Treat your users with MBS Plugin

You may know we have over 40 goodies for developers on macOS to make the live easier. And of course also a few things for Windows. But did you know that not only developers enjoy these enhancements, but also your users?

While the normal users of your solutions don't enjoy syntax coloring as they don't edit scripts, they may still enjoy our benefits in same places like the search feature in the export dialog.
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MBS @ FMTraining.TV - The FileMaker Monkeybread Plug-in 14.5 Release

Check out the FMTraining.tv website. Richard Carlton and his team do a daily free live stream about FileMaker to watch.

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 check out the new MBS Plugin 14.5: Announcement, new functions and release notes.

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Black Friday coming soon

As you may know Americans love to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year Black Friday is 29th November. About half our customers are in North America, so we are happy to offer you a discount if you buy this weekend.

Please use coupon code BlackFriday for the web shop with 20% off for new licenses of MBS Plugins, DynaPDF and LibXL.
Updates are already offered with discount (usually 50%) compared to new purchases and and our academic prices already have a discount, too. If you like, you can email us to get an order link for all licenses you need or provide an invoice if needed. Especially if you like to use Paypal for payment, we can provide a link with discount or write a custom invoice.

Order MBS FileMaker Plugin     Order MBS Xojo Plugins     Order LibXL

As usual the discounted offer allows you to buy whatever licenses you may need in the next year. Especially if your license expired in 2023 or before, this is a great chance to get up to date!

This offer expires 3rd December 2024.

PS: We can do DynaPDF upgrades with the discount, too. Please contact us if you need an upgrade for something, e.g. to make invoices with ZUGFeRD.

You have a question? Please don't hesitate to contact us by email or form. We may help to point you to the right offer.

MBS @ Engage 2024

A recording of the MBS FileMaker Presentation at the EngageU conference in Malmö, Sweden in November 2024. Christian summarizes what is new in the plugin for 2024.

Watch on YouTube. Let us know if you have questions.

LibXL 4.5.0 has been released

We are glad to inform you that the new LibXL version 4.5.0 is available now.

What's new in the version 4.5.0:

added support of workbook properties (xlsx)

added support of XLOOKUP, LET and XMATCH functions (xlsx)

added access to default column and row formats: Sheet::colFormat() and Sheet::rowFormat() methods

added the updating/moving existing pictures after inserting or removing rows and columns with Sheet::insertRow(), removeRow(), insertCol() and removeCol() methods (xlsx)

added the Book::removeAllPhonetics() method: removes all phonetics data (furigana) from a workbook (xlsx)

added some specific language locales for detecting dates in the Sheet::isDate() (xlsx)

fixed a precision error with calculating RGB values from theme colors (xlsx)

fixed a bug with writing a corrupted file after using Sheet::removeCol(), Sheet::insertCol(), Sheet::insertRow() methods with shared formulas in a sheet (xlsx)

fixed a bug with using a sheet name with a quote together with the Sheet::setPrintRepeatRows() and Sheet::setPrintRepeatCols() methods (xlsx)

fixed a bug with loading some xlsx files

The LibXL library can be used with MBS Plugins in Xojo and FileMaker. Updated plugins will be available soon. As usual we add the new functions soon. If you need help or want to try the new version early, let me know.

2024-11-25   ¶

Vienna Calling

If you like to hang out with a few FileMaker nerds at an English speaking conference in Vienna, you should sign up for Vienna Calling soon. The early bird offer expires 30th November 2024.

4th to 7th June 2025 in Vienna, Austria

If you like to hang out with some FileMaker geeks and talk all day about technical details, this is your chance. Be ready to share something like showing a cool technique in your projects or how you use FileMaker!

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Entspannungstechniken bei der FMK 2024

Präsentation von Stefanie Juchmes-Simonis anlässlich der FileMaker Konferenz in Liechtenstein im Oktober 2024 mit Übungen, wie man im Büroalltag den Stress abbauen kann.

Man sieht sich auf der FileMaker Konferenz in Hamburg, vom 15. bis 17. September 2025.

EngageU conference done

That was a great EngageU conference with 200 people from 25 countries. We had 35 sessions in 4 tracks over 2 days plus an optional training day. After the Claris Engage, this is the biggest conference for FileMaker in the world.

Thanks

• to Squaremoon and Clickworks for organizing it.
• to the attendees for joining.
• to the sponsors to support the event
• to Claris to show up with staff

We were very happy to see 30 women to join as well as a lot of younger FileMaker developers.

We had a terrific conference and met a lot of people from all over the world. Even people from Australia came to Malmö. See you next year at one of the many conferences!

MBS Booth ready for EngageU 2024

Please visit us at the booth to say Hello, ask a few questions and learn what is new for MBS FileMaker Plugin. Join our presentation on November 19 at 10:30 o'clock for the presentation.



As usual you can come by, read the papers, ask us questions and talk with us about existing and future features.
Use coupon code FileMakerConference for the discount on new licenses. See pricing page.

See you soon!

Eigene Funktionen bei der FMK 2024

Präsentation von Stefanie Juchmes-Simonis anlässlich der FileMaker Konferenz in Liechtenstein im Oktober 2024 mit einem Einstieg in eigene Funktionen für FileMaker Anfänger.

Man sieht sich auf der FileMaker Konferenz in Hamburg, vom 15. bis 17. September 2025.

Add a WebViewer to an Overlay window

Earlier this year we added the Overlay functions to our MBS FileMaker Plugin. You can use them to show a graphic on screen outside or on-top of the FileMaker windows on macOS and Windows. This is great for showing splash screen with your logo when the solution starts, some navigation or arrows for a tutorial. What you show is up to you and some people just use it as a notification banner.

For version 14.5 we add a new function called Overlay.AddWebViewer to the plugin. Use this function to add a web viewer to the overlay instead of a picture. The web viewer can load some HTML plus CSS to show a webpage with transparency. This may include showing images, an animated GIF or even a movie. The website could also have some JavaScript to do some animation.

Let's start with a script to create an overlay with a web viewer. The Overlay.AddWebViewer function takes the overlay and adds a web viewer using WebKit on macOS or Microsoft's WebView2 control on Windows. Once we have it, we can load an URL with a HTML Page from our website and show the overlay. Loading the webpage from our website allows us to adjust it later.

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MBS FileMaker Plugin 14.5 for Claris FileMaker

Nickenich, Germany - (November 12th, 2024) -- Monkeybread Software today is pleased to announce MBS FileMaker Plugin 14.5 for Claris FileMaker for macOS, iOS, Linux and Windows, the latest update to their product that is easily the most powerful plugin currently available for Claris FileMaker produce line. As the leading database management solution for Windows, macOS, iOS and the web, the Claris FileMaker Pro Integrated Development Environment supports a plugin architecture that can easily extend the feature set of the application. MBS FileMaker Plugin 14.5 has been updated and now includes over 7500 different functions, and the versatile plugin has gained more new functions:

For this release we updated our Barcode detection code. The Barcode.Detect function can now better detect barcodes, e.g. find a small QR Code on an full page. The Barcode.DetectAsJSON function can find multiple barcodes and return them all as JSON with details like their position on page.

On macOS we have plenty of enhancements to FileMaker Pro for developers. We added auto complete for custom functions to offer you table occurrences, field, operator, function and parameter names. We even make suggestions for Get() functions.

We add a comment field to the manage database dialog. To put in a comment, you create a field named _TableComment and add a comment there. Commit your changes by closing the dialog. The next time you select the table in the dialog, the plugin will show the comment below the table name.

We added tooltips to show field comments in the debugger, export dialog, script workspace and calculation dialogs.

For DynaPDF we have new parser functions to list and then delete images on a PDF page. You can query the color and text alignment and bounding box for annotations. The DynaPDF.GetGlyphOutline function queries the outline of a glyph used to draw a character.

On macOS and iOS you can now use the Vision.RectifyDocument function to align and rectify an image. The same feature as used in the DocumentCameraScan functions, but now available on its own.

Our overlay windows can now show content based on a web viewer. Use Overlay.AddWebViewer to create the web viewer inside the Overlay. Load some HTML and CSS to show content with transparency in the overlay.

The Process.List function got implemented for Linux, we have a Math.Rate function to calculate interest like Excel, Text.FilterSwissQRCode function to filter text for use in Swiss payment QR-Codes, new WordFile functions to read and write metadata in Word files and a new List.Intersection function.

Added CURL library to version 8.10.1, discount to 2.2.7d, DynaPDF to 4.0.94.265, jpeg to 9.6, libarchive to 3.7.6, LibXL to 4.4.0, OpenSSL to 3.3.2, SQLite to 3.47.0, libxml2 2.13.4, libxslt 1.1.42, Xcode to version 16.0 and the plugin SDK.

See release notes for a complete list of changes.

Neues MBS Plugin 14.5 für Claris FileMaker

12. November 2024 - Monkeybread Software veröffentlicht heute das MBS FileMaker Plugin für Claris FileMaker in Version 14.5, mit inzwischen über 7500 Funktionen eines der größten FileMaker Plugins überhaupt. Hier einige der Neuerungen:

Für diese Version haben wir unsere Barcode-Erkennung überarbeitet. Die Funktion Barcode.Detect kann nun Barcodes besser erkennen, z.B. einen kleinen QR Code auf einer vollen Seite finden. Die Funktion Barcode.DetectAsJSON kann mehrere Barcodes finden und sie alle als JSON, mit Details wie ihrer Position auf der Seite, zurückgeben.

Auf macOS haben wir viele Verbesserungen für FileMaker Pro für Entwickler. Wir haben die Autovervollständigung für benutzerdefinierte Funktionen hinzugefügt, um Ihnen Tabellenvorkommen, Feld-, Operator-, Funktions- und Parameternamen anzubieten. Wir machen sogar Vorschläge für Hole-Funktionen.

Wir fügen ein Kommentarfeld zum Dialogfeld „Datenbank verwalten“ hinzu. Um einen Kommentar einzugeben, erstellen Sie ein Feld namens _TableComment und fügen dort einen Kommentar ein. Bestätigen Sie Ihre Änderungen, indem Sie das Dialogfeld schließen. Wenn Sie das nächste Mal die Tabelle im Dialog auswählen, wird das Plugin den Kommentar unter dem Tabellennamen anzeigen.

Wir haben Tooltips hinzugefügt, um Feldkommentare im Debugger, im Exportdialog, im Skriptarbeitsbereich und in den Berechnungsdialogen anzuzeigen.

Für DynaPDF gibt es neue Parser-Funktionen zum Auflisten und anschließenden Löschen von Bildern auf einer PDF-Seite. Sie können die Farbe, die Textausrichtung, die Position und die Größe für Anmerkungen abfragen. Die Funktion DynaPDF.GetGlyphOutline fragt den Umriss einer Glyphe ab, die zum Zeichnen eines Zeichens verwendet wird.

Unter macOS und iOS können Sie nun die Funktion Vision.RectifyDocument verwenden, um ein Bild auszurichten und zu begradigen. Das ist die gleiche Funktion wie in den DocumentCameraScan-Funktionen, aber jetzt ist sie als eigenständige Funktion verfügbar.

Unsere Overlay-Fenster können jetzt Inhalte basierend auf einem Web Viewer anzeigen. Verwenden Sie Overlay.AddWebViewer, um den Web Viewer innerhalb des Overlays zu erstellen. Laden Sie HTML und CSS, um Inhalte mit Transparenz im Overlay anzuzeigen.

Die Funktion Process.List wurde für Linux implementiert, es gibt eine Math.Rate-Funktion zur Zinsberechnung wie in Excel, die Funktion Text.FilterSwissQRCode zum Filtern von Text für die Verwendung in Schweizer Zahlungs QR-Codes, neue WordFile-Funktionen zum Lesen und Schreiben von Metadaten in Word-Dateien und eine neue List.Intersection-Funktion.

CURL-Bibliothek auf Version 8.10.1, discount auf 2.2.7d, DynaPDF auf 4.0.94.265, jpeg auf 9.6, libarchive auf 3.7.6, LibXL auf 4.4.0, OpenSSL auf 3.3.2, SQLite auf 3.47.0, libxml2 2.13.4, libxslt 1.1.42, Xcode auf Version 16.0 und das Plugin-SDK hinzugefügt.

Alle Änderungen in den Release Notes.

MBS @ FMTraining.TV - Unlocking the Power of PDFs in FileMaker with the MBS Plugin

Check out the FMTraining.tv website. Richard Carlton and his team do a daily free live stream about FileMaker to watch.

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 check out the various DynaPDF functions in our plugin. Since developers in Germany work on electronic invoices in ZUGFeRD format as well as French developers work on Facture-X, we show functions related to embedding XML data for an invoice in a PDF file. Then we go through merging PDFs, signing them, doing layouts with DynaPDF, drawing barcodes, work with forms and finding text in a PDF.

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Please upgrade your FileMaker Server

Since you have a MBS Plugin license for server from us, I assume you run a FileMaker Server somewhere.

There was a security problem in FileMaker Server, which would allow anyone to query data from a server without authentication and without any logging.

Please make sure you use version 19.6.4, 20.3.2 or newer.

Learn more about this security problem: FMS, bypass authorisation



Or watch this video on YouTube: FileMaker Server HACKED

I thought I should let you know. Thanks to Alex Dubov for reporting this issue to Claris.

MBS Plugin bei der FMK 2024

Mitschnitt des MBS Plugin Vortrags von der FileMaker Konferenz in Liechtenstein im Oktober 2024. Christian Schmitz präsentiert neue Funktionen im MBS Plugin für 2024.

Man sieht sich auf der FileMaker Konferenz in Hamburg, vom 15. bis 17. September 2025.

Mehr videos in der YouTube Playlist.

Define a hotkey to copy field name for layout objects in FileMaker

Let's help a few FileMaker developers using FileMaker a lot to edit layouts. Sometimes you may want to get the field name for a layout object. Whether you like to paste it to ChatGPT to use the names or you just need to know what field to use for a calculation, a hotkey to get the field name into the clipboard can be very useful.

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MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr8

New in this prerelease of version 14.5 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:

• Fixed a bug in the Gamutcheck for lcms2.
• Fixes a crash in Python functions when using older Python 3.9.x version.
• Fixed an issue with Overlay.AddWebViewer function.
• Disabled remembering column widths for FileMaker 21.1.1 since this feature is now built-in to FileMaker.
• Improved script search to include comments.
• Improved DynaPDF.GeneratePreview, DynaPDF.ReadImageResolution, DynaPDF.ReadImageFormat, DynaPDF.InsertImage, DynaPDF.AttachFileContainer, DynaPDF.AddOutputIntentEx, DynaPDF.CreateICCBasedColorSpaceContainer and DynaPDF.OpenPDFFromContainer to return proper error if container is empty.

Download at monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/

You can subscribe to our FileMaker mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.

Tooltips in FileMaker

The MBS FileMaker Plugin adds various tooltips to FileMaker on macOS. These show very useful information to help writing scripts, calculations and to debug your scripts. Over the years we added more and more details and more locations where we show these tooltips. Let us show you where you find tooltips:

Script Workspace and Debugger

You can hover the mouse over a field name and the plugin will show you the tooltip. The tooltip shows the field value, type and the field comment. The same works for showing tooltips for a variable.

This works both for fields that appear as buttons as well as fields in a text. And you can use it for variables, too. But in the Script Workspace the variables are normally empty unless a script is running in the debugger.

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FileMaker 2024, second release

Claris released today FileMaker 2024 in version 21.1.1. Works fine with MBS FileMaker Plugin 14.4.

You get a few cool new things. Let me point to these:

• The HTTP Tunneling for macOS and Windows will make a few IT departments happy. They can close port 5003 and run everything over 443.
• Limits removed for Data-API and OData. No longer clients need to worry about data caps and now you can fully use these APIs to build web front-ends to your FileMaker database.
• Concurrent backups should increase performance if you have multiple solutions on a server, that can be backups independently.
• The changes to script defaults is small, but if you write a script, you may enjoy them. No longer you accidentally create endless loops as the "Exit after last" option is now set by default.
• Use Perform Script on Server in a server script to start a new session and run another script. You may have a small script called via PSoS to start a longer PSoS script and quickly return the information, that it started. Then the second script can do work for a few minutes and later store the result in some field of a job table.

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MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr7

New in this prerelease of version 14.5 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:

• Improved tooltips for field names to work better with field names containing spaces.
• Fixed a registration issue caused in pr6.
• Fixed a problem on Windows with shared memory objects not accessible for other users.

Download at monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/

You can subscribe to our FileMaker mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.

MBS @ FMTraining.TV - Adding ChatGPT to the ScriptWorkspace Context Menu with the MBS Plug-in

Check out the FMTraining.tv website. Richard Carlton and his team do a daily free live stream about FileMaker to watch.

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 show the ChatGPT example using our CURL functions. Then we walk through the Script Workspace Context Menu Commands example to add ChatGPT to the Script Workspace in FileMaker on macOS. Then we check the Snippets database to add snippets to the Script Workspace for Windows, too.

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MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr6

New in this prerelease of version 14.5 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:

• Added DynaPDF.Parser.DeleteAllImages, DynaPDF.Parser.DeleteImage and DynaPDF.Parser.ListImages functions.
• Fixed a problem with Events.Reset with not clearing all cached events, so Events.RemoveEvent function failed.
• Added field comment text to the tooltips in the debugger for macOS.
• Added field value and comment tooltips to calculation dialog, script workspace and debugger for macOS.

Download at monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/

You can subscribe to our FileMaker mailing list to get notified for new pre-release and release versions.