“Innovate every day with Claris. Use a unified, hybrid platform to build and deploy custom apps, integrate with existing data and systems, and automate manual workflows.

— Claris

As a company, we are actively involved in creating and modernizing Claris FileMaker Pro databases, and we have several resources for you to learn FileMaker or to continue expanding your own experience in building FileMaker solutions and managing custom apps.

(1) Attend the monthly Claris Beyond Meetup in Zoom

The Claris Beyond group is open to all experience levels and we encourage people to bring questions, problems, and share innovative solutions.

Our user group’s specific focus will be on topics related to external integrations with FileMaker, such as Claris Connect, REST API integration, or integration via a third-party tool or application.

We meet through Zoom on the third Wednesday of each month, for an hour to an hour and a half, starting at 12pm Pacific (2pm CT / 3pm ET). Meetings are a mixture of leader-led discussions, group Q&A, and guest speaker presentations.

Have an idea to share?

We would love to have you participate fully in the user group by signing up to share your knowledge of a specific area. Fill out this form and let us know what you’d like to explore. It can be an area you’re already working with, or one where you’d like to delve in and learn more.

(2) Learn more about Claris Studio, Claris Connect, and Claris Pro – and how they all work together

Join the February session of the Claris Beyond Meetup to learn more about integrating Claris Studio, Claris Connect and Claris FileMaker. Our Senior Partner and FileMaker Certified Developer John Newhoff will demonstrate the ways the three products can streamline data entry from anonymous web forms. Ronnie Rios of Claris will also be on hand to let us know about the latest Claris Connect release notes. Be sure to attend to keep up to date on the exciting new news of Claris Connect!

If you miss the live session, keep an eye out for the video which will be posted in the Claris Beyond YouTube channel.

(3) Watch our YouTube segments covering Claris Connect & other integrations

We’ve covered a variety of Claris Connect connectors:

• Stripe
• Slack
• Calendly
• Twilio
• Google Drive
• Google Calendar
• DocuSign
• Mailgun
• Google Maps
• QuickBooks intro
• QuickBooks journal entries
• Outlook Events

And this YouTube playlist highlights speakers who have covered other integration topics:

• JavaScript with Jeremy Brown of Integrating Magic
• Devin, presented by David Wollesen, of protabase
• fmESignatureLink with Andrew Duncan of Databuzz

(4) Enjoy the FileMaker DevCast podcast

Portage Bay Solutions is excited to announce the launch of the FileMaker DevCast podcast. As a Claris Platinum Partner and a group of certified FileMaker developers, we want to create a space to gather to discuss various programming topics primarily related to Claris FileMaker. These meetings are opportunities for us to connect, share our insights and experiences, learn, and hone our craft.

We’re glad to welcome Dan Smiley of The Tactics Meeting podcast as our host. Dan is a citizen developer who enjoys the world of FileMaker as much as we do.

The podcast is the ultimate destination for developers looking to enhance their FileMaker skills and learn from a group of FileMaker experts. . We delve into the latest techniques and tools for using Claris FileMaker’s low-code platform to create custom, business-critical solutions with ease. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started, this podcast will provide valuable insights and inspiration to help you take your development skills to the next level.

Listen and watch the first episode – about OAuth 2.0, and check out Xandon’s blog post on the topic for more in-depth details for how to ensure safe, automated emailing in Claris FileMaker with OAuth 2.0. Then stay tuned for February’s release where we’ll discuss some of the interesting, intriguing, and intimidating possibilities of ChatGPT.

(5) Get free FileMaker help during FileMaker FixIt!

Twice a month you can join us in Zoom and get FREE help with YOUR FileMaker issues.

We can help:

• Answer your Claris FileMaker questions
• Advise about any hurdles you are experiencing
• Implement things you’ve read about in our blog posts
• Provide insight into your own FileMaker or Claris Connect ventures
• Assist with API integrations into your solutions
• Provide details about managing FileMaker Server

Attendance is free and is open to all experience levels – from just learning to wanted to acquire advanced FileMaker development skills. These sessions are not group meetings where you just listen in. You get to speak directly with one of our developers who can review your scenario and provide the valuable input and FileMaker training you’ve been looking for.

The Zoom calls take place every first and third Thursday, from 1pm – 2pm Pacific. Bring your questions and thoughts – we look forward to the discussions!

(6) Activate the power of your data with the Claris Platform

Innovate every day with Claris. Use a unified, hybrid platform to build and deploy custom apps, integrate with existing data and systems, and automate manual workflows.

You can sign up to try the Claris platform for free. With Claris Pro, Claris Studio, and Claris Connect you can tackle any task with a unified tool set which lets you build custom solutions and workflows to streamline manual processes, reduce costs, and create new efficiencies for your business. While not released quite yet, Claris is accepting inquiries for the free version and will let you know when it’s available.

(7) Contact us if you need additional help

We’ve been designing FileMaker Pro solutions for over thirty years. We love to create and to share our knowledge. Take advantage of the resources above to further your discoveries and improve your own FileMaker solution. If you find you could use some extra assistance in your own programming, or would like to hand off some of your pending projects to us, contact us for a quote.