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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: 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: 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.


25 Years Monkeybread Software Party

Next year in April our company will turn 25 years old.
We'll plan to have a big party here in Germany near our office with over 100 guests.

Invitations are going out this month in several batches.

If you like to join and you miss an invitation, you can contact us and ask whether your invitation got lost.

As people confirm they are coming, we'll add them to the guest list. If we run out of space, we may put people on the wait list.
If you can't make it, please respond soon, so we don't need to contact you again later.

Simplifying Debugging in FileMaker with MBS Plugin on macOS

Debugging can be one of the most challenging aspects of software development, especially in complex environments like FileMaker. Thankfully, the MBS FileMaker Plugin offers a range of features that make this process more manageable and efficient. Here are six ways the MBS Plugin can transform your debugging experience on macOS.

1. Tooltips for Easy Value Inspection

The MBS Plugin enhances the debugger by displaying tooltips that show the contents of variables and fields. When you hover over a variable, a tooltip appears, providing instant access to its value without the need to run additional scripts or create temporary fields for debugging purposes. This real-time inspection allows you to understand how data flows through your scripts, enabling quicker problem identification. Additionally, the context menu allows you to copy these values directly to your clipboard. This means you can easily reference or share them without interrupting your workflow.

see also Tooltips for Script Debugger


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MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr5

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


The failure of Digital River's MyCommerce platform

Something sad happened the last months and brought me lots of sleepless nights. A part of my business broke away, but let's talk a few details:

We have been using the Share-it aka MyCommerce service from Digital River GmbH to sell plugin licenses since 2006. It was working flawlessly for many years until August 2024. They sold our licenses in their web shop, issues invoices, collected any VAT or sales tax, report sales and paid us usually on 15th of the month. But since August they didn't pay us for sales.

On 20th August 2024 they announced to switch to report after 30 days and pay out another 30 days later, so effectively 60 day payout. Also they introduced a platform fee and customer support went to a $185/h rate. They put these changes into a new contract to go into effect in October 16th. (more)

MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr4

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


Auto Complete Feature for Custom Functions

As developers, we’re always on the lookout for ways to enhance our efficiency and streamline our workflows. The MBS FileMaker Plugin has been a valuable ally in this regard, consistently delivering features that make development easier and more intuitive. Today, we’re thrilled to announce an exciting new addition in version 14.5: auto-complete functionality for custom functions!

What’s New?

Building on last year’s introduction of auto-complete for variables in the Script Workspace, we’re now expanding this time-saving feature to the custom function dialog. This enhancement allows you to effortlessly type and receive automatic suggestions for identifiers, making the creation of custom functions smoother than ever before.

How It Works

One of the most significant improvements in this update is the way auto-complete is triggered. Previously, you had to manually press F5 or fn-F5 to invoke the auto-complete for variables within the dialog. In version 14.5, the plugin automatically checks for possible completions with every key press. This means you can type your function name, and the plugin will instantly offer suggestions based on what you've entered, streamlining your development process.

For example, if you begin typing “Get(,” the plugin will immediately present a dropdown list of matching functions. This instant feedback helps you quickly narrow down your choices, allowing you to select the correct function without the hassle of navigating through extensive lists or trying to remember the exact syntax.

But it doesn't stop there! If you have the Script Workspace open, the plugin can also scan your existing scripts for variable names, presenting them as suggestions in the custom function dialog. This includes global variables that the plugin has recognized earlier, providing you with a comprehensive set of options to choose from. This context-sensitive auto-complete significantly reduces the cognitive load on developers, making it easier to build and manage complex formulas.

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Rectify document rectangle in images in FileMaker

For the next plugin version we add the Vision.RectifyDocument function for macOS and iOS to detect a document in a picture and rectify this. This is used internally for DocumentCameraScan function on iOS, but now can be used independently.

MBS( "Vision.RectifyDocument"; Image { ; ImageType; FileName } )

To give you an example. You may have the picture on the left and use the function to get the picture on the right side.

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Older blog entries:

2024-10-17 MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr3
2024-10-16 Using ChatGPT in FileMaker
2024-10-14 Security tidbits for FileMaker
2024-10-11 Validating schema for electronic invoices with ZUGFeRD
2024-10-09 MBS @ FMTraining.TV - 14.4 MonkeyBread FileMaker Plug-in Release
2024-10-08 Little tidbits from the FileMaker conference
2024-10-07 MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr2
2024-10-02 Table comments in FileMaker
2024-10-01 MBS FileMaker Plugin, version 14.5pr1
2024-09-24 New in MBS FileMaker Plugin 14.4
2024-09-23 Add the Saxon processor to MBS Plugins?
2024-09-23 ZUGFeRD mit DynaPDF und MBS
2024-09-20 Extract invoice for ZUGFeRD and Facture-X
2024-09-18 Adding ChatGPT to the ScriptWorkspace context menu
2024-09-17 MBS Plugin 14.4 for Claris FileMaker
2024-09-17 Neues MBS Plugin 14.4 für Claris FileMaker
2024-09-16 Unlocking the Power of PDFs in FileMaker with DynaPDF and the MBS FileMaker Plugin
2024-09-14 Ideas wanted for future FMTraining MBS Livestreams
2024-09-13 Claris Engage 2025 - Registration is open
2024-09-12 FileMaker Konferenz 2024 in Malbun - Noch 3 Wochen

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