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.
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!
