If you are looking to debug a problem with your Xojo code using MBS Xojo DynaPDF Plugin, we can help with our trace feature.
Dim pdf As New MyDynapdfMBS
pdf.TraceFile = SpecialFolder.Desktop.Child("dynapdf.txt")
Once you put the TraceFile assignment there, the plugin will open the file and start writing log messages until the PDF is object is done. The output may look like this:
Now you see more than you may be calling directly. You see the file path used for creating the PDF with CreateNewPDF function. Then we call SetDocInfo to set the subject field for the PDF. We set page coordinate system and append a page, which implicitly clears page graphics. Next we set a font and write something and you see all the details like the code page 39, which is unicode. We close the page, which clears page graphics again in case you used it. We close the file and save it, which invokes optionally the progress events until the destructor runs finally and ends the trace file.
If you build a complex PDF and you call thousands of DynaPDF functions, this log may help you to find the errors by looking for error messages or result codes here.
Now if your database runs on a Mac and MBS FileMaker Plugin is installed, you can use the syntax coloring of our plugin to format the formula, e.g. like this script:
If [ MBS( "IsMacOS" ) = 1 ] Set Variable [ $r ; Value: MBS( "SyntaxColoring.Format"; EvaluateTest::Expression; 0 ) ]
Set Field [ EvaluateTest::Expression ; $r ] End If
The check For MacOS is to make sure we call it on MacOS and to check if the plugin is installed at all. If the plugin is missing, this will fail as a condition and then the format function is not called. The SyntaxColoring.Format function uses the syntax coloring definitions the plugin uses for formatting the expressions in the calculation dialog and you can change those. See fmSyntaxColorizer or other databases which provide an interface on the MBS Plugin function SyntaxColoring.AddTag to register those rules.
Check Error
To check for errors you may want to use EvaluationError on the result of Evaluate function. But in the expression you may want to have a Let wrapped in an If(false; ...) expression. The If makes sure the code will go through the parser for the syntax check, but not actually run. The Let with the expression makes sure we wrap your expression properly and you don't mess with the If. In case there are comments in the expression, the ¶ will block any // comment causing an error.
Here we test the If/Let evaluate combination:
Finally we put all in a script to run when expression field is saved and we put the error number into a field in our script:
Set Error Capture [ On ] Set Variable [ $expression ; Value: "If(false; Let(r=" & EvaluateTest::Expression & "¶;0))" ]
Set Variable [ $e ; Value: EvaluationError(Evaluate($expression)) ]
Set Field [ EvaluateTest::Error ; $e ]
To get a list of the error codes possible, please check the list in the documentation in the 1200 to 1225 range.
Today at the Heise MacDev, a Mac & iOS developer conference organized by Heise publisher.
In the last ten years I visited Macoun a couple of times. Now we may end up having two conferences in Germany for Mac & iOS developers. Let's learn new techniques, meet local developers and get new contacts.
In the last weeks we worked on a bigger project for our Xojo plugins. As you may know we support both GraphicsMagick and ImageMagick libraries in our plugin. For GraphicsMagick we build the library and embed it in our plugins. For ImageMagick we do not embed the library, so you need to bring your own library file. In our Xojo plugins we used to be based on version 6.9 of ImageMagick and we have three configurations: 8, 16 and 32 bit depth. We have each class for ImageMagick three times and by using one of the classes, you pick the depth you want, e.g. IMImageQ16MBS class for 16 bit. Then you need to load at runtime in your application the right library (DLL/dylib/so) and the classes can work.
For Image Magic 7 the API changes significantly. Half of the plugin code needed an update or rewrite. As we had to rewrite, we took a bigger approach. We created a new set of classes, all with 7 in the name. As ImageMagick now supports High Dynamic Range Images in the HDRI versions of the library, we got 7 combinations of 8, 16, 32, 64 bit with and without HDRI (There is no 64bit without HDRI). For a time we had all classes compiled in 7 versions, but this was not the designed we liked. How would it be to have one class which adapts?
After a few changes to the plugin code we got exactly this. You load the library and we run a few functions to ask the library whether it supports HDRI and what the desired depth is. In our functions to fill an image with a Xojo picture, we now branch out to the right code to convert a pixel from 8 bit in Xojo per channel into the desired bit depth. Yes, we have 7 functions in C code for this and use the right one.
You can simply download the current ImageMagick libraries from the website, e.g. ImageMagick-x86_64-apple-darwin19.0.0.tar.gz for MacOS or ImageMagick-7.0.9-7-Q16-HDRI-x64-dll.exe for Windows 64-bit. On Windows with installer just install it and the path environment variable points to the right folder, so you can just load the DLL by name. For MacOS, please point to the right dylib file. This works fine for us with 16 bit color depth on Mac and 16 bit HDRI on Windows.
Please try the new ImageMagick7 classes. ImageMagick is a huge library. We have already over 200 methods there to edit images with a lot of effects. But we are not yet done. But if you see a method you miss, please contact us.
Recently a customer asked for a signature field in FileMaker. As usual we replied with a note that this can be done with web viewer and a HTML 5 canvas control doing drawing. Then capture content with JavaScript and pass to FileMaker. The MBS FileMaker Plugin may help with WebView.RunJavaScript function. To transfer bigger blocks of text WebView.SetFormTextAreaValue and WebView.GetFormTextAreaValue can help with a hidden text area control. See video:
The script to save is quite easy as it just asks canvas to save its content as base64 encoded png image into the hidden text area. Then uses WebView.GetFormTextAreaValue to query this value, cuts out the header and decodes the base64 image:
Set Variable [ $r ; Value: MBS( "WebView.RunJavaScript" ; "web"; "formtest.output.value = document.getElementsByTagName('canvas')[0].toDataURL('image/png');" ) ]
Set Variable [ $dataURL ; Value: MBS( "WebView.GetFormTextAreaValue" ; "web"; "formtest"; "output"; 0 ) ]
Set Variable [ $p ; Value: Position($DataURL; ","; 1; 1) ] If [ $p > 0 ] Set Variable [ $data ; Value: Middle($dataURL; $p + 1; Length($dataURL)) ]
Set Field [ Signature Field::Data ; Base64Decode ( $data; "signature.png" ) ] End If
We hope you like this example: SignatureField.zip. We'll include it in future plugin releases as an example.
Our Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale continues till Tuesday evening:
First use coupon code BlackFridayMBS for our web shop to order new licenses with a 20% discount. Works for both FileMaker and Xojo plugin licenses.
If you have special needs, you can email us to get an invoice or Paypal payment link directly. We know some people need to wait till next week to order, so the offer is valid till Tuesday.
Second if you have purchased previously an individual MBS Xojo Plugin part from the Complete Set within the last two years, but not the whole set, we offer you an upgrade to the Complete set for the update price. Please consider to get the whole collection of 35 plugins instead of just one plugin.
Fixed an issue where text positions would block you from selecting which context to use for evaluating a formula.
Fixed bug with random number generator on Windows not always working very randomly on server scripts.
Fixed Dialog.Reset functions to also remove fields.
Fixed issue from 9.5 where SmartCard.ReadFile would not read last chunk correctly.
Fixed issue with "Non-public API usage" for iOS app store. Some function names in the plugin have the same name as those on Apple's forbidden list. Now the plugin passes again.
Fixed issue with CubeSQL client in SQL Plugin to allow SHOW commands to work.
Improved performance for EventMonitor functions on Windows to avoid problems moving the mouse.
Customers send support requests, purchase licenses or use our web forms, but later some complain we never answered.
Please check if you may have met one of this conditions:
Check if you typed your email address correctly. Copy & Paste the email used and send a test email there. Maybe you missed a letter or swapped a few and don't see it yourself.
Check your spam folder for an answer. Sometimes our emails end up in spam folder.
Contact us with another email address. If your email server blocks us, we can't easily reach you. A second email address may be handy for us to contact you.
Check if you can white list our email address for your mail server.
Check if your mailbox on the server is not full. Moving a few emails in your mail app from inbox into a local archive folder may free up space on the server.
Send your email again after two days. Sometimes an email just gets lost.
It is sometimes scary how angry people can get if they don't get an answer in time. Sometimes we need to lookup a phone number and call clients to inform them their email is broken.
As usual, this just works fine for 99% of all emails.
Noch 7 Monate bis zur FileMaker Konferenz 2020 in Malbun (Liechtenstein) und zur MBS FileMaker Plugin Schulung am Mittwoch vorher.
Vom 17. bis 20. Juni 2020 findet die elfte deutschsprachige FileMaker Konferenz in Malbun, Liechtenstein statt. Aktuell werden Sprecher gesucht mit interessanten Vorschlägen für Sessions. Bitte reichen Sie Ihre Vorschläge bis zum 10. Dezember 2019 einreichen. Wir haben schon fleissig vorbereitet und diesmal fünf Vorschläge eingereicht.
Die Veranstalter vom Verein FM Konferenz erwarten auch 2020 rund 120 Entwickler, Anwender, IT-Fachleute und Entscheidungsträger aus Wirtschaft, Bildung und Verwaltung. Rund um über 20 Fachvorträge und Workshops wird es viel Zeit zum Vernetzen in den gemeinsamen Pausen und beim Abendprogramm geben.
Für den Deutschsprachigen Raum ist diese Konferenz das Treffen des Jahres. Hier finden Sie vom Anfänger bis zum Profi Kontakte zu anderen Entwicklern. Lernen Sie was es neues gibt, lernen Sie wie man Probleme löst und erzählen Sie den FileMaker Mitarbeitern was Sie sich für die Zukunft bei FileMaker wünschen!
Die MBS Plugin Schulung vorher findet voraussichtlich am 17. Juni 2020 statt (im gleichen Hotel).
Interesse an mehr? Die Claris Engage Europe 2020 vom 26. bis 28. Oktober 2020 bietet deutlich mehr Vorträge, mehr internationale Teilnehmer und vor allem FileMaker Mitarbeiter aus den USA, die gerne mal einen Blick unter die Haube von FileMaker bieten.
Less than four months till the XOJO.CONNECT 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. In the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale you can get a ticket $200 off from the regular $999 ticket price.
It will be held March 25-27, 2020 in Nashville, TN at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. This conferences is the best place to meet Xojo developers from around the world in real live, make contacts, present yourself as expert and learn what is new in Xojo. Registration is currently $200 off full price till Monday night. Please sign up early to get the best deal.
Check out the conference highlights video if you want to see what it's like - or ask one of the many attendees from the forum!
PS: If you fly from Europe, it can be cheaper for the tickets to add a few extra days and stop for example in New York compared to flying directly.
We wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all our clients, partners and friends all over the world.
For Black Friday we decided to offer this year two things:
First use coupon code BlackFridayMBS for our web shop to order new licenses with a 20% discount. Works for both FileMaker and Xojo plugin licenses.
If you have special needs, you can email us to get an invoice or Paypal payment link directly. We know some people need to wait till next week to order, so the offer is valid till Tuesday.
Second if you have purchased previously an individual MBS Xojo Plugin part from the Complete Set within the last two years, but not the whole set, we offer you an upgrade to the Complete set for the update price. Please consider to get the whole collection of 35 plugins instead of just one plugin.
Xojo Inc. runs their yearly Black Friday weekend sale:
The biggest sale of the year for developers!
Everything Xojo is 20% off for one weekend only! That means new licenses, renewals and upgrades are all 20% off this Friday, November 29th through Monday, December 2nd. Also, all 3rd party products and Xojo Developer Conference videos are 20% off! XOJO.CONNECT tickets are also discounted to the early bird price. No coupon required.
Save on new licenses, renewals and upgrades.
Xojo licenses are available in the following options:
Xojo Pro - Get one license for Desktop, Web, iOS, and Raspberry Pi, plus many extras like priority support and beta access. Also, your Xojo Pro license will work on up to 3 of your own machines.
Xojo Pro Plus - Everything in Xojo Pro, plus an extra level of support.
Xojo Desktop - Develop and build apps for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Xojo Web - Build web apps that can run on Linux, Windows or macOS servers and support Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer.
Xojo iOS - Create native iPad and iPhone apps.
Interested in upgrading to Desktop, Xojo Pro or Xojo Pro Plus?
You can check your upgrade price here and come back during the sale to save an additional 20%. Upgrades from Xojo Lite to full Desktop are available by contacting Customer service at hello@xojo.com.
Tell Your Friends
Help spread the word about Xojo - tell your friends about this sweet deal to get them started with Xojo. Xojo comes with a 90-day money back guarantee.
XOJO.CONNECT 2020 Special Offer
We have already reached the end of our early bird pricing, but we will still offer the special $799 discounted price during this sale! Save $200 though Cyber Monday.
*Xojo Cloud is not included in the sale.
This sale includes third-party items in the Xojo Store. If you like to order directly from us, please use coupon code BlackFridayMBS in our web shop or email use for an invoice or Paypal link (for new licenses only).
For years we told people to use prepared statements. But recently we run a test to see what happens in real world. So we created a login form on our website. The login form, does never log you in and just writes down the login credentials to a database using prepared statements. This page is not linked and no human should ever find it. But there are bots testing whether you have some common folder names like "wordpress", "admin" or "login".
Unions
After a few weeks, we checked the database and got hundreds of login attempts. At least 100 per month come to our form. Most of the things entered in our form are attempts to exploit the SQL with an SQL injection. We see common patterns like the following values for user name:
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
' UNION ALL SELECT NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL,NULL--
If you don't use prepared statements, this would end the string of the username comparison and combine the result with an second result with the given number of NULL values. If this is valid SQL, it may execute. e.g. if you have a query like
"SELECT UserID FROM Users WHERE Username='"+username+"' AND Password='"+Password+"'"
the attack will be successful. Instead of the proper way:
"SELECT UserID FROM Users WHERE Username=? AND Password=?"
The user names from above will end the quote from user name, do the union and declare the rest of the line to be a comment with the two dashes. If the first try works, the login may first succeed and second the attacker knows we have one field in the result.
(more)
Did you know that in Xojo you can have a desktop project to run also optionally as command line tool?
With App.ArgumentsMBS the MBS Xojo Plugins provide a convenient way to get the command line parameters. Your application can query them at startup in app.Open event and check whether there are commands which need to run as command line tool. You may get arguments like file paths to open via OpenDocument event, so you may decide about the console or desktop mode with other parameters.
If you detect no special commands, you just continue with your normal application flow. Otherwise, you branch into code to do the console portions of the application. When this returns, you can do a flush on StdoutMBS and then use ExitMBS(0) to quit the application and return error code zero. Or return any other exit code, so if the application is called in a batch environment in a shell script, you can detect whether there was an error.
In your method doing the console portion, use StdInMBS class to read input and StdOutMBS class to write output. For Windows there is a special call to StdoutMBS.AttachConsole method needed to connect StdOutMBS to the current command window.
Like to try this? Just check "Console and GUI in one project" example project coming with the MBS Xojo Util Plugin.
In this article Stefanie introduces some of the new functions of the MBS Plugin version 9.5.
The list dialog
At first we start with news about the list dialog for Windows and Mac. With the list dialog component we show a list dialog with entries and you can select an item. With the new plugin version you can add a new third button to this dialog. For example it can call an information website for this dialog. In the following script we create a listdialog with two items and an info button.
Due to a change in PreparedStatement interface we had to update our SQLPreparedStatementMBS class in the MBS Xojo SQL Plugin. As we also updated APIs for some functions to better support MacOS Catalina, improved variant and DateTime handling in the 19.5 plugins, please makes sure you use the latest plugins for 2019r2 and 2019r2.1.
We are happy to see the refinements made for API 2.0 and look forward on what's coming for 2019r3 or 2020r1.
Check our QuickLook Plugin for Xojo to see which project is made with what Xojo version. We currently have 12 versions of Xojo installed and in use for various projects.
If you are looking to debug a problem with your Xojo code using MBS Xojo DynaPDF Plugin, we can help with our trace feature.
In the last weeks we worked on a bigger project for our Xojo plugins. As you may know we support both GraphicsMagick and ImageMagick libraries in our plugin. For GraphicsMagick we build the library and embed it in our plugins. For ImageMagick we do not embed the library, so you need to bring your own library file. In our Xojo plugins we used to be based on version 6.9 of ImageMagick and we have three configurations: 8, 16 and 32 bit depth. We have each class for ImageMagick three times and by using one of the classes, you pick the depth you want, e.g. 
New in this prerelease of version 9.5 of the MBS FileMaker Plugin:
Noch 7 Monate bis zur 
Xojo Inc. runs their yearly Black Friday weekend sale:
Did you know that in Xojo you can have a desktop project to run also optionally as command line tool?
