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To use them, simply copy and paste them into your app. If you search the internet, you’ll find that other developers have generously shared many of their own custom functions. With the advanced tools enabled, you can write your own functions, adding a wide range of extra functionality to your apps. You may be familiar with some of FileMaker Pro’s built-in functions, such as Sum(), which adds up a series of values, and Get(CurrentDate), which returns today’s date. Custom Function DevelopmentĪnother advanced tool allows you to create custom functions. If you want to get rid of menus altogether, you can even configure your app to run in “kiosk mode.” Figure 1: The standard top-level menus in FileMaker Pro Advanced. You can also specify menu items, such as New Record, to call a script rather than perform the default behavior. For example, you can create custom menus for your app, rather than the default top-level menus (such as “View”, “Format” and “Records”).
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The advanced tools include other useful features as well. You can also see how those results change as the data changes. It also allows you write calculations and see their results. Data ViewerĬomplementing the Script Debugger, the Data Viewer lets you see how data changes as the script progresses. This not only lets you troubleshoot the script, but if you’re just getting started, shows what each script step does in real time. With the Script Debugger, you can step through a script, performing one action at time. Two of these features, the Script Debugger and the Data Viewer, give you an inside view of how scripts and calculations work. The advanced tools are a collection of powerful features to help you quickly develop polished, user-friendly apps. This is great news not just for hardcore developers, but for anyone wanting to learn how to create custom applications. Until now, the flagship FileMaker Pro application came in two versions: plain old “Pro” and the feature-rich “Pro Advanced.” With the release of the FileMaker 17 Platform, everyone now gets both versions in a single application. This is part one of a two-part blog series outlining the release of FileMaker Pro Advanced tools in FileMaker 17.
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