March Meeting

We’re ready to reconvene! 2012 takes us to a new location - ProMedica Flower Hospital, 5200 Harroun Rd., Sylvania, Ohio. This is in the same vicinity as our former meeting place - Wyndam Hotel, but closer to US 23. And, unlike the Wyndam, the ProMedica Flower Hospital space is free, so no free-will donation will be taken. Many thanks to Brad Bechstein for arranging this!

Topic:
Combine the popularity and availability of MySQL databases and the ease of use of Filemaker Pro.

Description:
With so many people wanting to use the web for hosting their databases and Filemaker Hosting costing a premium, many people are looking at using MySQL databases in conjunction with the ease and simplicity of Filemaker Pro. In the March session, we will be looking at how to combine the popularity and availability of MySQL databases and the ease of use of Filemaker Pro.

Presenters:
Travis Sheaffer and Brent Gnagey.

Register Now.

Tell a friend and win an iPad (not really).
Bring a friend and win a free computer (not really).

In the Meantime

As you may know, our FileMaker user group does not meet over the holiday/winter months. However, that does not mean we are inactive! Here are a few of things to keep us busy until we meet again on Tuesday, March 6 from 5-7pm at Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio:

1. Pause on Error London has produced twelve FileMaker videos, hosted on YouTube by Campsoftware. These resources are free and cover some hot topics in FileMaker including Virtual Lists, Optimization, FileMaker Go and the Cloud, and internal SQL. Pause On Error is a grassroots conference developed by and for FileMaker developers. You can follow Pause on Facebook and Twitter.

2. Linkedin has several FileMaker groups, including FileMaker Professionals, FileMaker Business Alliance (FBA), FileMaker Optimizers, FileMaker Pro Developers, and FMP Experts.

3. Keep the local FileMaker conversation going at Northwest Ohio FileMaker Pro Users Group (NWOFMPUG) listserv. If you are not part of the listserv, then join now! This is a great place to ask questions and start discussions with local users and developers.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas, please contact me.

Enjoy the holiday/winter season!

Winter Break

We had a great meeting a few weeks ago. We discussed script triggers and gave examples; there was a lot of group interaction!

We break for the holiday/winter months (Dec, Jan, Feb.) and reconvene in March. We always meet the first Tuesday of the month, from 5-7pm; our schedule for 2012 is as follows:

March 6
April 3
May 1
June 5
[summer break for July and August]
September 4
October 2
November 6

Brad Bechstein has secured a meeting room at Flower hospital, so there is no longer a need for a free will offering (previously, we met in a hotel meeting room which was not free). If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Shanahan - daniel@newleafdata.com - 419.367.5236

November Meeting

Come join us for our next meeting, Tuesday, November 1 from 5-7pm at the Wingate hotel in Sylvania.

We will discuss script triggers, a relatively new feature in FileMaker Pro. Script triggers can greatly automate a database and workflow. Our discussion will include demo files you can take with you (bring a flash drive or laptop).

Please RSVP early as space is limited.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.

November Meeting: Script Triggers

Brad, Dan, Gordon, Travis, and Virg will demonstrate the 12 script triggers in FileMaker.

Tuesday, November 1
5-7pm
Wyngate Hotel in Sylvania, Ohio
RSVP: http://www.fmpug.com/rsvp.php?eventID=1181

DevCon 2011 Links

At our September meeting Tom Lewis spoke about DevCon 2011 (FileMaker’s annual developer conference). He had several examples of the various techniques he picked up at the conference. Here are links to those examples:

Tree Interface; iPad app with pictures of camera

Infinite Hierarchy

Picker window

Book on From Design

Thanks Tom!

October Meeting

Our next meeting is a week from today, Tuesday, October 4 at the Wyngate Hotel from 5-7pm. Brad Bechstein will lead a discussion about how FileMaker works with enterprise SQL systems.

RSVP today!

We rent our current meeting space so a free will offering is welcome though not required. I’m currently investigating free meeting spaces for our 2012 meetings.

Finally, help spread the word about our user group. Certainly let other FileMaker users know about the group. FileMaker may also be a great discovery for people storing data in spreadsheets or word processing documents or even people using enterprise systems who need something for smaller projects and/or reporting.

September Meeting Wrap Up

Thanks to all who attended our September meeting. It was obvious to me that people are getting to know one another and enjoying the time to discuss FileMaker. People came early and stayed late! I’m happy that local FileMaker developers are able to connect with one another in this manner.

A special thanks to Gordon Shewach of Desktop Services in Ann Arbor for his presentation on Common Database Elements. Also, thanks to Tom Lewis for sharing his DevCon 2011 experience and to Brad Bechstein for bringing the projector!

Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 4. Tom Lewis and Brad Bechstein will discuss FileMaker and External SQL Sources (ESS).

September Meeting

I hope your summer is going well.  September is around the corner and that means that we will once again meet monthly for our Northwest Ohio FileMaker Pro Users Group (NWFMPUG).  Our next meeting is in two weeks on Tuesday, September 6, 5-7pm at the Wingate Hotel in Sylvania.    

Agenda:
1. A discussion of DevCon, the FileMaker Developer Conference recently held in San Diego.  Did anyone go?
2. A discussion of a recent challenge you had with FileMaker and how you solved that challenge. 
3. Common Database Elements - Gordon Shewach

Our main presenter will be Gordon Shewach of Desktop Services in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Gordon has worked as an independent FileMaker consultant for 17 years and has been involved in a vast array of projects.  Gordon is also a regular member of our FileMaker user group.

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Common Database Elements by Gordon Shewach

While custom database development is just that — custom, there are certain elements that are common to most of my databases, including:

• a single record table to maintain settings and preferences
• date and time fields for record creation/modification that can be disabled prior to a developer performing global changes
• scripts for printing, privilege testing, establishing a cross-platform file path for saving files, etc.
• relationship graph legend

I’ll demonstrate these techniques and bring a sample database for distribution that includes these techniques.

———————————————————————

Please register early so we know how many people plan to attend.  Also, you may recall that the Wingate hotel fee is $85/meeting.  Therefore a free will offering is welcome, though not required.

Finally, help spread the word about our user group.  Certainly let other FileMaker users know about the group.  FileMaker may also be a great discovery for people storing data in spreadsheets or word processing documents or even people using enterprise systems who need something for smaller projects and/or reporting.

Upcoming Meetings (always the first Tuesday of the month, from 5-7pm, currently at the Wingate Hotel):
Tuesday, September 6
Tuesday, October 4
Tuesday, November 1

Mark your calendars!

Summer Hiatus

We had a full house at our June meeting.  Thanks to all who attended.  We will not meet in July or August.  Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 6, from 5-7pm at the Wyndam hotel in Sylvania, Ohio.  (Remember, our meetings are always the first Tuesday of the month.)

If you have questions or comments about the Northwest Ohio FileMaker Users Group, please post them below or contact me directly.