FileMaker News

• Productive Computing announces new products
• Inspector 1.5 is now available
• MediaManager 8.1: Image and Sound Editing Plug-in
• CRN.com: FileMaker Pro 8.5 ups the Ante
• Free shipping when you order direct from FileMaker!

See FileMaker Pro 8.5 at the Apple Business Days!

Workshops at an Apple store near you.

Join us at the Apple Store in August and learn about how easy it is to start creating your own custom databases and share your information with others using FileMaker Pro 8.5. Plus find out how to browse the Web directly from your database – instantly and automatically – with the new FileMaker Web Viewer.

Visit your local Apple Store (check schedule for specific dates and times) and attend a live workshop that will take you through the simple, straightforward steps to create and share custom databases.
Find a store »

FileMaker and Flash Integration

Sign up for the free web seminar on September 19th!

Integrating Flash and FileMaker via the new FileMaker Web Viewer makes layout design possibilities endless. This technique leverages the flexibility of vector-based design and the power of FileMaker databases to create charts, graphs, calendars, and more. In this seminar, you will learn how to set up, deploy and integrate these lightweight applications into existing solutions via the Web Viewer. The demonstration will show real world examples in use by The Oscars, American Apparel, and the City of Los Angeles.

Sign-up today »

Haven't tried FileMaker Pro 8.5 yet?

Find out what you're missing by trying FileMaker Pro 8.5 today. For 30-days, you can start building databases in FileMaker Pro 8.5 and become familiar with the new features. If you decide to purchase, you'll be able to continue using those solutions built with the trial version.

Download now»

FileMaker in the field: Customer success stories

Independent FileMaker Pro 8.5 developer expects Web Viewer to make a real difference for his clients

Printers, copiers, fax machines, software enablers and services - you’ll find Toshiba Business Solutions in offices worldwide. And in Florida, the Professional Services team, under director Peter Davey, looks for ways to help users of those products keep documents on the move. The Web Viewer control earns raves from Peter. "Currently my people browse a FileMaker Pro products table for pricing information, and also a Sharepoint server for detailed information on the products, such as data sheets and white papers."

Read more »

Duane Miller Associates

Alaska-based geoengineering and consulting firm upgrades its projects database with FileMaker Pro 8.5

From industry to scientific research, the rugged environment of Alaska poses unique engineering challenges. The firm of Duane Miller Associates specializes in services to meet those demands ­ and FileMaker Pro database solutions help keep those projects on track. “We use the data in our database, along with AppleScript, to generate geotechnical logs with Adobe Illustrator CS,” notes developer David Lommel. “I can say without a doubt our logs look better than any that I’ve come across ­ and this wouldn’t have been possible without FileMaker Pro.

Read more »

Tell your story to the world!
Are you excited about the new features you are using in FileMaker Pro 8.5 or FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced and would like to tell the world about it? You can! We're eager to let you tell your story on our Customer Stories pages.

Support Corner

Need a question answered?
FileMaker Customer Service is dedicated to providing our customers with the best non-technical service possible. Non-technical service includes pricing, product availability, pre-sales questions and promotions.

Simply go to the FileMaker Knowledge Base. and ask away!
The FileMaker Support Team

Tips and tricks

Sort by Value List
Use a value list to put your data in a custom sort order.

Sorting your records in FileMaker Pro puts them in a specific order. Usually this means alphabetical order for text and sequential order for numbers, dates, and times. This kind of sorting suits most needs, but sometimes a special sort order is necessary. In these situations, FileMaker Pro lets you create a custom sort order using a value list.

One practical application of this technique is to sort by month name. The name of a month is text information, and not treated as date information in FileMaker. If you sort a set of records by month name, you'll get the following order:

April
August
December
February
January
July
June
March
May
November
October
September

Here's how to make those months sort chronologically. The first step is to define a value list. From the File menu, choose "Define" then "Value Lists…". From the Define Value Lists window, click on "New." Name your new value list "Months" and select the button for "Use custom values".

Now enter the names on the months in chronological order. It is important that you put each month on its own line. FileMaker treats each line as a unique value, even if the value has more than one word in it. When you've finished, click on OK in both dialog boxes. Now you're ready to sort.

Enter Browse Mode and go to a layout that displays your month name field. From the Records menu choose "Sort Records…" Click your month name field from the list on the left but don't click the Move button just yet.

From the options in the bottom half of the window, select "Custom sort order based on value list" and choose your Months list from the pop-up menu. Now click on Move to put the months field in the sort order. When you click on Sort, your records will line up by month in chronological order.

Get more basic tips for FileMaker Pro 8.5»
Get more advanced tips»
Try a free issue of FileMaker Advisor Magazine»

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