FileMaker Pro Design and Scripting For Dummies

Timothy Trimble

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780471786481
• eBook ISBN: 9781118043998
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Databases
• Index: Computer Science

Get the scoop on designing databases for Mac and Windows Use FileMaker Pro design and scripting to quickly, easily build databases that solve real problems FileMaker Pro has grown up, and it's better than ever! This easy-to-use guide shows you how to design a great FileMaker application, build a database that works, add the functionality you need, populate your database, and venture into programming with ScriptMaker. You'll find out how to share and protect your database, too. Discover how to
* Build a layout that works
* Create custom triggers and calculated fields
* Generate reports automatically
* Manage security
* Publish your database on the Web
* Embed pictures, sound, and video

Part I

Getting to Know FileMaker Pro

In this part . . .

You take the first steps toward building your own application in this part. Chapter 1 introduces application design the FileMaker way by explaining what you can do and what version you need to do it, and taking you on a crash course of the interface from a developer’s perspective. Chapter 2 shows you how to create the foundation of your application — the database that will hold the data. And Chapter 3 gets you started with building calculations in the Calculation Editor and adding them to your database. If you’re new to development, this may seem like a huge undertaking, but FileMaker (and these chapters) make it easier than you’d think.

Chapter 1

Introducing FileMaker Pro

In This Chapter

Why FileMaker?

Knowing what to use FileMaker for

Choosing a version of FileMaker

Using toolbars

Configuring FileMaker

How many times have you heard the phrase “information is power”? The ability to keep and manage information accurately is indeed powerful, especially when that information is vital to your business or personal life. FileMaker places that power in your hands by giving you the ability to easily create, manage, and view vital (and sometimes not so vital) information. The good news is that a certificate from High Tech U is not required to tap into all that power!

Why Use FileMaker?

Yes, you can choose from a lot of products designed for keeping track of information. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Microsoft Access, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Acius 4D, FoxBase, MySQL, and dBASE (Yes, it’s still around). So, with all these other products out there, why should you use FileMaker? Here are just some of the reasons:

Through the use of layouts, FileMaker provides a point-and-click interface for designing databases without requiring you to have prior database experience.

FileMaker allows for cross-platform databases for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. You can design your database in one environment and run it on both platforms.

You can publish your database to the Web in just a few clicks, which means that users on any platform with a compatible browser can use your database — even Linux users.

FileMaker lets you save data as an Adobe PDF, a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, an XML document, and many other formats for importing and exporting data.

FileMaker comes with 30 Starter Solutions databases that you can put to work right away, or you can examine their script code, layouts, and databases to find more about FileMaker development.

You can easily use FileMaker for storing and showing pictures and movies, playing sounds, and linking with many different multimedia file types.

FileMaker provides full, multiuser support for up to five users without requiring the user to add any additional licenses or patches. (FileMaker Server supports up to 250 users.)

FileMaker has a powerful point-and-click script programming environment for creating sophisticated applications, while it preserves an easy-to-use list of robust functions that can be assigned to buttons and layout objects.

With over 10 million licensed copies sold, FileMaker is a significant database design and development tool for use by novices and seasoned developers.

Common uses for FileMaker

Now that you have the power of FileMaker in your hands, what are the types of things that you can use FileMaker for? Here are some common databases that have been designed with FileMaker:

Contact management: That’s a fancy way of saying an address book. This is one of the most prevalent uses for FileMaker. In fact, one of the sample applications that comes with FileMaker is named Contact Manager. It’s perfect for tracking your personal and business contacts.

Inventory control: Need a place to track all your products? Many developers design...

Table of contents

• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Part I : Getting to Know FileMaker Pro
• Part II : Building the Perfect Beast
• Part III : Taking Control with FileMaker Programming
• Part IV : FileMaker Exposed! Sharing and Protecting Your Database
• Part V : The Part of Tens