iPad/iPhone/Touch Development for the Rest of Us

By popular demand (and due to yesterday’s upgrade of FileMaker Go) our meeting this month will focus on the easiest way to create apps that run on the your favorite iOS device.

Our good buddy, FileMaker Business Rep, Bill Kaiser said recently that he has never been called in to talk to so many Fortune 500 companies as he has in the past several months. And it’s all because of the iPad.

[BTW, Apple just announced that they sold every last iPad they can manufacture, and that the ONLY reason why they didn't sell more was because they couldn't make any more. Good problem to have! That also means that as iPad adoption skyrockets more and more businesses will be wanting to explore putting their data on the iPad.]

Rising up out of center stage bathed in a pool of light: FileMaker Go.

Companies are realizing that they can create their apps for the iPad and totally bypass Apple’s app approval process and distribute functionality to their employees and customers almost immediately. This month we’re going to talk about how to do that.

Adding to the flurry of interest in FileMaker Go are new features that will make Go even more attractive: charting, signature capture, better PDF creation, and (Byron’s favorite) printing! Byron says that that means now it’s a real app. Good-natured sarcasm aside, these new features will only make Go more attractive as the mobile power tool of choice for lots of businesses.

The aforementioned Byron (Songer), who happens to be our resident guru of all things Apple (and is an interface design savant as well), will give us an overview of how to create content for the iPad, along with some guidelines for efficient user interface design.

Jonathan Fletcher will delve a little deeper into the various ways FileMaker data can best be used on the iPad with a special focus on the new functionality added by FileMaker Go 1.2.

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about the exciting new world that Apple and FileMaker have opened up to us: Having your data and taking it with you as well.

Don’t miss this special discussion. Data on the Go. This month at the Kentuckiana FileMaker Users Group.

Schedule:
12:00-1:00 BYOBB (Bring Your Own Brown Bag) lunch and social (soft drinks provided)
1:00-3:00 Discussing the easiest way to put apps on an iDevice
3:00-? Networking

DATE:
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 (Fourth Tuesday of the month from now on)

LOCATION:
Universal Design
1234 S. Third Street
Louisville, KY

Map: here

Join us on the 26th!

Info & RSVP: here

Love and Hate and the Relationship Graph

Many thanks again to the good folks at Cardinal Aluminum for hosting our last meeting, giving us the tour, and even going so far as to feed us our favorite Louisville fare! Props to the CA folk, especially Chip and Frank!

And now, this month:

LOVE AND HATE AND THE RELATIONSHIP GRAPH

The first time most of us opened the relationship graph it intimidated us not unlike the fresh-gesso’d blank canvas does the artist, or the fresh white expanse of a blank word processor screen does a writer. Well, this month we are going to have a spate of “mini-presentations” on the Relationship Graph.

We currently have three speakers presenting 4 different approaches to and techniques for the Relationship Graph. Because the subject is no where near exhausted with such a puny spate of speakers, we are calling on members who have an interest in a particular aspect of the ‘graph to join in the fun. Let us know if you would like to wax poetic, or expound philosophically, or pontificate pointedly, or ramble randomly about any subject related to the ‘graph. We will provide you with whatever assistance and resources you may need. You do not have to be an expert, just someone who wants to share their exploration into the subject that’s all the rage with the cooler kids today: DATA STRUCTURE! (Awesome, man!)

While questions (and sometimes even answers) are usually a big part of our presentations (discussions?), a block of time will be reserved at the end for a “crowd-source” style Q&A extravaganza. Bring your greatest solutions and mysteries and join us as we dive into the inner workings of FileMaker’s Relationship Graph.

PLEASE NOTE: DAY OF MONTH CHANGE
Due to the desire to move things around a bit (and some scheduling conflicts), we are changing the regular monthly meeting time from the third Thursday to the fourth Tuesday of the month. That means that, yes, once again we will be meeting on the 22nd of the month (well, in March, anyway). Please change your future calendars to reflect this adjustment. We’ll try it like that for a while and see how it works out for everyone.

Schedule:
12:00-1:00 BYOBB (Bring Your Own Brown Bag) lunch and social (soft drinks provided)
1:00-3:00 Relationship Graph mini-presentations and group discussion
3:00-? Networking

DATE:
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

LOCATION:
Back to our “usual” location:
Universal Design
1234 S. Third Street
Louisville, KY

Map here.

Looking forward to seeing you (again) on the 22th!

Info & RSVP: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php

Kentuckiana FileMaker Users Group February Notice

DATE CHANGE THIS MONTH!

Well, we’re going to try again to have a meeting! Our planned December and January dates coincided with severe weather events, so we’ll try extra hard this month to get caught up. We’ve missed getting together with our Fabulous FileMaker Friends, so we hope you can join us for a very special program.

KYFMPug member, and Cardinal Aluminum Sales Manager, Frank Bock has graciously agreed to reschedule the meeting we planned for last month, to this month. You may remember in last month’s notice we announced a brief tour of their manufacturing operation, followed by a caravan trip of a few blocks over to another of their sites for lunch. After lunch Frank will regale us on how they use FileMaker in support of their various operational functions.

Following Frank’s overview, Jonathan Fletcher will give a demo on connecting the very same FileMaker you use every day to different non-FileMaker business systems.

Get a tour, a demo on how Cardinal uses FileMaker, free pizza, soft drinks, and a connectivity demo, all in one afternoon!

The fun starts at 4005 Oak Lawn Dr. [Map link below] in Louisville at noon.

Schedule:
12:00-12:45 Meet at Cardinal Aluminum’s Oak Lawn plant for a brief tour of their manufacturing operation
12:45-1:15 Lunch (provided) back at Cardinal’s Industrial Blvd. plant a few blocks away (please see map)
1:15-2:00 Walk-through of the FileMaker systems that support Cardinal Aluminum’s operations by Sales Manager Frank Bock
2:00-3:00 Database connectivity demo
3:00-? Networking

Many thanks to Frank Bock of Cardinal Aluminum for sponsoring this month’s “field trip.”

Time as usual: 12:00 - 3:00-ish

Date NOT as usual (Sorry, scheduling conflict for the 17th):
Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Place NOT as usual:
Start at 4500 Oak Lawn Dr.,
Move to Industrial Blvd. location (please see map)
Louisville, KY

Map: http://www.fletcherdata.com/CardAlumMap2.jpg

Looking forward to seeing you on the 22th!

Info & RSVP: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php

January’s Meeting Includes a Field Trip!

This month we’ll visit a real-live business that uses FileMaker for several of their essential data management operations. Cardinal Aluminum puts the pressure on aluminum: they soften it up and push it through dies to make all different kinds of aluminum parts for just about anywhere aluminum is used. They have also used FileMaker to manage a lot of what they do for over 15 years. We’ll tour their plant and get a particular view of how they use FileMaker to enhance their operation.

In addition, Committee Member Jonathan Fletcher will demo for you, and for our hosts (who are particularly interested in this technology), some real word applications of connecting FileMaker to other types of databases. With the H.R. department running one system on Microsoft SQLServer, their production and accounting system running on an IBM AS400, and several sales systems running in FileMaker, there is a lot of need to move data around and we will explore how FileMaker can make that easier.

Get a tour of their operation, get a demo on how they integrate FileMaker into their operation and enjoy free pizza and soft drinks, all for one low, low price: the gas it takes to drive you to 4005 Oak Lawn Dr. [Map link below] in Louisville (or you can mooch a ride off a friend and come for nothing).

Schedule:
12:00-12:45 Meet at Cardinal Aluminum’s Oak Lawn plant for a brief tour of their manufacturing operation
12:45-1:15 Lunch (provided) back at Cardinal’s Industrial Blvd. plant (a few blocks away)
1:15-2:00 Walk-through of the FileMaker systems that support Cardinal Aluminum’s operations by Sales Manager Frank Bock
2:00-3:00 Database connectivity demo
3:00-? Networking

Many thanks to Frank Bock of Cardinal Aluminum for sponsoring this month’s “field trip.”

Time as usual:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
12:00 - 3:00-ish

Place NOT as usual:
Start at 4500 Oak Lawn Dr.,
Move to Industrial Blvd. location (see map)
Louisville, KY

Map: http://www.fletcherdata.com/CardAlumMap2.jpg

Info & RSVP: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php
Listserv signup: http://fmpug.com/mailman/listinfo/louisville_fmpug.com
Blog: http://kyfmp.com

Looking forward to seeing you on the 20th!

December Holiday Meet-up

Happy Holidays to all, but especially our FileMaker-ing friends.

We’ve had a fun year talking and promoting our favorite workplace productivity tool. This month’s meet-up will be another informal get-together to share FileMaker wisdom and cool stuff we’ve all run across. November’s meeting was a real treat as attendees shared their experiences and asked some really great questions. For December, however, we will add more of a holiday flair. We will provide seasonal beverages (some perhaps even alcoholic) and sandwiches and everyone is asked to bring a favorite dessert. We’ll still talk about FileMaker, you can bet, but we’ll also get to eat, drink, and be merry at the same time!

Come share a little cheer with your cheerful FileMaker co-celebrators.

Time and place as usual:
Thursday, December 16, 2010
12:00 - 3:00ish (bring a dessert to share)
Universal Design, 1234 S. 3rd Street, Louisville, 40202

Looking forward to seeing you on the 16th!
Info and registration: http://www.fmpug.com/

November Change Up

Sticking with the Third Thursday Theme, this month we will be starting a little early and incorporating a a bring-your-own-lunch element to our interaction-packed get-togethers. This month’s program is informal so bring your FileMaker issues, brain-teasers, and cool new-things-found. Share with fellow FileMaker devotees and learn from them. And have a great time with a stellar bunch of people.

TIME/LOCATION:
November 18, 12:00 pm to 3:00-ish
1234 S. Third Street, Louisville
Info & RSVP: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php

Remember the new time!

See you there!

August Meeting Date Changed

We had a good time at our Little Things that Reap Big Rewards meeting on the 15th. More than one person left saying that a particular tip was worth all the time to come to all the meetings put together. What were they? You missed them.

No. Just kidding. They’re posted on the blog entry below.

NEW AUGUST MEETING DATE
Because we simply can’t wait to get talking about FileMaker’s newest products (well that and a scheduling conflict) we are changing the August meeting from the THIRD Thursday to the SECOND Thursday. We’re sorry if you had your heart set on the 19th, but this month (only, we hope) the Kentuckiana FileMaker Users Group will have their monthly rendezvous on the 12th! Same time, same location though.

DESIGNING FOR IWP
After Alan Bird’s presentation on Instant Web Publishing in June, Byron Songer is stepping up to show you how to prepare your solutions to work efficiently with your new-found power. From visual design issues to some of the under-the-hood things you’ll need to know, now you can take full advantage of the the absolutely easiest way to take your data to the web.

GO-GO FILEMAKER MOBILE APPS!
“What are these new FileMaker products you are talking about,” you ask? Well, last week FileMaker released their long-lusted-for apps that run on the iPhone, Touch and the iPad (called FileMaker Go)! We are having fun playing with our new toys, and you will too! Various members of the committee will share their experiences with these game-changing new tools and we’ll pass around examples to play with your very own self.

Get a look a the future of FileMaker!

TIME/LOCATION:
August 12, 1:00 pm to 3:30-ish
1234 S. Third Street, Louisville

Info & RSVP: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php

DON’T FORGET, NEW MEETING DATE!

See you on the 12th!

July 15th Tips-and-Tricks Event

Discussion notes from June 15th meeting.

Filemaker Tips and Tricks (Brian)
Use SugarSync and DropBox for off-site backups with restore of last 3 if needed!

Check out various ideas from the videos of the February Pause On Error: https://pauseonerror.pbworks.com/Tips-and-Tricks which came from http://twitter.com/campsoftware/filemaker ( This is Hal in Orlando FL )

Freeze Window
This script step freezes the redraw of the window while scripts process in the background. It saves time like crazy! Processing 12000 records took 32 seconds in “real time,” then with the “freeze window” it took 4 seconds! NOTE: It does not work in IWP.

Copy Records
You can copy a record in form view or list view. Choosing Copy from the Edit menu copies the current record in tab delimited format to the clipboard. Add the option (shift on a PC) and it copies the same data from the entire found set! It only copies the fields on the layout. Also we found that Excel has a character limit and would not accept all the data from a larger set so keep an eye our for that.

Find Techniques
We discussed some find techniques and talked about one that would look for “James” in both the first name field and the last name field. You’d enter find mode, then type “James” in first name then create a new find request and type “James” in the last name field. When you hit enter it will find all the records that had “James” as either the first name or the last.

Dates search >[Date] is the same as [Date]…

Put quotes around more-than-one-word searches to find exact matches like =”of the”

Bill demonstrated using auto-enter calcs to format entries–such as phone numbers and social security numbers–no matter what format the user entered it in. Phone number formatting is a simple start of the talk that leads into using Custom Functions to handle them.

On a side topic, Bill showed a custom function that generated HTML5 primitives (boxes, circles, triangles) in a FileMaker web viewer object!

Lotsa cool stuff!

Little Things that Reap Big Rewards

Anyone who has been developing in FileMaker for any length of time will have discovered some serious time- and effort-saving techniques in their everyday work. Your User Group Committee already has a few doozies up their collective sleeves that you’ll be hearing more about, but this may be your big chance at that 15 minutes of fame you’ve been waiting for. If you have a trick you employ that you feel makes your life even a little easier or cuts down the amount of time you spend on a task, let us know and we’ll include it in this presentation at next month’s program. If you wish, you can even present it yourself. Drag ‘em out and pass ‘em on. Email them to jonathan”at”fletcherdata.com and we’ll sculpt them all into the general shape of a presentation!

Info & RSVP: http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php

TIME/LOCATION:
July 15, 1:00 pm to 3:30-ish
1234 S. Third Street, Louisville

June Meeting Alphabet Soup: IWP & ESS

Thanks to Bill Kaiser and Bill Heizer for sharing all that FileMaker 11 goodness with us last month. Only Mr. Goupil knows all that FileMaker has up its sleeve this year, but whatever it is, we can count on Bill and Bill to come back and fill us in on it all!

We’re going back to our regular format for June. We’ll have two presentations, one a little easier to wrap your brain around and one that cranks FileMaker’s power up a notch.

Alan Bird, “FILEMAKER TO THE WEB”
Instant Web Publishing is an under-appreciated and really game-changing technology that is available to even those with a client copy of FileMaker. Not very many people realize how easy it is to employ. Alan, who has extensive experience using FileMaker to put all manner of data on the web, will show you just how easy it is. From your kid’s baseball team stats to an e-commerce site, IWP is the easiest way to “database the web” that you will ever find!

Beverly Voth, “CONNECTING TO THE ENTERPRISE”
Another magic trick up FileMaker’s sleeve is the ability to connect to SQL databases. The most popular database type in the world (sorry, it’s not FileMaker!)–databases managed with what is known as Structured Query Language–are used everywhere from dynamic websites to major corporations’ enterprise management systems. What FileMaker calls “External SQL Sources” is the tool that companies use to turn FileMaker into a really flexible and powerful “front-end” to a wide variety of systems. Noted FileMaker author (and KYFMUG member!) has agreed to show us how to use ESS, which is built into every copy of FileMaker, as the switch that turns FileMaker from a mere desktop data manager into a peerless enterprise tool.

LOCATION: Universal Design, 1234 S. 3rd Street, Louisville, in the heart of “Old Town.” Convenient and plentiful street and lot parking ranges from free to cheap.

TIME: 1:00 pm, June 17.

Register at http://fmpug.com/scheduleMeetings.php

Join our listerv at http://fmpug.com/mailman/listinfo/louisville_fmpug.com

See you there! And please bring a friend!