Today we have a tip for you without using MBS FileMaker Plugin and in pure FileMaker. Let's say you like to query current records in your found set as JSON, how would you do this?
First you need the list of the primary keys and we like to use a While() for this. For older FileMaker versions, you could use FM.Loop instead. The loop goes over found set and just queries primary key fields for all records in found set:
While ( [ liste = ""; i = 0 ] ; i < Get(FoundCount) ; [ i = i + 1; liste = GetNthRecord ( FileMaker Ideas::PrimaryKey ; i ) & "¶" & liste ] ; liste )
We could store this in $Keys and then continue with building the request, which needs to include the layout to use and the query, which looks for all the records by ID.
Set Variable [ $Request ; Value: JSONSetElement ( "{}" ;
[ "layouts" ; "FileMaker Ideas" ; JSONString ] ;
[ "query" ; "[{ \"PrimaryKey\":\"==" & Substitute($Keys; ¶; "\"},¶{ \"PrimaryKey\":\"==") & "\" }]" ; JSONArray ]
) ]
Now we can just run this via Data API:
Execute FileMaker Data API [ Select ; Target: $$JSON ; $Request ]
Now you can query the result from the response:
Set Variable [ $$Result ; Value: JSONFormatElements ( JSONGetElement ( $$JSON ; "response.data" ) ) ]
And if you use MBS FileMaker Plugin, get some color to show JSON in a field:
Set Variable [ $$ResultColored ; Value: MBS("JSON.Colorize"; $$Result) ]
Please try and let me know if you can use this in your development in FileMaker.
As you may know we have a variable check for FileMaker script workspace for macOS in MBS FileMaker Plugin. This works fine for most scripts, but you may need to know a few pitfalls. Since the plugin reads what is in the script workspace window and FileMaker truncates long lines, it will not catch a variable mistyped in a very long line. When we read a calculation like this one:
Let([
// define some variables
$varDefined = 1; $secondVarDefined = 2]; $varDefined)
The plugin sees it as
Let([ // define some variables $varDefined = 1; $secondVarDefined = 2]; $varDefined)
We don't get line breaks, so we have no idea where the comment ends and thus we can't find mistyped variable there.
There has been a problem that not scanning Let() for variable definitions, we now allow you to add a comment in front of the Let() or custom function call to define the variables: Start with a // comment and add they keywords @variable, @parameter or @constant (or shorter @var, @param or @const), then add a new line and continue with the calculation.
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New in this prerelease of version 13.5 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
DropBox folder or ask for being added to the DropBox shared folder.
As you may know, you can show a list dialog with MBS FileMaker Plugin by using our ListDialog functions. For next version 13.5 we add new functions for having checkboxes in the list.
Screenshot from macOS:
The list dialog can now operate in multiple modes:
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New in this prerelease of version 13.5 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
DropBox folder or ask for being added to the DropBox shared folder.
For the upcoming MBS FileMaker Plugin 13.5 release, we add three new functions:
JSONPath queries can be used in FileMaker to work with JSON data, which is increasingly common in modern application development. FileMaker allows you to work with JSON data using the JSON functions introduced in FileMaker 16 and later versions as well as with JSON functions in our plugin. JSONPath queries can be useful in the following ways:
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JMESPath (pronounced "jay-mess-path") is a query language and a specification for searching and extracting data from JSON documents. It provides a way to perform complex queries and transformations on JSON data, making it easier to work with structured data within JSON objects. JMESPath is similar in concept to other query languages like SQL for databases or XPath for XML documents, but it's specifically designed for JSON.
We add JMESPath to our MBS FileMaker Plugin for the upcoming version 13.5 with the JSON.Search function. You may use this function to find things and then also check JSON.Replace to replace values you selected with an expression.
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New in this prerelease of version 13.5 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Changed ListDialog.ShowDialog to allow two line prompt line for macOS.
- Fixed font for ListDialog's filter to make it bigger.
- Rewrote script triggers for Phidget functions to not queue up too many scripts.
- Added Command-Option-Shift-C to calculation text field for macOS to copy text with formatting as html:
- Command-C: Copy as text
- Command-Option-C: Copy as styled text
- Command-Option-Shift-C: Copy as HTML
Added Preview.SetFocus function.
Added Phidget.ClearScriptTrigger function.
Added ListDialog.GetShowCheckboxes and ListDialog.SetShowCheckboxes functions.
Added ListDialog.GetChecked and ListDialog.SetChecked functions.
Added MongoDB Audit.fmp12 example file.
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
DropBox folder or ask for being added to the DropBox shared folder.
Did you know the
MBS FileMaker Plugin can run on all FileMaker versions from 7 to 20.2.1?
As of today the current 32-bit Windows version can load in ancient FileMaker Pro 7. We don't expect clients to use that, but from time to time, a client asks about an older FileMaker version. We highly recommend to upgrade to a more recent version.
As of today, we have about 21% of users with FileMaker 20.x, about 72% on some 19.x version and just about 6% on older versions.
For macOS we support currently macOS 10.13 and newer in FileMaker 14 and newer. If you need plugins folder older macOS versions or 32-bit FileMaker Pro, please let us know.
For Windows we support currently Windows 8 and newer. Some features require Windows 10 or newer of course. Please contact us if you need a MBS Plugin version to run on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2012 for some reason.
We also support the Claris Pro/Server line of products in case you use them.
And of course we work hard to get our plugin ready for the future. We usually test with future FileMaker versions in beta testing, so we are ready for any change long before the release.
Let us know if you have questions.
Your application may only have limited access to the calendar database on macOS Sonoma. The user can decide whether you get full access or just add access. See this screenshot from system preferences:
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Just one month until the
EngageU conference. ClickWorks and Square Moon continue to organize a pan-european conference for Claris FileMaker developers from all over the world.
EngageU - FileMaker Conference
12th - 14th of November 2023, Antwerp, Belgium
After the conference in Malmö last year, we see the second conference coming to Belgium. This will be the largest in-person European FileMaker conference this year with about 200 participants. Claris is expected to join and all presentations will be in English.
Please don't miss this event and sign up for the conference soon:
EngageU
And it's great reason for people from all around the world to do a business trip to see Belgium.
More events are listed on our
events website.
New in this prerelease of version 13.5 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Added Plugin.UsedFunctionCounts function.
- Added flag to Plugin.ObjectCounts function to skip zero values.
- Added Command-Shift-F shortcut to show find & replace interface in calculation text field.
- Fixed find bar in data viewer for the case you got actually two of them.
- Fixed an edge case for shifting formula text left.
- Fixed an issue with WebHook functions and HTTP headers sent in chunks.
- Updated DynaPDF to version 4.0.79.231.
- Added DynaPDF.CreateGeospatialMeasure function.
- Updated SQLAPI to version 5.2.6.
- Updated SQLite to version 3.42.1.
- Fixed an issue with RtlProcessFlsData crashing on Windows.
- Updated CURL to version 8.4.0.
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
DropBox folder or ask for being added to the DropBox shared folder.
Did you know you can run CURL commands in background with MBS FileMaker Plugin?
Let's start with a simple Insert From URL script like the following one. $url has the URL to query and $json the data to send to whatever web API you like to query. The headers include authentication and content types. Nothing special. The query runs and stores result in $$result and a log into $$debug. Here is the script:
Set Variable [ $options ; Value: "-X POST --header \"Authorization: Basic <<API KEY>>\" --header \"Content-Type: application/json\" --header \"Accept: application/json\" --trace $$debug --data @$json " ]
Insert from URL [ Select ; With dialog: Off ; Target: $$result ; $url ; cURL options: $options ; Do not automatically encode URL ]
After this is run through, you may inspect Get(LastError) as well as $$result and $$debug. And depending on how long your query runs, the FileMaker script may pause. If the server isn't answering, it may wait 90 seconds for a timeout (unless changed). Especially if you upload images over slow connections, the user may have to wait.
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Claris comes back with an in-person conference and well, they are a bit cautious after the pandemic. Will people return in numbers like before?
For 2024 Claris decided to keep the ball low and pick an Apple owned facility to run the conference. Sure, that saves a lot of money, which previously went to Marriott, but it separates the conference a lot from the hotel. Attendees are asked to pick a hotel in the The Domain area, a development in north Austin with a lot of shops and restaurants. It should be easy for us to meet there at various hotel bars or restaurants after the show.
The
Claris Engage conference will take place one day in the Apple Campus (6900 West Parmer Lane) for training and keynote. After the keynote, we'll have a party (reception?) with food and drinks. Plenty of time to welcome old friends and talk about the keynote content. The other two days are on a different Apple Campus (5505 Parmer Lane). All the sessions will be there with lunches and refreshment breaks. Since there is no bus shuttle, be sure to organize car pools with your fellow developers.
Since the conference is going to be smaller, we attend just with one person and that is me. Not sure if we get a booth this time. As the conference is basically only 2 days plus keynote on the evening before, we expect quite a few Europeans to skip the conference this year. They would be traveling longer, then they'd be at the conference! And of course Europeans may prefer to just got to
EngageU in Europe (12th - 14th of November 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium). February in Austin may not encourage attendees to stay longer and make it a little vacation.
The conference ticket is $1399 USD plus optional a $449 USD training day ticket. The early bird offer sold out the first day, so 200 people got their ticket already. If you stay at home, there is a $99 option to get just the recordings. No idea whether recordings may eventually go to Claris' channel on YouTube like the years before.
Some decisions are hard to understand. We hoped for the Nashville conference plans to be executed for 2024 (after being cancelled in 2020), but that didn't happen. I really hope for a bigger conference in 2025, maybe in California, if Apple has bigger facilities there? The yearly conference is the show case of the platform. It shows how many people are interested in the products, it brings together the developers to share knowledge, it lets Claris show off their new stuff and it creates high level content to show and publish later.
See you in
Antwerp and in
Austin!
New in this prerelease of version 13.5 of the
MBS FileMaker Plugin:
- Added Plugin.ObjectCounts function.
- Tuned calculation formatter.
- Fixed plugin not loading on macOS 10.13.
- Fixed a problem with Phidget triggers not firing for e.g. IlluminanceChange.
PS: Sorry, but version number of new plugin is till 13.5.0.01, not 2.
Download at
monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/files/Prerelease/, in
DropBox folder or ask for being added to the DropBox shared folder.