MacBook Pro Video Woes
I woke up this morning to find that my trusty MacBook Pro was having problems. It had been in sleep mode, and when I woke it there was no video output at all.Restarting it did nothing. I then tried zapping the PRAM (by pressing and holding the Command-Option-P-R keys when booting) a few times, and that didn't help.I booted from the OSX install CD, and still nothing...At that part, I started toTechnique: Dynamic-Dynamic Value Lists
I’ve been showing around a technique that I’ve come up with that, while not overly mind-blowing, I have not seen demonstrated anywhere else. It allows the developer to create a value list that changes to entirely different content for each record that it is used on.
Now you may be thinking of what is known as a “dynamic value list” and indeed this uses that technique as well, but other tricks are employed to give an even greater variety of content to popups and menus.
It all depends on the fact that a list to FileMaker is any set of values that are separated by carriage returns. You can create any text values, stick carriage returns between them and they become a list. If you put them in a field and point a value list definition at that field you can receive back all the values listed there. This can be done on a field by field basis.
In addition you can also stuff that field with the contents of a predefined value list (static or dynamic) using the ValueListItems function.
The other bit of geekery is a calculation field that takes as its input the content of another field, makes some decisions about it and turns it into a list. Add a new related table occurrence and use that (and your new calculation) in your value list definition.
Whew, now I have me confused. Maybe I should go watch the video I just created so I know what I’m talking about!
If you’d like, you can too, right here.
March 18 Meeting Agenda Annnounced
Our meeting this month is shaping up to be an event you won’t want to miss. Our speakers have been doing some traveling lately and are back amongst us with their insights.
To lead off, Brian Ginn, fresh from his recent travels in China, will regale you with–not his photographs and videos of the Chinese countryside and New Year’s celebrations, unfortunately–but with the culmination of our series on script triggers. For those of you that have ever set up a nice little tab set in FileMaker, only to have it forget where it last was when you switch to a different layout and back again, Brian has a cool way to make sure that your tab selections stay right where you last left them. His demo will also demonstrate his passion for all things with the words “social” and “media” in their names by showing you how to integrate Google Docs, straight from the cloud and right into your own programs.
Also returning from a foreign country (one called California), KFUG member Teresa Wilkins will share her experiences at last month’s FileMaker Bootcamp. This long-running, intensive immersion experience is held in Southern California and boasts several famous FileMaker luminaries on its faculty. Teresa says, “Bootcamp! It’s not for everyone, but if it’s right for you then you’re gonna love it. I’ll give a broad-strokes overview of what the experience was like and who might benefit most from it. I’ll share some tasty knowledge morsels that I picked up - quick bites and food for thought! Then I’ll end by sharing some great resources for users at every level, with an emphasis on custom menus and the brilliantly accessible wisdom of Jerry Robbins.”
Fresh off an encore engagement in Fort Wayne, Indiana (not quite as exotic as the aforementioned locales, but the natives are friendly), Jonathan Fletcher will have a handout and short presentation on FileMaker-related resources available around the ‘net. From helpful blogs to downloadable software, the internet houses a wealth of useful information for the aspiring (and experienced) FileMaker user/developer. Want to know how to get your questions answered? There’s a site for that.
And for the hot news of the week: FileMaker 11 is out! That means that FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro Advanced, FileMaker Server and FileMaker Server Advanced all have new versions with a metric boatload of new features and stuff to talk about. Jonathan will end his presentation with a short overview of some of the higher profile new features to be found in the latest versions of our favorite toys.
That said, stay tuned for an official announcement about the return of the Bill and Bill show. Bill Kaiser, FileMaker Inc.’s Midwest Business Account Manager and Bill Heizer, FileMaker Inc.’s Senior Consulting Engineer spoke to our group in November and wowed us with their presentation on FileMaker 10. Well, they’re going to do it again with FileMaker 11. Invites will be going out to the wider community of registered users in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, so we expect another SRO turnout. While tentatively scheduled for the May 20th meeting at this point, we’re not inking it into our Day-Timer just yet. We’ll let you know the minute we get firm confirmation.
Don’t forget you can get more info about our next meeting and also RSVP at: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php
Thanks again and see you on the 18th!
–
Alan Bird
Jonathan Fletcher
Brian Ginn
Bill Holt
Byron Songer
Special Product Briefing: Getting the Most Out of the FileMaker 11 Product Line
On March 16, 2010, our guests will be Alexei Folger (Senior Systems Engineer), and Glen Suarez (Business Account Manager) from FileMaker, Inc.
Please register using the link provided as space is limited. Your registration will be especially appreciated and will help us in planning for food and refreshments! Register Now!
In this meeting, we’ll get an update on the FileMaker 11 Product Line, discuss some of our current issues, and have some of our most pressing FileMaker questions answered.
Whether you are new to FileMaker or an experienced developer, you will find this meeting useful and informative. You’ll discover all the exciting features that make FileMaker Pro 11 such a valuable tool–such as FileMaker Charts, scripting, calculations, the enhanced Layout/Report Assistant, Quick Find, Inspector, Portal Filtering, Snapshot Link and more! You’ll also learn about resources that are available to help keep you up-to-date.
Don’t miss this special opportunity to talk with Miss Alexei and Mr. Glen face-to-face and meet other like-minded FileMaker users and developers.
Please note, we’ll be meeting in a new location this month:
City of Scottsdale’s Paiute Neighborhood Center
Building 9 Lecture Hall
6535 East Osborn Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
The Lecture Hall is large and features tiered, stadium-style seating with hook-ups for laptops, so feel free to bring yours!
A word about FileMaker Pro 11
We are excited about the release of FileMaker Pro 11. There are a handful of feature and usability advancements that make it a very compelling upgrade and keep us excited about the evolution of the platform. We are looking forward to taking full advantage in our future solutions. We also understand that it will be some time before many organizations will be ready to make the move to a new version of FileMaker across all of their users.