Cascade Script
08 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
# FILLS IN THE BLANK FIELDS IN RECORDS BELOW IT
Set Variable [ $theGenre; Value:loopurl::genre ]
Loop
Go to Record/Request/Page [ Next; Exit after last ]
If [ IsEmpty ( loopurl::genre ) ]
Set Field [ loopurl::genre; $theGenre ]
Else
Set Variable [ $theGenre; Value:loopurl::genre ]
End If
End Loop
Bad User Interface – Import
16 Nov 2009 Leave a Comment
in Dialog Box
You see the Import button at the lower right? If you are yet unaware that Filemaker has designed this dialog box carelessly, you may not look over to the other side where it has left selected Update Existing Records.
This choice is for replacing your current data, although most of the time you want to Add New Records. This wouldn’t be so bad if it allowed you to CANCEL when the record counts don’t match:
but no, your data will be stepped on anyways.
BTW, this backward implementation has existed for many previous versions. The Import Action should be RIGHT NEXT TO the Import button. (And, the Manage Database button is not that helpful, simply clutter.)
Surely, I’m not the first one to complain about this gotcha.
Sort Column & Toggle
24 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
# Sort Field <- field name
If [ ]
Else If [ Get ( ScriptParameter ) = "Seq" ]
Sort Records [ Restore; No dialog ]
Else If [ Get ( ScriptParameter ) = "Project" ]
Sort Records [ Restore; No dialog ]
Else If [ Get ( ScriptParameter ) = "Title" ]
Sort Records [ Restore; No dialog ]
Else If [ Get ( ScriptParameter ) = "URL" ]
Sort Records [ Restore; No dialog ]
End If
# TOGGLE TOP/BOTTOM
If [ Get ( RecordNumber ) = 1 ]
Go to Record/Request/Page [ Last ]
Else
Go to Record/Request/Page [ First ]
End If
Format the column title as a button, setup to perform the script which takes the field name as parameter and sorts by it, then goes to either the first record or last record alternately.
Date Arithmetic
23 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in Script Step
Here is one way to get a new date from the date field d of table t, for instance, the date which is 1 year and 180 days later (in this simplified example the field to be set is unspecified):
Set Field [ Date ( Month ( t::d ) ; Day ( t::d ) + 180; Year ( t::d ) + 1) ]
Also, FYI:
Tests of entries into three different fields of type Date, Time, and TimeStamp, respectively:
command-dash in a Date field enters the current date.
command-dash in a Time field sounds a beep.
command-dash in a TimeStamp field enters the current date, then a warning message on commit.
Insert Current Date enters the current date into a Date field. Into a Time or TimeStamp field, however, Insert Current Date enters the current date, then a warning message on commit.
Set Field [Get (CurrentDate)] enters a valid result, albeit midnight, into the TimeStamp field. Into a Time field, however, the result is a strange entry (e.g., 17608092:00 AM).
Set Field [Get (CurrentTime)] enters the wrong date into the Date field. (In this test case it was yesterday’s date that was entered.)
Set Field [Get (CurrentTime)] entered the correct time but wrong date (e.g., 1/1/0001 11:05:09 AM) into the TimeStamp field.
Set Field [Get (CurrentTimeStamp)] enters valid results into all three field types.
In a calculation field for a date result, adding or subtracting whole numbers from a date field returns a date so many days ahead or behind, respectively. Likewise, in a calculation field for a Time or TimeStamp result, adding or subtracting whole numbers returns a time so many seconds ahead or behind.
Using Set Field to add or subtract whole numbers to change days in Date fields or seconds in Time or TimeStamp fields works as well.
Relief from ARSe pain
11 Sep 2009 Leave a Comment
in New Feature
Version 10 has a new feature that can make it a pain to edit records that you’ve put into a certain order for editing. Because, if you edit any of the fields in the sort order, the records will likely change position surreptitiously. I call this the AUTOMATIC RECORD SORT event.
Here is one workaround (using an extra field and a script):
- Create a extra number field to hold the previous position, call it, for example, prepH, for previous position Holder.
- Create a script called prepH which replaces the field contents (Replace Field Contents) of the prepH field, and sorts it.
- Before touching any of the records you want to edit, execute the prepH script.
Now, you are free to edit the other fields in those records without ARSe discomfort.
Get ( LastMessageChoice )
27 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Dialog Box, Function, Script Step
So, if the Get function in the above conditional gets the value of the LAST message choice why is there no Get ( MessageChoice ) function?
Wouldn’t a Get ( DialogChoice ) function make more sense, since the value is harvested after the Show Custom Dialog script step. It would be easier to find in that list of functions.
Also, note how the options dialog box adds to the confusion
because 1) Button 1 is labeled Default Button and 2) the numbering is from left to right, where in the actual box those buttons are arranged from right to left:
P.S. The convention in the computer world is to start counting from zero. It is not beyond the capability of script writers to learn that fact!
Automatic Record Sort Event
10 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in New Feature
Where’d that record go? I was just editing it!
Surprise! Version 10 now changes record order before your very eyes, without even asking.
I hesitate to call this new feature the dumbest thing ever, but, it is. If I wanted to sort automatically, I’d use those highly touted script triggers.
The Automatic Record Sort event pulls the rug out from under Filemaker’s claim of intuitive performance, and signals a downturn in the efficacy of its new releases. Useability testing of this new version has obviously been short changed.
Here is one example of its inconvenience:
You have a list of records to edit. You edit one record and go to the next using the “Go to next record” button. A couple more clicks later, the same record appears! ”Didn’t I just edit that record?” you ask. The ARSe put your already edited record further down the list!
DIGFM – April Meeting
01 May 2009 Leave a Comment
Database Interest Group for Filemaker – 4/30/2009
Rick Aguirre is a senior certified FileMaker developer at Beezwax. He presented his advanced development techniques in FM10 using a template he created called PiVOT.
Find
16 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
I have a URL database with lots of urls listed. If I search in the url field for yahoo or yahoo*, the result is three records:
- google.com/yahoo
- yahoo.com
- yahoo.com/profile
If the search field is *yahoo* then the result is:
- billing.yahoo.com
- google.com/yahoo
- yahoo.com
- yahoo.com/profile
But, if the search field is *yahoo then only this is returned.
- google.com/yahoo
Make sense?
Allow Toolbars – Script Step
09 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
The Allow Toolbars[off] script step will grey-out (deselect) the menu option, and remove the formatting toolbar if it had been selected. Allow Toolbars[on] will show the toolbar ONLY if it had been previously selected.
Files always open with Formating Bar enabled and selected/showing.
If the Formating Bar is unselected from the menu, then Allow Toolbars[On] will enable Formating Bar, but not select it. Allow Toolbars[On] will show/select the Formatting Bar only if Allow Toolbars[Off] had previously disabled a selected/showing Formating Bar. In other words, Allow Toolbars[On] will enable but not show a Formatting Bar that had been deselected from the menu.
In Layout Mode, running any script takes you into Browse Mode, so the formatting bar is not scriptable in Layout Mode, but the menu option works as expected.
