FileMaker Extra: The Limits of Customization

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Using the tools in FileMaker Developer, you can customize your solutions to a considerable degree. However, there are still some limitations on what you can accomplish in using FileMaker Developer to create something like a " shrink-wrap " software experience. This section explores some of those limitations and what you can do to overcome them.

Lack of Multi- user Capability

As we mentioned earlier, FileMaker solutions that are bound into runtime applications cannot be shared among multiple users. Each copy of a bound runtime application can be installed and used on only one computer, and multiple copies of the same runtime application can't share data.

There is an exception to this rule. If you have a copy of FileMaker Server and you configure it to allow the hosting of runtime solutions, you can then share a bound solution such that users with the FileMaker Pro software can open and work with the files. This technique, of course, removes much of the reason for creating a bound runtime in the first place, because one goal is to allow the distribution of FileMaker-based software to users who don't have a copy of FileMaker Pro.

Ironically, bound FileMaker runtime applications once had multiuser capabilities (back in the days of FileMaker 3!), but those capabilties were removed from bound solutions starting around FileMaker 4. If you feel (as many do) that this is an important and useful feature, by all means start lobbying FileMaker, Inc., to add the feature back in. You also might want to decide what you think the feature is worth to you or should cost. In all likelihood , there was an element of revenue protection in FileMaker, Inc.'s decision to remove the feature, so give some thought to what you think a fair pricing structure might look like, because they're sure to ask!

Lack of Menu Customization

Developers often bemoan the lack of much menu customization in FileMaker. Using FileMaker's Accounts and Privileges, you can perform some limited customization of menus : You can limit users to "editing" menu commands only (Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and so on), or you can inhibit access to all menu items. Of course, what many developers would like is the ability to enable or disable individual menu items selectively based on user privileges.

FileMaker Developer doesn't really improve on that situation. Kiosk mode will completely remove the menu bar, of course, and you can also rename the Scripts menu and attach specific scripts to the Help and About menu items. However, that's the extent of the extra menu capabilities afforded by Developer.

Further customization of menus is possible, though, using third-party plug-ins. SecureFM and MenuMagic, both from New Millennium Communications (www.nmci.com), address these issues, as does MenuControl from Dacons (www.dacons.net).

NOTE

As with all plug-ins, you'll want to look at these carefully and weigh whether they have the right features you need. Plug-ins aren't guaranteed in any way by FileMaker, Inc., so do your homework! Also, be sure to check out www.filemaker.com/plugins/ for a large database of currently available plug-ins.


Lack of Event Triggers

The term event triggers refers to the ability to associate program logic (such as running a script) with specific kinds of user interaction events (such as tabbing out of a field while doing data entry). In a system that supports event triggers, it would be possible to specify that a particular script be run every time a user exited a field, or every time a user submitted or deleted a record.

FileMaker doesn't yet support event triggers (though we hope they're toiling away on them behind the scenes!), but this doesn't mean that such functionality can't be achieved. Again, you'll want to look into a plug-in that can accomplish some or all of this task. Several useful candidates are listed in the Scripting section of the FileMaker, Inc., plug-ins list (www.filemaker.com/plugins/Scripting.html). Each of these plug-ins will have its strengths and limitations, so here again, due diligence is called for.

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QUE CORPORATION - Using Filemaker pro X
QUE CORPORATION - Using Filemaker pro X
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 494

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