FileMaker® 9 Developer Reference: Functions, Scripts, Commands, and Grammars, with Extensive Custom Function Examples [Paperback]

Bob Bowers (Author), Steve Lane (Author), Scott Love (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0789737086 | ISBN-13: 978-0789737083 | Publication Date: August 12, 2007 | Edition: 1

Maybe you know FileMaker, and you have used it for years, but need a quick reference, immediately accessible while not interrupting your work on screen. This is the only book on the market expressly focused on describing each calculation formula and how and when to use each! Filled with real-world, concrete examples, this book is an invaluable companion to readers working to develop solutions to their every day software problems. Contains hundreds of calculation functions, script steps, and operations that will appeal to every FileMaker user, new and old.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bob Bowers, CEO of Soliant Consulting, is a columnist and contributing editor for

FileMaker Advisor magazine and has coauthored five books: Advanced FileMaker Pro 5.5

Techniques for Developers, Advanced FileMaker Pro 6 Web Development, Special Edition Using

FileMaker 7, Special Edition Using FileMaker 8, and FileMaker 8 Functions and Scripts Desk

Reference. At the 2002 FileMaker Developer Conference he was awarded the FileMaker

Fellowship Award. Widely recognized as one of the leading educators for database and

FileMaker Pro technologies, he is authorized by FileMaker, Inc., to teach the Professional

Training Foundation Series. Bob is also a proud dad of two young children, an avid musician,

a die-hard Cubs fan, and an accomplished woodworker.

 

Steve Lane, vice president of Soliant Consulting, served as a special projects developer at

Scott Foresman, a leading K-6 Educational publisher. He has written for FileMaker Advisor

magazine, and coauthored four books: Advanced FileMaker Pro 6 Web Development, Special

Edition Using FileMaker Pro 7, Special Edition Using FileMaker 8, and FileMaker 8 Functions

and Scripts Desk Reference. He has led training classes in FileMaker technologies all over the

country and is also authorized to teach the Professional Training Foundation Series. He

regularly speaks at the annual FileMaker Developer Conference where in 2003 he was

awarded the FileMaker Fellowship Award for “pushing the boundaries of FileMaker Pro.”

When not writing about technology, Steve is likely to be found being chased about by his

children, or grumbling over the fingerings of J. S. Bach. Or just grumbling.

 

Scott Love, chief operating officer of Soliant Consulting, served at Ziff-Davis Interactive

as an online managing editor, served at Apple Computer as its web publishing technology

evangelist, and led the technical marketing team at Macromedia. He has written dozens

of feature and review articles on database and Internet/web topics for a wide range of

computer publications including Macworld magazine and FileMaker Advisor. He has coauthored

three books: Special Edition Using FileMaker 7, Special Edition Using FileMaker 8, and

FileMaker 8 Functions and Scripts Desk Reference. He is also an authorized Professional

Training Foundation Series instructor and a regular speaker at the FileMaker Developer

Conference. In 2006 he was awarded the FileMaker Excellence Award “for developing outstanding

technical and training resources for FileMaker.” Scott lives in the California Bay

Area where his penchant for gardening can be indulged year round.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Welcome to FileMaker 9 Developer Reference

Just the Facts

This is the book we've always wanted on our desks. Just as a writer always needs a dictionary nearby, we've found over years of developing FileMaker solutions that it'd be great to have a quick set of reminders within reach. It's impossible to recall each function's syntax or every script step's attributes. Although we use the Let( ) function every day, the exact output of RelationInfo() can be a little less fresh in our minds. This desk reference contains notes on all the script steps and calculation functions in FileMaker; provides lists of other facts such as error codes, port numbers, and XML grammars; and offers a library of useful or instructive custom function examples. We hope this book provides invaluable assistance to like-addle-minded developers everywhere, regardless of your experience with FileMaker.

Help Is a Function Key Away

Before going any further, we'd like to congratulate the tech writers, engineers, and product managers at FileMaker, Inc., for an excellent help system and electronic documentation. If you've never used FileMaker's help resources or website, you're missing a wealth of information. Both are fantastic places to learn, refresh your memory, or uncover areas of FileMaker you had no idea were there.

Sometimes, though, it's nice to leave what's on your screen unchanged, keep your work and your reference material separate, and be able to turn to actual paper. (It's hard to take notes in the help system, for example!)

Some of this book may overlap a bit with the help system, especially in cases where there's really nothing more to add: for example, as in the Abs() function. Where we hope this book does prove useful is in the additional information and examples we provide, the fact that it's collected all here on paper, and that it's more accessible during those times when you may not be in front of FileMaker or a laptop.

This desk reference is intended to be just that—a reference. It should serve beginners and experts alike and isn't intended to be read from cover to cover. Rather, the intent is that you'll look up functions you've forgotten, dog-ear useful pages, take notes, and find it a handy tool for building solutions quickly in FileMaker.

How This Book Is Organized

FileMaker 9 Developer Reference is divided into seven parts, each of which can stand on its own.

Part I: FileMaker Specifications

Part I covers the nuts and bolts of FileMaker's product family:

• Chapter 1, "FileMaker 9 Product Line," provides an overview of all FileMaker products and what purposes and audiences they serve.

• Chapter 2, "New Features of FileMaker 9"; Chapter 3, "Overview of FileMaker 8.5 Features"; and Chapter 4, "Overview of FileMaker 8 Features," provide an overview of the main features added to FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Pro Advanced in versions 8, 8.5, and 9.

• Chapter 5, "Specifications and Storage Limits," details the various hardware and software specifications for each product and other pertinent load statistics.

• Chapter 6, "Field Types and Import/Export Formats," reviews FileMaker's field data types and the details of supported import/export formats.

Part II: Calculation Functions

Part II details all FileMaker Pro calculation functions, syntax, and usage:

• Chapter 7, "Calculation Primer," reviews the layout and functionality of the calculation dialogs.

• Chapter 8, "Calculation Signatures," lists by category of the syntax and the output type for each calculation function.

• Chapter 9, "Calculation Functions," provides a complete description of each calculation function, lists examples, and in many cases offers additional comments on usage.

Part III: Custom Functions

Part III offers real-world examples of custom functions:

• Chapter 10, "Custom Function Primer," introduces the mechanics of creating custom functions, including how to build functions that use recursive logic.

• Chapter 11, "Useful Custom Functions," presents a collection of custom functions the authors have found useful or representative.

Part IV: Script Steps

Part IV reviews FileMaker's script steps and their options in detail:

• Chapter 12, "Scripting Primer," provides an overview of the mechanics of ScriptMaker and of working with script parameters, script results, and script variables.

• Chapter 13, "Script Step Reference," lists in alphabetical order all script steps in FileMaker Pro, their options, and notes on usage.

Part V: FileMaker Connectivity

Part V provides reference materials covering some of the major ways to connect to a FileMaker solution:

• Chapter 14, "FileMaker XML Reference," details FileMaker's XML grammars and provides a Custom Web Publishing command reference.

• Chapter 15, "FileMaker API for PHP," documents FileMaker's external API for PHP connectivity.

• Chapter 16, "JDBC/ODBC and External SQL Connectivity," reviews how to prepare a FileMaker solution for access from external applications via ODBC or JDBC, and how to configure a DSN for connecting a FileMaker solution to an ODBC data source.

• Chapter 17, "AppleScript Integration," provides an overview of the AppleScript object model for FileMaker.

Part VI: Quick Reference

Part VI provides quick reference to commonly needed FileMaker facts:

• Chapter 18, "FileMaker Error Codes," provides a complete list of all error codes.

• Chapter 19, "FileMaker Keyboard Shortcuts," lists shortcuts for both Mac and Windows.

• Chapter 20, "FileMaker Network Ports," lists information useful for IT/infrastructure support.

• Chapter 21, "FileMaker Server Command Line Reference," provides syntax and examples for administering FileMaker Server from a command line.

Part VII: Other Resources

Part VII helps you discover other ways to learn about FileMaker:

• Appendix A, "Additional Resources," presents a list of additional resources we have found helpful in FileMaker development.

Special Features

This book includes the following special features:

• Cross-references—Many topics are connected to other topics in various ways. Cross-references help you link related information together, no matter where that information appears in the book. When another section is related to one you are reading, a cross-reference directs you to a specific page in the book on which you will find the related information.

• Notes, Tips, and Cautions can be found in various spots throughout the book.

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Note - A note contains information that offers additional details about the topic being discussed. These notes give you added insight into the discussion, but aren't absolutely essential to understanding the given topic.

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Tip - A tip provides you with additional information that goes beyond what you might ordinarily know about a certain topic. Often, these tips contain helpful hints from our personal experience working with FileMaker over the years.

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Caution - Pay special attention to cautions. They are provided to help you avoid certain pitfalls, or to reiterate a specific point that could trip you up if you aren't careful.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Que; 1 edition (August 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789737086
• ISBN-13: 978-0789737083
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, April 6, 2008

By 

fm newbie "fm newbie" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: FileMaker® 9 Developer Reference: Functions, Scripts, Commands, and Grammars, with Extensive Custom Function Examples (Paperback)

This book can serve as a bible for using functions and script commands with it's thorough and easy to find listings.

It could only be better if more examples were provided for us newbies.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable, June 9, 2009

By 

Dane McGregor (Wilmette, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: FileMaker® 9 Developer Reference: Functions, Scripts, Commands, and Grammars, with Extensive Custom Function Examples (Paperback)

This is the one FM book that lives on my desk. I occasionally shelve it, only to end up pulling it out again a day later. I just hope they update it for version 10....

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference, September 30, 2008

By 

ElementalT - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: FileMaker® 9 Developer Reference: Functions, Scripts, Commands, and Grammars, with Extensive Custom Function Examples (Paperback)

This book paid for itself in the first hour of reading. I am a FileMaker professional and this book presents the information I need quickly.