FileMaker Nine
The release today of FileMaker Pro 9 and FileMaker Server 9 marks another milestone for FileMaker, Inc., as well as a significant new direction for the FileMaker family of products.
With the introduction of support for seamless connectivity to external SQL based data sources, the company demonstrates its continuing commitment to FileMaker Pro’s becoming an enterprise level player for businesses large and small. The ability to draw data from back-end “big iron” types systems such as Oracle and SQL Server 2005 and to utilize those data within the FileMaker Pro solution construct will open new markets for FileMaker products and for FileMaker developers.
While a considerable amount of attention and experimentation will center on this External SQL Source functionality, the new FileMaker Pro 9 and FileMaker Server 9 have some additional enhancements that are both compelling and useful:
•Scripts can now be organized into folders and subfolders, a major step forward in organization and management of even modestly complex solutions. Developers eagerly await the extension of this functionality to other objects such as tables, fields, layouts, and value lists.
•ScriptMaker now has non-modal windows, meaning that several scripts can be open for editing at the same time and that items can be copied from one to another without closing any windows. Additionally, developers can switch between ScriptMaker windows and layout windows.
•An enhanced script debugger permits running of scripts with subordinate level Accounts but then temporarily authenticating for high level privilege functions. As a result developers can see how the script behaves for different levels of privileges.
•Conditional formatting of layout objects, based either on hard-coded formulas or on dynamic calculation results will significantly enhance UI capabilities. For example, if an invoice is over 60 days old, its total can be made to turn to red automatically without need for scripting or other workarounds.
•In FileMaker Server 9 the venerable SAT Tool has been replaced on both Macintosh and Windows platforms with a new Uniform Admin Console. In an enhanced panel focused on connected users, the Account Name, Privilege Set name, and IP address of each connected user can be made to display.
•Since Custom Web Publishing is now part of the core FileMaker Server 9 product, its configuration is also managed through the Uniform Admin Console. The configuration options have been simplified and more tightly integrated into the core parts of the Console. For example, there is no longer the need to specify the User ID and Passcode or to have separate credentials for accessing the Web Publishing Engine’s management options.
•Finally, FileMaker, Inc. added several new functions to FileMaker Pro 9, my favorite of which is the Self function. As its name implies, it returns the content of the object in which a calculation is defined. This is useful for creating a single calculation formula that can be applied to many different objects. It provides a way for a calculation to reference an associated object without having explicitly to reference it.
Steven H. Blackwell
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