can join and we can shop talk all night. Ask me plugin questions, bring your laptop and show projects.
And of course we discuss latest changes in FileMaker, upcoming conferences and what's new in plugins.
Of course it is possible to arrange private meetings for consulting or training while I am in the city.
Noch vier Monate: Vom 22. bis 24. Juni 2022 findet die elfte deutschsprachige FileMaker Konferenz in Hamburg, Deutschland statt. Das JUFA Hotel Hamburg HafenCity liegt direkt neben dem Ausgang der U-Bahn Station HafenCity Universität, nur drei Stationen vom Hauptbahnhof via U4, so dass sich die Anreise per Bahn empfiehlt. FileMaker Anwender und Entwickler können ihre Teilnahme ab heute buchen.
Anmeldung heute
Bitte melden Sie sich an, wenn Sie Interesse an der Konferenz haben. Im März entscheidet sich, ob die Konferenz statt finden kann. Diese Entscheidung hängt von den Anmeldungen und den aktuellen Corona Regeln ab, also bitte Anmelden. Hotel, Flug oder Bahnreise bitte erst später buchen. Aktuell sind noch Tickets zum Frühbuchertarif zu haben.
Möchten Sie Sponsor oder Sprecher werden?
Aktuell sucht der FMK Verein Vorschläge für interessante Vorträge.
Die Veranstalter vom Verein FM Konferenz erwarten auch 2022 rund 180 Entwickler, Anwender, IT-Fachleute und Entscheidungsträger aus Wirtschaft, Bildung und Verwaltung. Rund um über 25 Fachvorträge und Workshops wird es viel Zeit zum Vernetzen in den gemeinsamen Pausen und beim Abendprogramm geben.
MBS Empfang
Für den Vorabend am 21. Juni 2022 möchten wir alle Teilnehmer der Konferenz begrüßen. Treffen Sie andere Teilnehmer beim MBS Apero, gesponsert von Monkeybread Software.
Bei der Anmeldung zur Konferenz können Sie sich gleich mit dafür anmelden, da wir eine Teilnehmerzahl brauchen für das Hotel.
MBS Plugin Workshop
Wir planen einen Schulungstag für den 21. Juni 2022. Anmeldung bei uns.
Die Teilnahme kostet 199 Euro inkl. Verpflegung und MWSt., 149 Euro bei Anmeldung bis zum 12. März. Falls die Konferenz abgesagt wird, fällt die Schulung automatisch aus.
FileMaker Schnittstellen Workshop – JSON und REST-API
Erobern Sie mit FileMaker das Internet! In einer zweitägigen Schulung zeigt Ihnen FileMaker Experte Bernhard Schulz am 20. und 21. Juni 2022, wie Sie mit FileMaker Bordmitteln über Server-Schnittstellen per REST/JSON mit Fremdsystemen kommunizieren und umfangreiche Daten austauschen. Der Workshop findet direkt vor der FileMaker Konferenz ebenfalls in der HafenCity Hamburg statt.
Did you know you can search styles list in FileMaker on macOS when MBS FileMaker Plugin is installed?
In the layout editor in FileMaker, click on the list of styles to set focus there. Then press command key together with the F key. The search panel shows and you can enter a search term. When you press return, the next item in the list is highlighted.
⌘ F
shows find bar.
⌘ G
goes to next found text.
This is the same search we implemented for other lists like fields, databases, accounts, privileges or layouts. Over 20 lists in the FileMaker user interface can be searched this way.
For styles the ⌘ + and ⌘ - shortcuts won't work as they are caught by the FileMaker menu commands to zoom the whole layout.
We are happy to announce that we got a new example project for creating ZUGFeRD invoices in FileMaker. Since that is for our German audience, this example is in German.
This is a FileMaker solution to create ZUGFeRD invoices. Since 20th November 2020 electronic invoices with structured data are mandatory for public administrations in Germany.
Here is a list of which FileMaker version includes which CURL version:
FileMaker version
CURL Version
11.0.4
7.19.4
12.0.5
7.21.6
13.0.9
7.21.6
14.0.4
7.38.0
15.0.3
7.44.0
16.0.4
7.51.0
17.0.3
7.58.0
18.0.3
7.62.0
19.0.1
7.62.0
19.1.3
7.62.0
19.2.1
7.62.0
19.3.1
7.62.0
19.3.2
7.62.0
19.4.1
7.62.0
You can learn about CURL releases on the curl website.
Why do we care? Well, if you still use FileMaker before version 16, your FileMaker scripts using Insert From URL are affected by the TLS certificate bugs in older CURL versions. And if certificate verification is not done right, someone can attack your queries, gain your password or provide invalid data to your solution. So please keep FileMaker up to date!
As with MBS Plugin, Claris Inc. also regularly updates the open source libraries used. Usually you do that on the begin of the development cycle, so you have time to find and issues from the newer library version like a bug fix, which changes behavior in a way you didn't intent. e.g. we run into CURL change for email download via IMAP (from 2019).
MBS Plugin 12.0 shipped with version 7.81.0 of curl.
Import images from your flatbed scanner or document feeder. Quite a lot of printers now have built-in scanners to do photo copies.
Record video from your webcam in the computer or from external video camera. Show preview and take pictures.
Import pictures from your DSLR. Have it take a picture manually or every few seconds and download it to FileMaker.
Take pictures with your iPhone Either with an app on the iPhone or by starting the process
For macOS, try ImageCapture functions to receive images from flatbet scanners.
For Windows use WIA functions with Windows Image Acquisition API.
If you have an older device with TWAIN drivers, check the TWAIN functions.
Our AVRecorder functions allow you to check for Audio and Video devices on macOS and Windows, show a preview, start recording and take snapshots.
The IKPictureTaker functions allows you to show a little panel, which can take a picture on macOS for a picture of the user. Same for iOS with ImagePicker functions.
For macOS, use ImageCapture to import images from your digital camera. In tethered mode, send commands to take new pictures.
For Windows, check WinPhotoAcquire functions to import images from your camera.
Your Mac can connect to local iOS devices nearby (same iCloud account) and ask the iPhone, iPad or iPod to take a picture with our ContinuityCamera functions.
Within an app with FileMaker iOS SDK, you can use the DocumentCameraScan functions.
For MBS FileMaker Plugin 12.1, we have new WinPhotoAcquire functions to import images from digital cameras on Windows. You can take your DSLR, take a pictures, connect it to your PC and then directly import images to FileMaker. Our functions use the standard dialogs from Windows to perform the action and give the user the usual Windows workflow.
Since DevCon also known as Claris Engage got cancelled in-person (see announcement) and turns virtually, we still have a few independent in-person conferences run by various Claris partners:
Check out the FMTraining.tv website. Richard Carlton and his team do a daily free live stream about FileMaker to watch. And they have a huge library of FileMaker training material to watch and learn all about the Claris FileMaker product family.
A few days ago Christian Schmitz from Monkeybread Software joined a live episode to talk a bit about the MBS FileMaker Plugin. Watch it on YouTube.
Richard Carlton got blown away by Continuity Camera functions in MBS FileMaker Plugin. We then rotate an image and write a plugin installation script.
We have clients with lots of custom functions in various FileMaker databases. How would you automate this to track custom functions used in various files?
For MBS FileMaker Plugin 12.1 we got two new functions for this: FM.CustomFunctionsList and FM.QueryCustomFunctionsList. Those functions do a bit of GUI scripting on macOS to get the list. The user needs of course permissions to open the dialog and the menu entry into the menubar for the plugin to click.
The first example script will first trigger the seconds script to run in a second. Make sure the fmplugin extended privilege is checked, so the plugin is allowed to run a script. Once that is set, we run the FM.QueryCustomFunctionsList script to start the plugin function to do its job. The script now has to end, so FileMaker allows the custom functions dialog to show. Here is the complete first script:
# schedule script to read results in a second
Set Variable [ $r ; Value: MBS( "FM.RunScriptLater"; 1; Get(FileName); "show result") ]
# now start query
Set Variable [ $r ; Value: MBS("FM.QueryCustomFunctionsList") ]
If everything works right, the dialog shows for a fraction of a second. The plugin copies the list of the table and stores it internally in a global variable. Then our second script runs, which can use FM.CustomFunctionsList function to query the list:
Set Variable [ $list ; Value: MBS("FM.CustomFunctionsList") ]
Show Custom Dialog [ "results" ; $list) ]
If the list is empty, the function failed to run properly. For example if there is a custom menu and no menu entry to edit the custom functions.
Please try it. It may help you to automatically query the list of custom functions and then write that information into records. A way to monitor which file uses what custom functions. You can use Evaluate() to run those custom functions dynamically. That is of course only useful if you have some global variable or parameter to switch your custom functions to return some metadata like their version.
Have fun and thanks to Nils Waldherr for the idea!
Noch vier Monate: Vom 22. bis 24. Juni 2022 findet die elfte deutschsprachige 
New in this prerelease of version 12.1 of the 
Did you know you can search styles list in FileMaker on macOS when 
Here is a list of which FileMaker version includes which CURL version:
