QR Code stands for Quick Response Code which can store a large amount of content. It contains information in two dimensions, horizontal and vertical. Any type of smartphone device can scan and understand QR codes, providing businesses with a fast and direct way to guide users to go to a specific web page or link.

What if you had an inventory database providing details of the product via an API and you wish to read the contents of the QR Code for all your items? FileMaker now has the ability to read the contents of the QR Code without using any plug-in or third-party code or scanner.

QRCode Feature in FileMaker 19.5

Consider a scenario where you have QR Code images stored in your FileMaker database and you would like to retrieve the details stored in it. For instance, a books inventory application where the QR Code images of books are stored in the FileMaker application. Now to retrieve and store the details in the application, you would either need a QR Code scanner and then manually enter data or you might need a plug-in to do this. With the release of FileMaker Pro 19.5.1, your job becomes much easier. In the new version, the function ReadQRCode()will do the job for you. It is easy to use and understand too.

In the example below, we are reading a QR code, which contains the URL of a book. This URL contains a purchase link of the book. We can fetch other details of the book as well, provided it is contained in the QR code. We need a container field to store the QR code image. The user can manually insert it or scan it from the FM Go application

The ReadQRCode script, using ReadQRCode() function, will set the URL in the respective field. This script can be called on button click or as an OnObjectModify script trigger for the container field.

We have given a ‘Go’ button to navigate to the URL read by the ReadQRCode() function.

It will redirect the user to the purchase page of the book that has its details and reviews.

Note that this function is supported on macOS, iOS 15, and iPadOS 15 devices.

MetaSys Software has a sizeable group of certified FileMaker specialists with the knowledge of versions 5 through 19. For over 20 years, our clients have enjoyed working with us. Among the systems, we have deployed and managed with FileMaker are cruise booking systems, inventory management systems, and project management systems. To know more about what we offer in FileMaker, contact us now!

The Requirement

The client that manages their business processes via a set of FileMaker files, has different access levels for different users based on their specific assigned roles. The client has a demand to restrict access for specific users, to lock a record immediately after they create it. Once the record is committed and accepted, it cannot be modified. Here is an approach that explains how this was achieved for designated users.

The Process

FileMaker has built-in security feature to manage uncompromised access. To assign access to users with only create access and no modification access, a new privilege set is created under ‘Create Record Privileges’, with ‘View’ and ‘Create’ set to ‘yes’, and ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ set to blank as shown in the image. Field Access privileges is set as per requirement, in this instance, ‘Field Access’ is set to ‘all’.

In ‘Edit Privilege Set’, ‘Layouts’ level privilege is set to ‘All modifiable’, while ‘Value Lists’ are set to ‘All view only’ and Scripts set to ‘All executable only’. The ‘Available menu commands:’ is set to ‘All’.

By following this approach, users with Limited access can create records and edit records that are created during the current active user session. Any other records created in earlier sessions, users do not have access to edit.

However, the catch is that this approach makes new records created during the active user sessions editable, which was not the specified requirement.

To be in par with client expectations, security settings were tweaked, restricting access to edit new records immediately after creation. The limited value under the Edit option was selected, with a condition so that only users with a specific privilege set can edit the records, in line with the client requirement.

However, we discovered that this setting can vary as per the client requirements, and this approach may not always work. Consider a scenario where a user mistakenly commits a record. In this case, they won’t be able to edit the record again. Here is a probable solution.

The Global Fields

Global fields can be used to collect data temporarily through a separate Form. Data is saved using a script that is executed through a button. A confirmation can be obtained to save data along with a warning, indicating a record that cannot be edited once it is created. This way, users can decide when to save data.

FileMaker security settings, along with the Global fields give the expected results. For more information, feel free to contact our FileMaker experts.

Well, we all know how bothersome that could be! Here we are with an easy solution, read along…

Undoubtedly, navigation is an integral part of every application. It plays a pivotal role when a user requires navigating to different modules and sections.

Static navigation is rigid, which demands rework of all modules even when a single module is to be updated/added. Planning an end-to-end navigation prior to application development is the perfect solution. However, practically it is impossible to predict all modules and create a navigation way ahead of time. The second-best solution is to setup a smart extensive set of menu items for the future.

Let’s take a look at two elaborate approaches to implement a sidebar navigation!

Approach 1: Using Fixed Left Navigation

 In this approach, a button bar is added on the left-hand side of the layout in advance. Each button has calculations referring to dynamic variables as button labels, with a common script to define every button action. By default, this navigation bar is visible on all layouts.

The downside to this approach, it can work for Form views, but not for List views. Additionally, the demand for more real estate in the layout of the application is another drawback that leads us to Approach 2.

Approach 2: Hamburger Menu Using Popover

In this approach, a Hamburger menu icon is placed in the header of the layout. Clicking this will expand/collapse the popover. The popover has a button bar and it’s implementation is similar to Approach 1, with the only difference of buttons placed on the Popover. This approach works well for Form view, List view, and Table view.

Let us take a look at the Application Implementation Steps in detail.

 Step 1 – Opening Script

Create an Opening script or a Startup script to set global variable values that are used as calculation to define labels for each button segment in a Button bar.

For any new module navigation, set the global variable to the same.

Step 2 – Specify Active button

The Sidebar_Values variable defined in the Opening script will store the list of table names, i.e. main navigation module table names. It is then used to define the active button bar segment of selected module as below.

Step 3 – Main Navigation Script:

Create another script which is the main script used for navigation between modules. This script is attached to every segment of button bar, with a script parameter defined for the module to navigate.

If the user is currently on the Details view, then the application redirects to Details view of the destination module. Similarly, If the user is in List view, the application redirects to the List view of destination module.

Each layout has set icons to help navigate to Details view or List view specifically. For instance, if the user is in Details view, clicking relevant icon will help navigate to List view and vice versa.

This script checks if the user is on Details or List view and sets it to a variable. Append this variable to script parameter to get the layout where the user wants to navigate .

Step 4 – Naming convention:

Each layout requires a specific naming convention . In this case, it is <<tablename>> _<<Viewtype>>.

Here the ViewType can be DetailsView, ListView or TableView. Let’s take a look at some of these examples.

1. Contact details layout will be ‘Contacts_DetailsView’
2. Contact list layout will be ‘Contacts_ListView’
3. Contact table view layout will be ‘Contacts_TableView’

By following the Approach 2, adding a new module is matter of few simple steps and the application is as good as new.

Hope you find this article insightful. Feel free to leave a comment or post any challenges that you may have.

Our FileMaker development experience includes handling complex project management systems, e-commerce shopping sites, cruise booking systems and more.

Demonstration

The example we will be using is a follow-on from the previous article, in which we showed a method for displaying data of companies and contacts. We displayed the FileMaker data in a jQuery datatable in the FileMaker Web Viewer, which allowed us to include jQuery features like pagination and sorting without any coding. Using the FileMaker.PerformScript() function, we can add the functionality through which, once the user clicks on any of the contact records from datatable in Web Viewer, the chosen contact details are shown on the FileMaker card window.

The FileMaker.PerformScript() function takes two input parameters:

1. FileMaker Script Name – A non-case-sensitive name of the script we wish to run
2. Script input parameters (optional) – a string that contains the required parameters, which can be read using the function Get(ScriptParameter).

This FileMaker script can be called from the WebViewer using the following JavaScript function: function performFileMakerScript() {
FileMaker.PerformScript ( “FileMaker Script Name”, “Optional Parameter” );

The highlighted section from the above screenshot shows how to call the FileMaker script using ‘FileMaker.PerformScript() function from Web Viewer. In it we write a JavaScript function called showContacts(), in which we can specify the execution for a double click event. We specify that a double click event calls the FileMaker script called “Show Contact Details”, passing the ID parameter as the optional second parameter. The ID parameter is retrieved from the double click event, by identifying the datatable row that has been clicked. This id parameter is further used in the FileMaker script to get more details of the selected contact record and displayed in the FileMaker card window.

A few notes regarding this implementation:

• In the Web Viewer Setup dialog, you must select the setting “Allow JavaScript to perform FileMaker scripts”. Otherwise, the FileMaker.PerformScript()function will not work.
• The FileMaker script name which we pass as a first parameter is not case-sensitive.
• The FileMaker.PerformScript() function doesn’t wait for the FileMaker script to finish. That means the FileMaker script doesn’t return a value to the FileMaker.PerformScript() function that called it.
• The FileMaker script is executed in the current context. So if the user or script changes the layout or record while the script is running, then the FileMaker script will run in a new context. To deal with such a situation, we can pass the context information as a second parameter to the function.

The JavaScript integration in FileMaker 19 platform allows creating custom apps that can use the existing JavaScript libraries to incorporate amazing functionality easily. It enables a seamless ability to pass data back and forth between FileMaker and JavaScript.

If you are looking for support with FileMaker, or FileMaker integration, feel free to contact our us. For more details, please visit – www.metasyssoftware.com/filemaker

Card Windows are modal to its parent window and allows the display of context-independent information from the parent window. Using the card window, users can perform actions without navigating from the parent window.

We can implement a card window using New Window or Go To Related Record script steps and selecting card as the window type. Only Close Window and Dim Parent Window options are available with card window type.

Please refer to the below screenshot

We can use the following script steps and Functions with cards in FileMaker WebDirect:

Script Steps

• New Window
• Adjust Window
• Move/Resize Window

Functions

• Get (WindowStyle)
• Get (WindowLeft)
• Get (WindowTop)

Things to bear in mind when using Card Window in WebDirect:

• The status toolbar and menu bar in the parent window are not active when a card window is open.
• Changes made in the card window will not be reflected in the parent window until the card window is closed.
• When the card window is closed, the parent window doesn’t always refresh. We can solve this problem by adding a Refresh Portalor Refresh Window script step to the close window button.
• When you are using the card window, make sure that close window button is visible in WebDirect solution. Because sometimes the close button may not be visible even if the close window option is selected. This can be handled by providing a custom close button on the layout.

Overall, the card window support in WebDirect offers an enriched user experience to Web users. We hope that this blog gives you valuable insights on card window support in WebDirect.

MetaSys has a team of experienced FileMaker developers. Please feel free to reach out should you need to support or you wish to develop FileMaker Apps. Please feel free to reach out to us at  https://www.metasyssoftware.com/contact

Claris FileMaker 19 introduced a new script step called “Perform JavaScript in Web Viewer,” and JavaScript function, FileMaker.PerformScript(). Using this we can use the features which are readily available in JavaScript in FileMaker.

In this blog article, we will explore the “Perform JavaScript in Web Viewer” script step. Using this new feature, we are adding the jQuery datatable in our FileMaker application.

Demonstration

In our FileMaker application, we have a list of companies and their contacts. On the company list layout we display the list, and for selected companies, we display their contacts in the jQuery datatable. Using jQuery debatable, we get all the inbuilt features available with it. For e.g. We get the sort, search functionality and pagination. We don’t have to write separate code in FileMaker !

Please see the below screenshot

Let’s take a look at how we can achieve this in FileMaker application.

• Add a web viewer on the layout and give it a name.
• Embed the JavaScript function/code as a calculation result in the Web Viewer.

The screenshot above displays a JavaScript function called “showContacts” that performs the following:

• Accept one parameter from FileMaker script.
• Format the parameter in a proper format.
• Create the datatable and pass the above parameter as data to it.

In the Web Viewer, also add all the JavaScript libraries required for datatable.

Now create the script in FileMaker with “Perform JavaScript in Web Viewer” script step. This script  will call the JavaScript function that we wrote in the web viewer. In this script, create the data in JSON format, and pass this as a parameter to the JavaScript function.  Please refer to the screenshot below.

Using this new FileMaker feature, we can work on the functionalities which are readily available in JavaScript in our FileMaker application.

If you are looking for support with FileMaker, or FileMaker integration, then feel free to contact our FileMaker certified developers. For more details, please visit –https:// www.metasyssoftware.com/filemaker

FileMaker and JavaScript Integration:

JavaScript provides a variety of libraries which can be used to create interactive dashboards, charts, maps, calendars and many more other features. This can be achieved in FileMaker also by embedding JavaScript via Web Viewer with the help of the newly introduced ‘Scripting with JavaScript in Web Viewer’ feature. This feature will allow FileMaker and JavaScript to interact with each other.

The FileMaker JavScript integration can be mainly divided into two parts:

• From a FileMaker script to JavaScript in a web viewer

The newly introduced ‘Perform JavaScript in Web Viewer‘ script step, will allow calling a JavaScript function in a Web Viewer from FileMaker script. You can also pass parameter data to this JavaScript function from FileMaker if needed.

Below example will give an idea of what can be achieved using this feature:

Now in FileMaker 19, data can be passed to the JavaScript function, which is further used to draw the given chart. In the above example, the data points, i.e. the Sales data of various brands are stored in FileMaker and then passed to the JavaScript function to generate the doughnut chart.

• From JavaScript in a web viewer to a FileMaker script

You can call a FileMaker script from a JavaScript function in the Web Viewer, using the newly introduced ‘FileMaker.PerformScript’ function. You can pass parameters to this script which is optional.

In the above example of the chart, which shows Watches Sold (brand wise), we can further leverage by calling a FileMaker script from a JavaScript function. For, e.g. clicking on a specific brand to show the sales data of that brand on a layout in FileMaker. The JavaScript function does not wait for any response from the FileMaker script. Since the script runs in the current context, it is better to set a proper context in which it should run.

Add-ons:

• Add-ons are ready to use Components or Modules, provided by Claris, which will make the developer’s life easy.
• These are commonly used Components which are generally needed by many applications. For eg.Notes, Action Items, Phone numbers.
• Add them under the Add-ons tab of Object Pane, drag them on your layout whenever needed and you are done.

• This will save your time in creating a new table, relationship, scripts, value lists which otherwise would have taken more time if you would have been adding explicitly.
• Add-ons can be uninstalled easily by right-clicking the Add-on and uninstalling it. Uninstalling an Add-on will delete it from all the layouts where it was added. Deleting related tables/fields/records is optional though.

 Card Windows via WebDirect:

• Introduction of Card Windows to FileMaker was one of the best feature released with FileMaker 16. Looking at its usability and UI capability, there was a high demand for it to be available via WebDirect.
• Card windows are now available via WebDirect.
• This will not only help FileMaker developers in quickly building Modal popup windows but will also give rich user experience to Web users.

Create new FileMaker apps in FileMaker Cloud:

This is a small but essential feature which allows developers to directly create apps on the FileMaker Cloud Server. It will save developers time .No more do you have to code locally and then upload to the cloud. Developers need to login with their Claris ID under ‘My Apps’ section of Launch centre. They can create the new app from the templates available and save it to FileMaker Cloud Server for access by other team members.

FileMaker Go and Siri shortcuts:

This new feature of Integration of FileMaker scripts with Siri shortcuts is a blessing for FileMaker Go 19 users. Many of the critical tasks can now be accomplished with a simple tap or a voice command. This feature allows donating the FileMaker scripts to Siri shortcuts.

• Your FileMaker app should have fmurlscript extended privilege enabled for FM Go user.
• The script that is needed to be assigned to a FileMaker shortcut should be enabled for shortcut donation as shown below by right-clicking on it.

• In Shortcuts app of the iOS device, create a new shortcut for running a FileMaker Script.
• Select the script to run; give a meaningful name to the Shortcut.
• You can also add this shortcut on the Home screen in case you don’t want to use voice command
• You are now ready to use the Shortcut with the voice command “Hey Siri <<Shortcut name>>”
• This will directly open the FileMaker app in FileMaker Go and execute the script.

Note: You need to have Auto Login enabled or credentials saved in the keychain.

• A FileMaker file can be disabled under ‘Manage Shortcuts Donations’ settings in FileMaker Go.

Support for NFC tags:

NFC tags are commonly used nowadays and supported by most of smartphones. NFC tags contain a small amount of information. The data stored can be a text or URL’s which uses protocols like HTTP, tel, fmp and mailto. The data can be  contact details of a person, website URL or payment related

FileMaker 19, has introduced the script step ‘Configure NFC Reading’ which allows reading NFC data and helps in storing it in FileMaker via ‘FileMaker Go’. It also supports continuous reading of the tags. In this script step, you have to pass a script which gets called when an NFC tag is scanned/read. Use Get(ScriptParameter) function in the called script to get the required data.

 FEW MORE…:

There are many other exciting features which are listed below:

• Load a Core ML model

The ‘Configure Machine Learning Model’  script step will load a given machine model. This function is used along with ‘ComputeModel’ function which provides data to a given model

• A new Icon

FileMaker 19 now has  a new classy icon along with the Application name is now changed to ‘FileMaker Pro’. If you are using Get(ApplicationVersion) function in your solution which is referring to “FileMaker Pro Advanced” based on  the old name, then don’t forget to update itto the  new name.

• Layout navigation in Layout Mode

Now when working in layout mode, you can switch to other layouts easily. Using the keyboard shortcut, opens a popup ‘Open Quickly’ box wherein you can enter the name of the layout to which you want to navigate.

• Setup a file to Open when FileMaker starts

In Edit >> Preferences, you can set a file that should open every time FileMaker start.

• Fields can now be formatted to display in Scientific notation ex. 1.2345678E+7
• Using {{PageCount}} symbol will print the number of pages on the layout.
• FileMaker 19 has three features explicitly introduced for macOS users
• Dark mode support which can be detected with the use of ‘Get ( SystemAppearance )’ function. This function was earlier ‘Get(HighContrastColor) ‘.
• Install the FileMaker Pro by dragging the installation file to the Applications folder, thus making the installation easier.
• Support for High-Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) when using containers on macOS, iOS, iPadOS.

If you have any project to be built by using this latest FileMaker version, or to upgrade from a previous version , please feel free to contact us.

FileMaker integration is made easy due to two powerful features. Firstly, the enhanced cURL options which make it easy to interact with many systems by facilitating many common file transfer options. Secondly, the native functions to create and extract data from JSON, which makes interactions with web services easy. These features allow FileMaker to be integrated with almost any third party products that provide the APIs for communication, including Shopify.

Step One: Create a private app in the Shopify account.

• We can connect to a Shopify account by creating a private app. Shopify requires an API Key, the API password of the private app, and the store name for authentication.
• The screenshot below shows how to create a Private app and how to get the API key and API password.

• Give the appropriate API permissions required by your private app.
• As described in the Shopify documentation, Shopify authenticates private applications using the following URL format: https://{apikey}:{password}@{hostname}/admin/api/{version}/{resource}.json

Note that the ‘hostname’ refers to the store name, and ‘version’ refers to the API version in use.

Step Two: Store the required Shopify details in FileMaker

• In the FileMaker database, create the fields to store the API Key, API Password, Store Name and API Version, as shown in the screenshot below.

Step Three: Write the script

• Write a script in FileMaker which will create the product in the Shopify account using the Shopify details mentioned in Step 2. For this step, we will use the cURL and JSON features of FileMaker.
• In the script, first create the JSON array with Product details such as Product Title, Product Description, Vendor etc.
• Next, format the URL (using the URL format mentioned in Step 1) with your Shopify account details. Then use this URL in the FileMaker ‘Insert from URL’ script step and pass the JSON array using the cURL option in it.
• Please see the below screenshot for reference.

After these three steps, we are ready to publish our product from a FileMaker database to a Shopify account. If you are experiencing issues with FileMaker, or FileMaker integration, feel free to contact our FileMaker certified developers. For more details, please visit – https://www.metasyssoftware.com/filemaker

Managing daily business chores in an organized and efficient manner is no more an easy task. So it becomes imperative for organizations to invest in customized workflow management systems which can help in scaling up production. Also, since the kind of tasks involved in every organization differs, the one size fits all is now a legacy.

This article throws light on some of the most important features which should be a part of Workflow management software.

1. Intuitive dashboards:

   A good WMS should have an intuitive dashboard which will give the user an overall picture of sales, inventory, invoices etc. It should help in easy tracking of different tasks through the graphical representation of data. The WMS must help the user to navigate to different sets of data through the Dashboard.

2. Managing Roles and Access Rights:
   

   The user should be able to easily manage the roles and access rights of employees to avoid misuse of data. Some of it might be sensitive in nature and should not be accessed by everyone. So the system should allow the project managers to easily manage the roles and access rights of employees.

3. Managing and nurturing leads:

   Your WMS should act as an important sales tool and not just a contact management platform. It should help in quick access to Contacts, Communication, Invoices etc. and should help in tracking and personalizing the communication with the client.

4. Managing products:

   Managing different lineage of products/brands which are catering to different markets can be a cumbersome task. A good WMS will have all the necessary features which can help the users to manage the entire product portfolio more effortlessly! It will help you in accessing all the product details in one single platform, track all product deliveries, print, and scan all product pictures etc.

5. Project management:

   Project management is a complex task. A good WMS will have essential features like assigning different tasks to the employees, tracking time and converting project time to invoices, scheduling/ rescheduling of projects etc. The WMS should enable managing of all project deadlines within time and budget.

6. Time management:
   

   The WMS should be able to track time spent by employees on different tasks in order to make them more efficient and productive. It should divide complex tasks into different sets of actions. This will help the users to estimate the time duration of all the actions.

7. Integration with Outlook:
   

   Nowadays most of the business communication happens on Microsoft Outlook. So won’t it be great if you can access all the customer information at one single place? A workflow management software with Outlook Integration will help you to gather different business insights in one single platform.

MetaSys Software has an off the shelf customizable solution – MetaBiz which has all the above features. For downloading the trial version please visit https://www.metasyssoftware.com/meta-biz

In this article, we take a look and understand what is OAuth Authentication in FileMaker? With the release of FileMaker 16, users can log in to a FileMaker database using OAuth 2.0. A feature that will ease the lives of FileMaker developers and their client’s lives as well. What is Authentication, External Authentication, and OAuth Authentication?

Authentication

Authentication is the process of recognizing a user’s identity. In authentication, an incoming request is matched with a set of identifying credentials. In FileMaker, Authentication is done by verifying a pair of Username and Password.

External Authentication

External Authentication means we are not using FileMaker’s authentication mechanism and using a third party to do the authentication. FileMaker accepts authentication with these external entities

• Windows Active Directory
• Apple Open Directory
• Local Groups/Accounts on FileMaker Server OS
• And now- New OAuth 2.0 Authentication

The advantages of using external authentication are-

• Account Management: You can continue to manage accounts with an external provider and can use existing credentials to authenticate FileMaker users. This makes account management simple.
• Authentication features: You can use other authentication features provided by the authentication provider e.g. Two-Factor Authentication

OAuth Authentication

OAuth is an open protocol to allow secure authorization in a simple and standard method from web, mobile and desktop applications but without giving them the passwords. Companies such as Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter permit users to login using their accounts with third-party applications or websites.

It allows access tokens to be issued to third-party clients by an authorization server, with the approval of the resource owner. The third party then uses the access token to access the protected resources hosted by the resource server.

OAuth Authentication in FileMaker

With the release of FileMaker 16, OAuth Authentication is available on FileMaker Server as an external authentication provider.

OAuth supported providers are

• Amazon
• Google
• Microsoft Azure

Requirements

• The database must be hosted on FileMaker Server 16 or higher
• Fully Qualified Domain with SSL Certificate Required

To use OAuth Authentication, we need to host the database on FileMaker Server 16 or higher which have a Fully Qualified Domain Name and SSL Certificate.

If you are interested in more details on implementation, please click here.

This article is a continuation of the FileMaker OAuth 2.0 Authentication  Here we will show you how OAuth works with some sample code and how it can be used to log on to Custom FileMaker application.Steps Involved-

1. Configure FileMaker Server / Cloud
2. Create Application and configure it on provider’s account
3. Set up Groups or Accounts in FileMaker file

1. Configure FileMaker Server / Cloud

The first step to use OAuth is to enable External Authentication on FileMaker Server/Cloud.

Enabling EA on FileMaker Server: First, you need to login to Admin Console of FileMaker Server and then you can go to Database Server>>Security and in Client Authentication area select FileMaker and External Server Accounts and then enable the OAuth Providers.

Enabling EA on FileMaker Cloud: In this case, you need to login to Admin Console of FileMaker Cloud and then you can go to Configuration>> Client Authentication, and from there you can enable OAuth Identity Providers.

2. Create Application and configure it on provider’s account

Now that we have enabled OAuth Authentication next we have to Create OAuth Client ID Credentials on provider’s account.

Amazon

• Sign up at- https://login.amazon.com/manageApps
• Create OAuth Client ID Credential
• Set Allowed/Authorized Return URLs (https://FullyQualifiedDomain/oauth/redirect)
  in our case FQD: https://metasys.fmi.filemaker-cloud.com
• Copy Client ID and Client secret into FileMaker Server / Cloud
• Set up Accounts in FileMaker file

Google

• Sign up at- https://console.developers.google.com
• Create OAuth client ID Credential
• Set Allowed/Authorized Return URLs (https://FullyQualifiedDomain/oauth/redirect)
  in our case FQD: https://metasys.fmi.filemaker-cloud.com
• Copy Client ID, Client secret into FileMaker Server / Cloud
• Set up Accounts in FileMaker file

Microsoft Azure

• Sign up at- https://portal.azure.com
• Create OAuth client ID Credential
• Set Allowed/Authorized Return URLs (https://FullyQualifiedDomain/oauth/redirect)
  in our case FQD: https://metasys.fmi.filemaker-cloud.com
• Copy Client ID, Client secret and Tenant ID into FileMaker Server / Cloud
• Set up Accounts in FileMaker file

With Azure, we can also configure to log in with group

• Create Group in Azure Active Directory
• Add User to the GroupEnable Group Authentication in Application manifest (set “group membership claims”: “SecurityGroup”)

FileMaker’s core idea is to facilitate developers to create custom software solutions that are required by small and medium businesses. It provides an extensive array of ready-made templates. This reduces time to get started with the development and leaves more time to work on a more complex design and development. The enhanced features in FileMaker 15 will transform the business of building custom apps.

FileMaker Pro 15 is carrying forward the direction of the company to increase mobility with the help of some enhanced features. Some of these are:

• An additional security feature i.e. the Concealed Box will help users to be more careful with the content. The Concealed Edit Box feature does not reveal the content typed in the field to the onlookers as they just see some dots.
• Solutions which are frequently used can be added to the Quick Actions thus enabling a quicker way to access FileMaker solution.
• The Portal In-Line Progress Bar, one of FileMaker 15’s new performance-based features, brings with it the separation of a layout’s non-portal and portal rendering tasks. This means users are no longer forced to wait for cumbersome portals to load before being able to interact with a window’s content.
• FileMaker Pro 15 sends notifications for any kind of software updates. One can easily download and install the update within FileMaker Pro 15. This was not possible in the earlier version.
• A Lot of improvements have been made in the Script Workspace. Script Errors are highlighted in red colour. So one can rectify the scripts immediately. There is an Unlimited Undo option which will give the users more freedom in creating something new and unique.

New features introduced in FileMaker Go 15 will give rich user experience for iOS users. Some of them are as follows:

• Touch ID adds an extra layer of security to the existing features in your application. This will allow the users to login into the application using the fingerprint. For phones without the Touch ID sensors, there will be a device passcode.
• The FileMaker app can be integrated with iBeacons. FileMaker Go 15 can associate data like text, image, video etc.  to the specific locations where iBeacons are present.

Your custom app can be further extended/linked to web using FileMaker/PHP API thus providing more opportunities.

MetaSys has a dedicated team of FileMaker developers, with experience in FileMaker 15. In case you have any queries related to FileMaker or looking for a quick solution catering to your business feel free to contact us.

• FileMaker offers a Small Business Service Toolkit to its customers at no extra cost. As a part of the toolkit, FileMaker offers an eBook – “How to Transform Your Service Business”.It addresses the common business issues faced by small businesses and how to overcome them by building custom apps. It also has case studies covering real business issues faced by small companies and how they overcame their challenges
• FileMaker provides a Starter App along with the Toolkit. The app is compatible with FileMaker 15 platform. It has all the basic functionalities to help small businesses in addressing common business processes like resource scheduling, inventory management etc. The app is designed by a member of the FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum Partner. It is accompanied by a webinar which addresses issues faced by small businesses when it comes to inventory planning and management and invoice generation.
• An extended support in the form of ‘Idea to iPad’ Bundle is also available. Annual licenses of FileMaker Pro Advanced and FileMaker Server are offered as a bundle to create and deploy custom apps. It includes 10 hours of consultation with a Customer Success Manager and FileMaker Business Alliance professional developer. The personal one-on-one interaction helps the developer understand your business and advise a solution appropriate for your situation.

This customer centric approach has proved to help small businesses in digitizing their business using FileMaker. Furthermore, one can start with one module or one process and add modules to meet the growing needs of the business.  Businesses and employees quickly see concrete returns on their investment. The platform also allows you to tweak and fine tune your processes over time. Metasys Software has over 12 years of experience with a team of Certified FileMaker Developers and huge experience in client server as well as web application development using FileMaker PHP API. If you are looking for a quick solution or have queries related to FileMaker development feel free to contact us.

How to automate repetitive processes and become more efficient?

How to have the overall picture and know what needs attention and when?

How do we grow the business?

How to have all customer contact information distributed among employees in one place?

How do we keep track of all customer initiatives?

How can we grow revenue per customer? Grow revenue per employee?

Workflow Management Software and CRM Software helps to manage these. There are several products available. The challenge is that while packaged software is affordable they are expensive to customize. The average Small business finds the development of customized software expensive and time-consuming.

If you are struggling with these issues then choose MetaBiz as your CRM platform as it offers cost effective and easy to customize solutions.

‘MetaBiz’ a Multi-platform business management software has all the core functionalities required by small and medium businesses. It can be quickly customized to suit different business processes! MetaBiz is a business & workflow management software built using FileMaker Pro making it highly accessible across multiple devices like desktop, iPad, and iPhone. Web access is possible as much as is natively supported by the WebDirect feature within FileMaker.

Some of the business processes where MetaBiz can add value:

1. Contact Management:
   

   This module offers more than just contact information. MetaBiz offers a solution through which you can organize all the details about a particular lead like contact details, communication History, invoices, project details, action details etc.

2. Inventory planning and management:
   

   Entrepreneurs should have a deep understanding of demand and supply equation across all products. A business software can help in lowering costs, prevent errors in demand and supply of stock and speed up fulfilling client orders. MetaBiz can play an important role here. The software stores product catalog along with specifications and pricing details in the system. The inventory log gets automatically updated whenever an invoice is generated. This helps in proper inventory planning and management.

3. Workflow Management:

   MetaBiz lets you streamline your workflow processes by setting up multiple actions. You can create alert for those who need to take a particular action, prioritize actions and mark them completed when it’s done, set deadlines and keep the process moving as per the timeline. This helps in effective workflow management. You can also view the ‘Actions’ in the calendar by checking on ‘Show on calendar’ settings.

4. Business analytics:

   A business needs to take sound commercial decisions by effectively interpreting the available data to provide actionable insights. MetaBiz just does that. It helps in determining accurate project cost on the basis of billable hours and product costs.  Predefined reports based on timesheet, invoices, and actions can be generated to get a detailed perspective. Also, invoices within a specific date range can be accessed easily. Additional reports can be created as needed.

5. User & Application Management:

   User management is important for setting up a secure system. MetaBiz User management system offers much more than just security. The software allows the Administrator to manage users and user roles, track their timesheets, set up and manage Company Info, Company logo, currency, Invoice templates and much more.

6. Mail management:
   

   MetaBiz can be configured to send emails via Email Client or SMTP server or Outlook account. The Outlook Manipulator plug-in in the software allows all the Outlook data – Mails, contacts, calendar to be accessed from within the application. All critical client related information is available at one place and not residing in individual mailboxes. Data resides centrally and accessible to authenticated users of the system. This is an Add-On feature offered by MetaBiz.

MetaBiz can be customized according to the business requirement of the client. For more information get in touch with us or download the trial version.

With Custom Web Publishing (CWP) FileMaker allows to build web applications using PHP as Front-End and FileMaker as Back-End. This is achieved using FMPHP API provided by FileMaker.

Almost every web application consists of forms that have a dropdown list/ selection list. For example:

In the case of Dynamic dropdown lists, data has to be fetched from backend FileMaker database every time the user accesses. If there are large number of records, then fetching them from the database and displaying on Web Page takes time to load and results in the slowness of the web page.

In order to avoid this and make the experience friendlier & faster for the user, following technique explains how it can be achieved in a simple way,

• Create a text file with all the required data separated by entering key in it.
  ex.
  Value1
  Value2
  Value3..

• This data will be the initial data containing in the FileMaker field on which you would like to base dropdown list.
• Place this file in the same location as your web page containing the dropdown list.
• Then in the PHP web page, using file read operations and while loop, fetch the data and display in the dropdown list.
• Create one more PHP web page, which will fire a query on FileMaker table/field to get dynamic data for the dropdown list and write to the text file described above.
• Admin person can call this web page via a web browser or web viewer of FileMaker whenever there is an update to the field data.
• This technique is more effective when the data in the required field is modified less frequently.