How To Build Your Best Custom Mobile App
“If you think that mobile apps are solely for big name brands like Walmart and Bank of America, you are […]
“If you think that mobile apps are solely for big name brands like Walmart and Bank of America, you are […]
When I meet people and tell them I build custom apps in FileMaker, the number of people who recall the platform from years and years ago with a nostalgic smile is impressive. Perhaps the loyalty FileMaker users have toward the platform is an important reason Claris FileMaker has thrived for so long. Along with PowerPoint and Microsoft Word, FileMaker stands with some of the few software applications nearing 40 years old. It has become a software platform that has stood the test of time. But in today’s age, your FileMaker Pro database management system is no longer a stand-alone solution. It needs to become the hub to connect your existing business applications and integrate them with custom solutions in the cloud.
Last week Claris announced the first public availability of the new Claris Platform Bundle. Do you deal with scattered information and inaccurate data? Gain greater visibility across your entire business with the cloud-based Claris Platform which integrates the full capabilities of FileMaker Pro with the new Claris Studio environment, Claris Connect, and more.
We debuted our Easy 213 app at the recent Clean Pacific Conference
We all have a lot on our plates these days (often too much!), and it can be hard to keep up with these needs for expanding technology and ensuring your business is taking advantage of the options they should be. Not only is our job to stay up to date on the latest technology, but also to understand our client’s businesses so we can help ensure they are meeting their goals. That’s why we are kicking off this summer with a new four-part blog series that delivers the keys to this kind of tailored, successful custom software development, called Harnessing the Power of Digital Transformation.
Last week, Claris announced two exciting new initiatives, the first a new Software as a Service (SaaS) platform called Claris Studio, and the second a new program for helping Claris users get the most out of their solutions. The Problem Solvers Circle is, “a development platform that lets you take control, instead of reinventing the wheel, allowing you to continuously innovate to make substantial operational improvements.” Enrollment in the PSC program is limited to the first 500 companies to sign up before June 24th, so contact us soon if you’d like to enjoy its benefits!
We’ve been getting our servers updated to Claris FileMaker Server 19.4.2 recently and noticed an aspect of the install that it might help others to be aware of. We were using the built in FMWebSite that FileMaker Server installs to allow downloads of an IPA file for testing on a mobile device. This requires defining a couple of custom MIME types in the web server configuration, .plist and .ipa. The FMS installer appears to overwrite the FMWebSite configuration, at least on Windows, and reset the MIME types to the defaults, removing the .ipa and .plist entries we’d created.
One of the newest script steps in FileMaker (added in FileMaker 19.0) is the Execute FileMaker Data API script step. The script step is quite powerful as it allows us to easily interact with the FileMaker Data API by making requests and returning data without having to go through the hoops of creating and authenticating a session.
Due to COVID-19, we recently had to invent a way to sign forms on-site without sharing devices. Part of the conversation went like this:
He thought for a minute and replied, “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll make a way for a user to sign a form without ever touching the iPad. How about we create a record just for signatures? We can send a link out to the client that will open a WebDirect interface. It would present them their signature record on their own device, and boom! Touch-free signatures.”
“Brilliant!” I said happily. “Let’s go! I’ll grab some pizza.”