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Dialing for Dollars – Getting FileMaker to Call or Text to an iPhone, Skype, Facetime or Zoom

June 23, 2020 by Douglas Alder 3 Comments


In this time of the COVID-19 epidemic, many people are working from home. FileMaker is often an important part of a workflow, even when homebound. Wouldn’t it be great if you could launch your FaceTime, Skype or Zoom calls right from a database screen?

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FileMaker Pro 12

Word Processing Functions in FileMaker using Buttons and Scripts

May 30, 2020 by Douglas Alder 10 Comments


…a new post specifically detailing this version and how to add these features to your own database.

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FileMaker Go, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro 19, FileMaker Pro Techniques, iOS, Macintosh, Shortcuts

Formatting Text in FileMaker using a Script/Button

May 22, 2020 by Douglas Alder 1 Comment


Someone asked: In a word processor you can highlight text and then hit a button to change formatting, line BOLD, UNDERLINE, COLOR…etc. In Filemaker you use the format drop down menus, but does anyone know how to make a button to change the format of the currently highlighted text?

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FileMaker Pro 12

Finding and Updating 32-bit Codec Video Files on a Macintosh

July 1, 2019 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on Finding and Updating 32-bit Codec Video Files on a Macintosh


With Apple phasing out 32-bit applications in the next macOS (Fall 2019), a number of important applications will stop working. One of the most notable and useful is Apple’s QuickTime 7 Player. Also disappearing is support for a number of popular codecs (or file formats). Here is how to find and convert these files before you lose your chance.

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Apple, codec, QuickTime, QuickTime Player 7, QuickTime Player X
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How to Launch Right into Movie Mode on your iPhone Camera

June 25, 2019 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on How to Launch Right into Movie Mode on your iPhone Camera


Straying from my usual FileMaker blogging routine here, I decided to do something on the Camera app on iPhones for a change. Wouldn’t it be great to have an app that launched your camera app and put you immediately in video mode and start recording immediately? If you are a biker and concerned about crazy […]

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iOS, Shortcuts
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Word Cloud D3 Javascript in a Web Viewer in FileMaker

April 8, 2019 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on Word Cloud D3 Javascript in a Web Viewer in FileMaker


I built a Word Cloud to run in FileMaker using an existing D3 Javascript that generates a Word Cloud. I designed it to work on the Desktop or iOS, using the same layout.

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FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro 17, iOS, Javascript, Macintosh
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Exporting UTF-8 Files from FileMaker Pro

March 12, 2019 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on Exporting UTF-8 Files from FileMaker Pro


In FileMaker 16, a new function was introduced called ‘TextEncode’. It was a lifesaver and an answer to my repeated whinging about how much trouble it was in previous versions of FileMaker to export plain Jane utf-8 files.

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FileMaker Pro 12
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Scraping Tables – Pulling Data Tables from Web Pages into FileMaker Pro

January 25, 2019 by Douglas Alder 2 Comments


In an ideal world, this data would be published to a JSON file and FileMaker could easily parse that data into records. Unfortunately, many organizations are not there yet, in terms of sharing their data easily. That is where this parsing routine comes in handy.

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Custom Functions, FileMaker Go, FileMaker Pro 17, Web Scraping
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Building Folder Structures in the Finder with FileMaker Pro 17

December 11, 2018 by Douglas Alder 4 Comments


In keeping with the principle, “Why use a screwdriver, when I have this hammer right here?”, I decided, instead of just downloading a free utility from the Mac App Store, I would build folder creation functionality using FileMaker Pro Advanced 17.

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Apple, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro 17, Finder, Macintosh
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Elapsed Time Display in a Web Viewer

November 21, 2018 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on Elapsed Time Display in a Web Viewer


A simple approach, easy to integrate into other FileMaker solutions. A Web Viewer is being sent an HTML page with a Javascript timer displaying the elapsed time. Using the same FileMaker Start Timer script, a Start Time field is set at the same start time and then ended when clicking a FileMaker End Timer button/script.

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Apple, FileMaker, FileMaker Go, FileMaker Pro 17, iOS, Javascript

Deleting Files from Your Computer Using Native FileMaker Pro

November 16, 2018 by Douglas Alder 1 Comment


Why would you want to delete files in the Finder from FileMaker Pro? Once the files are imported into FileMaker, they are removed from the user’s ‘Scanner Document’ folder on the Desktop of their computer.

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FileMaker Pro 17, FileMaker Pro Techniques, Macintosh, Scanners
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How to Delete Attachments from Messages in Apple Mail

November 12, 2018 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on How to Delete Attachments from Messages in Apple Mail


Someone recently asked me “I have a malware in my MacBook that Sophos can’t deal with and supposedly, they are all in email attachments. I’d like to get rid of any problems.”

Here is how to get rid of just the attachments in Apple Mail.

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FileMaker Pro 12

Time Picker for FileMaker Go on iOS

September 3, 2018 by Douglas Alder 3 Comments


I watched this short video by Angel City Data and was inspired to create my own Time Picker for FileMaker Go on iOS.

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Card Windows, FileMaker Go, FileMaker Pro 17, iOS
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Using AppleScript to send FileMaker data to Apple Notes App

July 18, 2018 by Douglas Alder 3 Comments


Recently, a friend asked me about automating the export of data from FileMaker to Evernote. A web search found that someone had already figured this out. I thought this might be useful to send data to Notes, the app that I use.

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AppleScript, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro Techniques, Macintosh
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Set a Keyboard Shortcut for “Save as PDF” in Mac OS

July 10, 2018 by Douglas Alder 1 Comment


This is a really useful shortcut. I think it should be built in to Mac OS, but until the powers that be get around to doing this, you can add this feature for yourself.  It is now second nature for me to go Command P, Command P to create a PDF.

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Apple, FileMaker Pro 12, Macintosh, Shortcuts
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Org Charts in FileMaker Pro

July 4, 2018 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on Org Charts in FileMaker Pro


…using the Google Chart API Javascript library to generate a decent looking Org Chart right in FileMaker Pro. 

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FileMaker Pro 12

Backup FileMaker 17 Databases to the Cloud

June 8, 2018 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on Backup FileMaker 17 Databases to the Cloud


FileMaker 17 introduces a useful new feature called “Create Directories” when creating files. This works with saving a copy or clone of the database, as well as exporting PDFs or text files. I decided this was a good time to update my old Backup database script.  I use this script when developing locally. If I […]

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FileMaker Pro 12

How to Download a Batch of Instagram Photos in Safari on a Macintosh

November 8, 2017 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on How to Download a Batch of Instagram Photos in Safari on a Macintosh


Now that Instagram allows you to view your Saved Bookmarked photo collection in a web browser, here is a method of downloading your favorite photos to your hard drive. Safari: Preferences With Safari open, go to the Safari menu and select ‘Preferences’. Advanced tab: Turn on “Show Develop Menu…” option In the Advanced tab, select […]

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FileMaker Pro 12

How to Upload Photos to Instagram from Safari on a Macintosh Computer

November 8, 2017 by Douglas Alder Comments Off on How to Upload Photos to Instagram from Safari on a Macintosh Computer


Note: Sorry FileMaker readers, this is a little off topic. It is in the general realm of minor hacking, so perhaps some of you might find it useful. For some reason Instagram is still insisting on users posting photos only from their mobile devices. Something about their walled garden, where they don’t want people to […]

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FileMaker Pro 12
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