For example, the report might list sales sorted by sales rep, with a total for each rep. A summary report lists records and provides subtotals based on the sort order. Perhaps the best return on time invested in FileMaker 10 is provided by the new dynamic summary reports feature. The application’s online learning center has been beefed up as well.įileMaker Pro 10 can now talk to your SMTP server directly, without needing a plug-in, so with just a little configuration (similar to setting up a new e-mail client) you can start sending invoices, reports, marketing letters, and other database-generated information via e-mail directly from FileMaker Pro. To highlight the selected record in list view, I use conditional formatting that is activated by a by a script trigger whenever a record is selected.The starter databases cover a variety of business and personal applications, from invoicing to asset management to family medical records-and about half of the starter databases have been significantly rewritten to take better advantage of FileMaker’s relational capabilities. The task records stay sorted and grouped even in browse (editing) mode, using dynamic reporting. The Send Mail script uses my SMTP server to send me a task list directly from the database.
Note “Saved Finds” and “Send Mail” buttons on the toolbar. By customizing the status toolbar (using a little custom menu work) I’m able to eliminate task buttons on my layout.
This to-do list demonstrates a number of new features in FileMaker Pro 10. And best of all, developers won’t have to do a thing to most databases for this feature to be available to end-users. The saved-and-recent finds feature is user-specific-that is, Larry in accounting can have a different set of saved finds from the ones that Lisa in sales has. And if you want to keep a find around permanently, you can simply save it, the way you might bookmark a favorite Google search. The recent finds feature is a bit like the list of recently-opened databases in the File menu or the history feature in your Web browser. Do you define the same finds over and over again-for example, Q4 sales, or unpaid invoices, or your favorite contacts? FileMaker 10 keeps track of your finds and lets you re-execute them without having to switch to find mode and reenter criteria over and over again. The status toolbar saves at least do-it-yourself developers some effort by providing a wider array of buttons than previous versions had it’s also somewhat customizable.Ī less cosmetic, more substantial improvement in FileMaker 10 is a new saved-and-recent finds feature. The status toolbar provides ready access to more tools in an updated location that new users will find familiar from other applications. The most obvious example of this is the application’s new Status Toolbar, which replaces both the status area (on the left) and the toolbar (at the top) of previous versions. Or to put it differently, if you’re an end-user, you may be able to see some of these benefits without needing to call the developer at all.
Filemaker pro upgrade upgrade#
One thing that makes this a compelling upgrade is the fact that, if you’re the developer, you’ll be able to pass on significant advantages to end-users with little or no effort.