New in this prerelease of the 21.2 plugins:
Download:
monkeybreadsoftware.com/xojo/download/plugin/Prerelease/ or
from Dropbox.
Or ask us to be added to our shared Dropbox folder.
New in this prerelease of version 11.2 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
Dropbox folder or ask for being added to the dropbox shared folder.
Recently I implemented
NSCollectionViewControlMBS control for Xojo to have a grid of items based on container controls. But a few days ago we had the need for having just a few containers to scroll on a window in Xojo. You may start to implement this in Xojo with a scrollbar and then move in the ValueChanged the containers up/down as needed. Quickly you may realize you need a wrapping container to clip the scrolling ones properly. But if you loop over containers and change their Top property to move them around, you may quickly see the scrolling not be smooth. We needed something better.
Since macOS comes with a
NSScrollView class, I wanted to use that to push the job of scrolling and redrawing to the OS itself. So we have a Xojo managed inner and outer ContainerControl and slide our
NSScrollViewMBS object between. We put all item containers on the inner ContainerControl, so Xojo may not know about the scrolling and just sees a big container in a smaller one. We configure the scroll view with a vertical scrollbar, some bezel around and a reasonable page scroll value.
When we try this setup, we can scroll smoothly and with mouse wheel support. We get the elastic scrolling with bouncing on the ends (can be disabled). This is fantastic and very smooth.
You may ask about Windows and Linux. Well, this may also be doable, but then with a regular Scrollbar itself. It may be tricky to get the redraw stuff smooth and avoid flicker. But well, I made an example for that, too. Tested on Windows and seems to work mostly with scrollbar controls. Since we only move the inner container up and down and let the container do clipping, it seems to work well with not much flicker.
And once I had that, I merged the two examples into one. Please try it soon as part of the examples coming with
MBS Xojo Plugins in version 21.2pr7 or later. If you have feedback and improvements, feel free to send them back to us, so we can merge your changes into our example.
When we made our
OCR functions back in September 2012, we designed them without reference numbers, so you can only have one current OCR job. Since FileMaker Pro always runs one script at a time (others are waiting), this is not a problem. But what happens on a server?
On a FileMaker server scripts may run in parallel. For a lot of customers this is no problem when occasionally a script runs, which may use OCR. But our active power users tend to do more and run scripts in parallel on multiple CPU cores. And there the mess starts with one script clearing the results of the other one since we hold the OCR state in a few global variables. You can mitigate this yourself with our
Mutex functions, which allow you to have a script wait for another script to finish accessing a shared resource. While intended for our
SharedMemory functions to synchronize memory access, it works fine to control access to
OCR functions, too.
To fix the issue, we move to using per thread variables for our version 11.2 of the plugin. That means you can now have independent OCR setups on a FileMaker Server. Since FileMaker Server uses different threads to run scripts in parallel, you may have each script basically do the initialization, use OCR and do cleanup. If one script runs on first thread and initializes and later another script on second thread tries to access it, it may not see the initialization. You may detect this state by
OCR.IsInitialized function.
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New in this prerelease of the 21.2 plugins:
- Added ContainerControl List example.
- Updated PortAudio to version 19.7.0
- Fixed problems in WindowsQOSMBS class.
- Updated DNS functions for Windows.
- Updated DLL linking for Windows to direct link functions requiring Windows 7.
- Added newer constructor to NSKeyedArchiverMBS class to allow secure coding.
- Added Archive and Unarchive methods to CKRecordMBS class.
- Fixed issue with CloudKit events for CKFetchRecordZoneChangesOperationMBS and other classes.
- Updated LibJPEG-Turbo to version 2.1.0.
- Added explicit destructors for lots of CloudKit classes to explicit cleanup event handlers.
- Added AVCaptureMetadataOutputMBS class for iOS.
- Added constants to AVFoundationMBS class.
Download:
monkeybreadsoftware.com/xojo/download/plugin/Prerelease/ or
from Dropbox.
Or ask us to be added to our shared Dropbox folder.
New in this prerelease of version 11.2 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Added SystemInfo.LinuxSystemInfo function.
- Changed OCR functions to separate different threads on server better.
- Updated DNS functions for Windows.
- Updated DLL linking for Windows to direct link functions requiring Windows 7. Plugin works on Windows Server 2008r2 or newer, too.
- Changed trace output for audit to show field name audited.
- Fixed problem on Windows with AVRecorder.AddPreviewWithControl and AVRecorder.AddPreviewToWindow not using the FileMaker window, but a separate one.
- Fixed problem with XML.ExtractText and XML.GetPathValue not seeing all text if there are XML nodes within a text block.
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
Dropbox folder or ask for being added to the dropbox shared folder.
For everyone watching regularly the
Bitsundso Plus stream, we got a nice utility app (made in my spare time) to download the current episode as video:
You can download current version here:
BitsundsoDownload.dmg
You need to specify the ID and password for the login. Than you specify where the ffmpeg command line tool is and where to store the video file. By default it will be put on desktop. Our tool just performs a login on Bitsundso website, gets the video stream URL, picks the 720p stream and downloads it by running ffmpeg. It shows you progress and opens video file on the end. Settings are saved for next run, so you can just run it every week, when you got the push for the new episode.
We have it in use for years now. With this update Apple Silicon is included and we made adjustments for Big Sur. Great for offline watching.
Have fun!
For our
MBS FileMaker Plugin we have the first linux only function:
SystemInfo.LinuxSystemInfo.
This function provides some system information for Linux and returns it as a JSON block.
{
"UpTime": 708,
"Loads": [0.023873, 0.048828, 0.067382],
"TotalRAM": 4112195584,
"FreeRAM": 1589587968,
"SharedRAM": 1622016,
"BufferRAM": 20881408,
"TotalSwap": 4111462400,
"FreeSwap": 4111462400,
"Processes": 1010,
"TotalHigh": 0,
"FreeHigh": 0,
"MemoryUnit": 1,
"ConfiguredProcessors": 4,
"AvailableProcessors": 4,
"TotalPhysicalPages": 1003954,
"AvailablePhysicalPages": 388083
}
You may query such a block regularly and do your own decisions based on the numbers, e.g. only do something on the server if load counts are small. Or you may check how much memory is available on the computer.
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New in this prerelease of the 21.2 plugins:
- Updated DynaPDF to version 4.0.52.146.
- Fixed a problem with TrueItem() function in FileListMBS not working right for alias files.
- Fixed ShellMBS and WindowsProcessMBS classes for Windows to allow PowerShell.exe to run.
- Added SkipParagraphs parameter for StyledText.RTFDataMBS to speed up conversion.
Download:
monkeybreadsoftware.com/xojo/download/plugin/Prerelease/ or
from Dropbox.
Or ask us to be added to our shared Dropbox folder.
New in this prerelease of version 11.2 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
Dropbox folder or ask for being added to the dropbox shared folder.
A client got a RFID reader, which can send a data packet through the local network, so you can receive them in FileMaker with out
Socket functions.
The
Ethernet Mifare® RFID Reader (ER750/ER755) has been tried by us and works.
You use the little configuration app on Windows to tell it which IP and port to connect to. Our normal
TCP Socket example coming with our
MBS FileMaker Plugin can do the receiving and show you the data. As text encoding use Hex since you get binary data. The first 4 characters are timestamp, package type and data length followed with up to 16 bytes of card UID. And since we need only that UID, we cut it from the data block with Middle($text, 13, 32). In hex all bytes take two characters. We get the UID as hex string and can store it in a database field for later comparison.
If you have trouble getting a connection, please make sure the Firewall lets the connection coming in. Beside a FileMaker Pro waiting for connection, you could of course use a little app or script on a computer to accept it and trigger whatever connection. For example a
Xojo app using our
MBS Xojo FMAPI Plugin could listen with a
ServerSocket in Xojo, take the request and then use data API to create a record in FileMaker or perform a query to find the record for the UID. This may even run on a little Raspberry Pi computer and if the card is accepted put power on a PIN to trigger a door opener.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions.
Did you sign up for
FileMaker Conference dotfmp.berlin 2021?
This conference is organized by
Egbert Friedrich and takes place from 3rd to 5th June 2021 in Berlin, Germany.
Since this year the meeting will be virtual again and in English, FileMaker developers from all over the world can join live from home.
Who
dotfmp is an effort of various leading European FileMaker Developers. It is meant to bring all kinds of higher level developers together to share knowledge, educate and challenge each other.
When
dotfmp starts at the 2nd June 2021 in the later afternoon with a relaxed "Beer and Sausages" in the virtual beer garden. The session days itself last from 3rd until 5th June with various socializing events in the evenings.
What
dotfmp is a 3 Day-Unconference, Meetup, Hangout or Barcamp. It is an informal and self-organized effort to meet on a personal base.
Where
This year it is virtual, so you can join from your home.
Why
We feel there are far too few possibilities to talk to, learn from, and hangout with fellow developers in a relaxed and informal environment. And we'd like to share work and get feedback from people chewing on similar challenges.
If you like to join the conference and present something, please
register soon. A donation to help on the equipment cost is also welcome.
See you there!
The May/June (19.3) issue of
xDev Magazine is now available. Here's a quick preview of what's inside:
More ARM by Marc Zeedar
Xojo's last update in 2020 was impressive, but its ARM support was missing a few elements. Thankfully, 2021R1 has fixed those flaws. Marc updates his benchmarks.
A Programming Black Hole by Markus Winter
Did you know that Xojo has a problem with basic math? Neither did Markus, until he fell down a programming black hole that led him to obscure 32-bit/64-bit oddities.
FileMaker-Like Checkboxes by Vince Du Beau
Vince wanted checkboxes in Xojo like he was used to having in Filemaker—so he wrote his own class to add them.
Holy Cryptography, Batman! by Eugene Dakin
If you're curious about cryptography, here's low-key introduction as Eugene starts a new series of articles beginning with the ancient Caesar Cipher.
Lost in the Woods by Markus Winter
Markus takes a break from his MapKit series to explore... mapping using Xojo's new MapLocation feature. How does it work?
Plus: Xojo 2021R1 new features, App Wrapper review, new PDF drawing, and much more!
Xojo Inc. just announced a sale for their web shop:
Get 20% off all Xojo licenses Today through Friday!
Plus take 20% everything in the Addons Store!
xojo.com/store
This sale includes a few MBS Plugin licenses in the add-on section of the Xojo store. If you like to order directly from us, we may offer the same discount for those new licenses.
New in this prerelease of version 11.2 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Added SQL.ConvertDateTimeFromSQL and SQL.ConvertDateTimeToSQL functions.
- Added Process.List function for macOS and Windows.
- Changed search box for Script Workspace to consume double clicks to avoid resizing window.
- Fixed Archive functions to do AES256 encryption on Windows.
- Updated Linux 64-bit build machine to Ubuntu 18.04. Plugin still compatible to Ubuntu 16 and CentOS 7.7.
- Changed Trace function to create log file, which is readable by other applications like a good text editor.
- Fixed problem of Window functions on Windows not finding them.
- Fixed WebView.SetFocus for iOS.
- Changed FM.InsertRecordCSV and FM.InsertRecordTSV to recognize backslash escapes to have returns and tabs escaped in text.
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
Dropbox folder or ask for being added to the dropbox shared folder.
New in this prerelease of the 21.2 plugins:
Download:
monkeybreadsoftware.com/xojo/download/plugin/Prerelease/ or
from Dropbox.
Or ask us to be added to our shared Dropbox folder.
Let us ask you a few questions and see how well you know our MBS FileMaker Plugin:
Which of the following functions is the oldest?
GMImage.Crop to crop an image
Schedule.StartScriptOnIdle to start a script when user takes a break
Process.List to list running applications on a Mac/PC.
Window.Hide to hide a window via plugin.
RegEx.Replace to make a replace with regular expression
(more)
When you deliver your FileMaker solution on macOS, you may customize the look of your application. This may include custom menus, toolbars and dock icons.
Customize Menu
You probably use a custom menu in FileMaker when you do a serious solution. Because you may not want to expose all the normal menu commands to your users, but reduce the feature set to what they actual need.
Early in the start script you may want to call
App.SetProcessName to set your solution name. This defines for example how the top left menu next to the Apple Menu is named on macOS.
After you set the custom menu, you may further customize the menu and rename the content of the some menu entries. For example here we change the hide command to have a different name:
MBS("
Menubar.SetMenuCommandTitle"; "FileMaker Pro Advanced¶Hide FileMaker Pro Advanced"; "Hide MyApp")
If you change the process name, you may need to change the menu path in the call.
(more)
The Xojo Web framework contains a special class to hold information on an uploaded file, the
WebUploadedFile class. Used by the
WebFileUploader control this class provides you the information of the uploaded file. Let's take a deeper look:
An uploaded file can either be backed in memory or backed by a temporary file. There is a threshold when files are put in memory or into a file and we don't know when exactly this happens. But there may be multiple reasons like memory usage.
Consequentially if you query length, you are returned the length of the
MemoryBlock or the temporary file. If you query Data, you get back the
MemoryBlock or for a file backed one, the data is read and returned. This means the file has to fit in memory to not cause an exception. And it may cause a delay for the time to load the file. Sadly the trigger to loading data in memory may be when you stop in debugger and inspect the
WebUploadedFile file. You then see file property and data property have content.
The UploadComplete event is where you get the array of the uploaded files. Here you may process the data, e.g. take it pass it to Picture.FromData to read in a picture. If you store the
WebUploadedFile object in a property of your web page, be aware that file backed uploaded files get their temp file deleted when the event finishes. So you have to take the data or query file property and copy the file. For performance doing a hard link into your own location may be the quickest way.
The deletion of the temp file caused a few support calls in recent times where clients passed the folder items to DynaPDF or Zip/Archive functions to process them. Our functions had trouble to open the files, which is no wonder when being deleted.
Looking on the temp folder, it looks like Xojo may push an upload into a temp file. Then later processes it and copies data into smaller temp files (or hold them in MemoryBlocks). Finally the temp file deleted when the request is processed.
For the future, I'd wish they would delete the temp file in the destructor of the
WebUploadedFile object, so we could keep it around a bit longer. A trick to do that may be to open the file and keep a BinaryStream for it around. On macOS and Linux you can delete an open file, so you can read it until the BinaryStream is closed and the file is really gone. On Windows you can't delete the file while it is open, so you may need to delete it yourself later.
After we updated compilers for macOS and Windows recently, it may be time for Linux.
To build all our plugins for 64-bit Linux (x86_64) we moved to
Ubuntu 18.04 this week.
It turns out that updating to a new version of a compiler is easy. You rebuild everything, check new warnings and handle some error messages for changes in C++ frameworks.
But then we tried the plugin on CentOS 7.9 and this was a disappointment. Tons of missing libraries. Well, looks like the c and c++ libraries in CentOS are a few years older than the one in Ubuntu 18.04. Now either we fix the dependencies or we have to redo with CentOS to have a common base.
It turns out you can track down dependency by dependency and use various compiler options to disable newer features and stay with older C++ version 11 instead of 14 or 17. I'd wish this would be easier, but I had to recompile dozens of times to see what each changes causes. e.g. for a normal standard C++ string, you have nine ways to construct them. But we now have to avoid the newer variants and then it works.
On the end the plugin now loads on CentOS 7.8 and Ubuntu 18.4.
If you use an older version of Linux 64-bit, we may be able to avoid another function for you, but not a dozen!
Our first build of the plugins required glibc version 2.27, glibcxx 3.4.21 and cxxabi 1.3.9 as those are the ones coming with Ubuntu 18.04.
The final builds are down to glibc version 2.17, glibcxx 3.4.18 and cxxabi 1.3, which makes it compatible with CentOS 7.9.
Ubuntu 16 comes with CXXABI 1.3.9 and glibc 2.23, so we expect the plugins load on Ubuntu 16, too.
We also tried a fresh installed CentOS 7.7 and it seems like things work there, too.
Coming soon for pr5. If you like to try before that, please let us know.
Did you sign up for FileMaker Conference dotfmp.berlin 2021? 
The Xojo Web framework contains a special class to hold information on an uploaded file, the WebUploadedFile class. Used by the WebFileUploader control this class provides you the information of the uploaded file. Let's take a deeper look:
