FileMaker Tips ... Choose a category:   Novice Layout Images Intermediate Scripts           E-mail: clientservices@lupien.net 570-676-0938 Lupien Limited Consulting RR 2 Box 2809 Cresco, PA 18326 Copyright © 2008 Lupien Limited Consulting. All Rights Reserved. LAYOUTS To reset the font and style, command click on a field or label with the desired format. Option drag a field to quickly add a new field with the same formatting. Double click on any field to change it to another. Before changing a layout duplicate it. There are dozens of ways to work more efficiently in layout mode. Click here for more details on some of our favorites. - back to top - SCRIPTS When debugging a script, insert a pause at the troublesome spot. Oftentimes slowing the process down allows you the opportunity to see the problem. Use the Case function rather than If for conditional statements. Case is much simpler to write and is not limited to 49 occurrences as the If function is. - back to top - IMPORTING IMAGES If you import an EPS file which contains fonts not resident in your printer, the font may default to Courier. If this happens, there are several fixes &emdash; one of which should work. Make sure the graphic is in the frontmost layer. Make sure it is unlocked. If the font does not appear on the layout, type a few letters in that font on the layout, but make it white so it won't show up. If you haven't already, put the font directly into the System folder. As a last resort, use a font downloader to send that font to the printer before printing the document. - back to top - NOVICE When a FileMaker solution consists of two or more files: Never change the names of files if they contain lookups or external scripts. Always keep all of the files in the same folder. Use scripts to automate database functions. Don't be afraid to experiment. Scripts offer significant time savings. Set the Preferences (File Menu) to accommodate your work style Always open to a specific layout Invoke a script when the file is opened Add new fields to layout automatically (I like to turn this off) Lock tools in layout mode. Set auto-save intervals. Put a creation and modification date in all records. This makes it much easier to find, print etc. the newly created/modified records. When adding names and addresses be sure to split up first and last name, city, state, zip, etc. If you experience a crash with files open, the next time you open those files FMP will alert you that the file was not closed properly and minor repairs are being made. This message should not cause undue concern. In most instances no permanent damage is done. However, if the file does not open, try the Recover command in the File menu. Caution: Never force quit after a crash, instead restart. Force quitting usually toasts the file(s). Remember: FileMaker saves automatically. So if you're changing layouts or field definitions, make a copy before you start working. This way if you change your mind, you can always go back to the previous version. If you don't care to become a database maven, then by all means consider purchasing one of the custom templates available from FM developers. You can still customize them to meet your particular needs. - back to top - INTERMEDIATE Create scripts to switch between layouts and restore page setup, etc. Otherwise you may have the unpleasant surprise of printing landscape when what you really wanted was regular. Make the first step in the script Enter Browse Mode. Otherwise users may interrupt a script, leaving them in find or preview mode, where they do not know what to do next. Create two scripts for printing: Print Current and Print Browsers. Each script will contain Page Setup [Restore] and Print. These scripts can be added to other scripts as subscripts eliminating the need to worry about the correct page setup in each script that prints. When designing a database for Windows, stick to the TrueType version of Times and Helvetica. This will give your layouts a better chance at retaining the look and feel you intended. Periodically save a compressed copy of the database. Then trash the original and rename the copy with the exact name of the original. After structural changes is a good time or every few months. If the compressed copy is significantly smaller, it was time to compress. If there's little difference, then wait a bit longer before the next compression. - back to top -   Copyright © 2008 Lupien Limited Consulting. All Rights Reserved. E-mail: clientservices@lupien.net 570-676-0938 Lupien Limited Consulting RR 2 Box 2809 Cresco, PA 18326