Go from basics to full-scale development Write your own FileMaker applications Work on PCs or Macs, in workgroups or solo Cologon The book you need to succeed! If you want to learn FileMaker Pro, you need this book Before you start a FileMaker Pro project, make sure you have this detailed how-to from renowned FileMaker expert Ray Cologon. He draws upon years of experience to provide pages of solutions, techniques, and instruction you won’t find anywhere else. Discover what’s new in FileMaker Pro 10, learn efficient coding, and create industrial-strength databases with automation, scripting, security, and more. From the fundamentals to full-scale development, this is the FileMaker book you need to succeed. Shelving Category: COMPUTERS/Database Reader Level: Beginning to Advanced $39.99 USA $47.99 Canada Spine: 1.63" Ray Cologon is a FileMaker Pro consultant, a member of the FileMaker Business Alliance (FBA), and a widely known and respected FileMaker Pro developer and solutions provider. Ray is the founder of NightWing Enterprises, based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been a speaker at FileMaker Developer Conferences in Phoenix, Orlando, and San Francisco over the past four years and is the recipient of an Award for Leadership and Technical Excellence in FileMaker Pro from FileMaker, Inc. Ray Cologon Companion Web Site • Example FileMaker Pro 10 application • Demos, tips, and additional resources FileMaker ® Pro 10 FileMaker ® Pro 10 • Design dynamic layouts for screen and print • Learn data modeling and examine data arrays • Work with tables and SQL data sources, and migrate legacy data • Manage lists, calculate summary data, and document your code • Master scripting and the FileMaker Scripting Environment • Apply security and maintain the integrity of your data • Create custom functions and use standards-based approaches • Employ third-party tools and plug-ins to extend FileMaker Pro’s reach www.it-ebooks.info 01_429006-ffirs.indd ii01_429006-ffirs.indd ii 3/25/09 6:58:11 PM3/25/09 6:58:11 PM www.it-ebooks.info FileMaker ® Pro 10 Bible 01_429006-ffirs.indd i01_429006-ffirs.indd i 3/25/09 6:58:11 PM3/25/09 6:58:11 PM www.it-ebooks.info 01_429006-ffirs.indd ii01_429006-ffirs.indd ii 3/25/09 6:58:11 PM3/25/09 6:58:11 PM www.it-ebooks.info FileMaker ® Pro 10 Bible Ray Cologon, PhD 01_429006-ffirs.indd iii01_429006-ffirs.indd iii 3/25/09 6:58:12 PM3/25/09 6:58:12 PM www.it-ebooks.info FileMaker ® Pro 10 Bible Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada ISBN-13: 978-0-470-42900-6 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748- 6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (877) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2009924155 Trademarks: Wiley and related trade dress are registered trademarks of Wiley Publishing, Inc., in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. FileMaker is a registered trademark of FileMaker, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. 01_429006-ffirs.indd iv01_429006-ffirs.indd iv 3/25/09 6:58:13 PM3/25/09 6:58:13 PM www.it-ebooks.info To my many colleagues in the FileMaker Developer Community,whose commitment, ingenuity, and passion provide constant inspiration! 01_429006-ffirs.indd v01_429006-ffirs.indd v 3/25/09 6:58:13 PM3/25/09 6:58:13 PM www.it-ebooks.info vi About the Author Ray Cologon began using FileMaker in 1990, after having taught and worked with a number of other database tools. He subsequently used FileMaker to compile and analyze data for his doctoral thesis, as well as to design databases for a wide range of other purposes. Ray has had a diverse career in the creative arts, education, and consulting. Over the past decade, he has developed his own business, NightWing Enterprises, (www.nightwing.com.au/ FileMaker) which specializes in the design and development of bespoke FileMaker Pro solu- tions and provides consulting services to developers and clients in various parts of the world. In 2005, Ray was recipient of the FileMaker Excellence Award for Leadership and Technical Excellence in FileMaker Pro, and he has been a presenter at recent FileMaker Developer Conferences in the United States. He has also been a significant contributor to and moderator of a number of public forums on FileMaker and is a FileMaker Certified Developer. Ray lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he is known for his sculpture and music, as well as his innovative work with FileMaker Pro. 01_429006-ffirs.indd vi01_429006-ffirs.indd vi 3/25/09 6:58:13 PM3/25/09 6:58:13 PM www.it-ebooks.info vii Credits Acquisitions Editor Kyle Looper Project Editor Kelly Ewing Copy Editor Kelly Ewing Technical Editors Corn Walker Jason DeLooze Editorial Manager Jodi Jensen Vice President & Executive Group Publisher Richard Swadley Vice President and Publisher Andy Cummings Editorial Director Mary C. Corder Project Coordinator Kristie Rees Graphics and Production Specialists Andrea Hornberger Sarah Philippart Quality Control Technician Melissa Cossell Proofreading and Indexing Bonnie Mikkelson Sossity R. Smith Broccoli Information Mgt. 01_429006-ffirs.indd vii01_429006-ffirs.indd vii 3/25/09 6:58:13 PM3/25/09 6:58:13 PM www.it-ebooks.info 01_429006-ffirs.indd viii01_429006-ffirs.indd viii 3/25/09 6:58:13 PM3/25/09 6:58:13 PM www.it-ebooks.info [...]... to, FileMaker Pro 10 or FileMaker Pro 10 Advanced The book is more useful if you have access to FileMaker Pro 10 while you read and work through the examples I present n The third assumption is that you want to both understand the database design process and learn how to accomplish a broad range of tasks using FileMaker Pro 10 How This Book Is Organized In keeping with Bible tradition, FileMaker Pro 10. .. you’re able to get the most out of your purchase In addition, FileMaker, Inc provides the server-based (Web and local network) deployment products FileMaker Server 10 and FileMaker Server 10 Advanced, providing you with options to host FileMaker solutions for large workgroups While the Server products aren’t the focus of the FileMaker Pro 10 Bible, I nevertheless include some references to design considerations... feature introduced in FileMaker Pro 10 or FileMaker Pro 10 Advanced ON the WEB Indicates material that you can find on the book’s companion Web site at www wiley.com/go /filemaker1 0bible Where to Go from Here If you’re new to creating databases, you should start with Part I If you’re experienced at database design but new to FileMaker Pro, try skimming Part I to learn the FileMaker Pro interface and feature... commend you on your choice FileMaker Pro has earned its reputation for a combination of ease of use and power — and if you’re prepared to take the trouble to look a little more deeply into its capabilities (by reading this book, for example!), you’’ll find that it’s also extraordinarily versatile and capable The FileMaker Pro 10 Bible features FileMaker Pro 10 and FileMaker Pro 10 Advanced As a user wishing... solutions using FileMaker Pro 10 or FileMaker Pro 10 Advanced, you’re the target audience for this book Whether you’re a serious amateur who’s creating a database solution for your family, club, or organization; a professional managing data as part of your wider role; or a developer who’s building custom systems or turnkey solutions to sell or license to others, FileMaker Pro 10 Bible can help you attain... hidden helper: Process management 12 How FileMaker Fits In 13 What FileMaker Pro calls things 13 Familiar ideas from the real world .17 Integrating processes and information .18 Knowledge is power — personal and professional 18 Chapter 2: Putting FileMaker Pro in Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 What Makes FileMaker Pro Different... Scripts Interface 105 Other Useful Enhancements 106 IPv6 Support 106 Format changes for automatically generated log files .106 Updated templates and themes 107 FileMaker Pro Advanced Script Debugger enhancements 107 Relookup Replace and Field Contents no longer commit 107 Only a single sharing error for multiple files 107 Script error codes... you’re an experienced FileMaker Pro user, you’ll probably want to check out Chapter 4 to see what’s new in FileMaker Pro 10 and then bounce around the book to those areas of particular interest (so the book’s Index should prove immediately useful to you) All the example files for this book are available for download from the book’s companion Web site at www.wiley.com/go /filemaker9 bible xxxiv www.it-ebooks.info... to provide self-contained, comprehensive coverage of its subject With that aim in mind, this edition of FileMaker Pro Bible is the most comprehensive ever and does more to help you become productive with FileMaker Pro xxxii www.it-ebooks.info 03_429006-flast.indd Sec1:xxxii 3/25/09 7:05:41 PM Introduction About This Book’s Target Audience If you want to create databases and database solutions using FileMaker. .. 10 Bible is divided into parts, and each part is divided into chapters The parts of this book are as follows Part I: The Fundamentals This part covers the basics of database theory and design and provides a high-level overview of the features of FileMaker Pro 10 Part II: Introduction to Database Design This part is where you learn more details of database design theory and how to use FileMaker Pro 10 . FileMaker Pro from FileMaker, Inc. Ray Cologon Companion Web Site • Example FileMaker Pro 10 application • Demos, tips, and additional resources FileMaker ® Pro 10 FileMaker ® Pro 10 • Design. PM www.it-ebooks.info FileMaker ® Pro 10 Bible Ray Cologon, PhD 01_429006-ffirs.indd iii01_429006-ffirs.indd iii 3/25/09 6:58:12 PM3/25/09 6:58:12 PM www.it-ebooks.info FileMaker ® Pro 10 Bible Published. plug-ins to extend FileMaker Pro s reach www.it-ebooks.info 01_429006-ffirs.indd ii01_429006-ffirs.indd ii 3/25/09 6:58:11 PM3/25/09 6:58:11 PM www.it-ebooks.info FileMaker ® Pro 10 Bible 01_429006-ffirs.indd