An ecosystem for FileMaker developers
An ecosystem for FileMaker developers
The FM Developer Bundle includes everything you need to start a new FileMaker project.
FileMaker developers face new challenges with every project. Meanwhile, there are also recurring challenges. Can’t these “same challenges over and over again” be elegantly wrapped into one simple starter solution? This article is about ways to do that.
Developed in italics for developers
Developed in italics for developers and those who want to become one. The FM Developer Bundle is a new product bundle with three proven components. Together they offer something like a quick start for new FileMaker projects or a turbo start for budding FileMaker developers. The maxim is to keep everything as simple as possible. So no complex systems, but tried and tested simple structures. There are also modular development approaches and clearly defined tasks.
Start file, design templates, licensing models
Three products stand for three tasks. FM starter is the versatile and tidy start-up file for new FileMaker projects. The new FM designer is a collection of FileMaker designs, already perfectly tailored for FM Starter. For everyone who would like to sell their software as a standard solution, there is FM registrations. This enables activation codes to be generated for standard solutions. These three products together make that FM Developer Bundle.
Learning by doing
FileMaker developers are usually career changers. You come to FileMaker because it’s incredibly easy to create solutions for your needs. With increasing competence, the requirements naturally also increase. And vice versa: If the requirements for a project are high, you may have to strengthen and expand your own skills.
The simplest solution is not always the best. Most of the developers I know have learned their way around FileMaker. However, building experience takes time. Couldn’t you look over the shoulder of another developer to see how he or she did it? That could make the process easier.
For many FileMaker developers, learning by doing is part of everyday life. Those who can fall back on the experience and working methods of other developers not only benefit from the know-how of the other person, but also from the experience they have gained. FM Starter is such an «experience file». It shortens training and shows proven ways of working with FileMaker.
As is well known, many roads lead to Rome and no developer has combined all truth or experience in himself. So there are many possible solutions. FM Starter wants to be as open as possible and does not introduce a programming style, but rather project structures. Project structures can be recorded intuitively and the already built-in functionalities can be configured almost completely via a separate user interface. Such ideas and solutions accelerate the learning process immensely.
The basis and further development
The FM Developer Bundle provides a solid basis for new FileMaker projects and offers standard functionalities that are easy to use. A simple user administration is included as well as a 100% dynamic navigation. The start file is also multilingual. If you want to incorporate things like this later, it is very time-consuming, if not impossible. However, if there are already well-integrated components in the start file, this greatly simplifies new projects. That is the power of FM starter Solution.
The further development can therefore begin right from the start. The foundation is laid, via FM designer you can also import and apply new color schemes and designs in no time at all. A completely new project with proven basics is created in a flash. It’s that easy. The development of the actual tasks can now begin with practically no delay.
Does the need arise to create a product from one project? That is also possible! If you want to be able to sell the same product to multiple customers, then this helps FM registrations with it. The program file can be on a website and it can be activated using registration codes that are sent to the buyer after the purchase. The decryption of the codes is already built into FM Starter. If the processing of license codes is now switched on in FM Starter (just check the box), you can start soon. A new software product is defined in FM Registrations and the secret keys are transferred to the start file. Complex processes are already implemented and clearly documented.
This is what a vertical start with FileMaker can look like.
FM Starter 2.15 released
FM Starter 2.15 released
Bug fixes and improvements
Kursiv has just released a new version of FM Starter. Version 2.15 fixed a few bugs and brought a few new features. It’s an important update that will bring significant improvements for some users. All changes for version 2.13, 2.14 and 2.15 are now activated. The focus of this update is on the following topics:
- The standard theme has been expanded. The style sheets have been renamed and some new styles have been added. A third page was also integrated, on which all object styles were mapped with their own object. So there is now something like a style catalog with all style definitions.
- Landing pages for user groups. User groups now receive a target page for each platform (desktop / iPhone / iPad / web) that is accessed after logging in. So far there has only been a single “landing page” for this.
- Backup of program settings. Up to now, program settings have only been managed in global fields. However, if you develop a file on the server, you cannot permanently store any information here. There is now a backup function that reloads the correct data in the startup script.
- Language settings of the user are now correctly activated when the program starts.
These and other adjustments are listed in detail in the ToDo module and can be built into existing solutions if necessary.
Download and updates
All customers who bought or renewed FM Starter in the last year can download the update from their account on kursiv-software.com.
Advance notice FM Designer
Soon there will be growth: We are currently working on the completion of a new product called “FM Designer”. FM Designer offers 10 optimized design templates for FileMaker development that are perfectly tailored to FM Starter. The adjustments to the design templates in FM Starter 2.15 serve to prepare for the new FM Designer.
FM Designer will be released in June 2020.
What is FM Starter?
FM Starter is a start-up file for new FileMaker projects. The file includes basic modules for navigation, user administration, multilingual text labels and the like. Further information is available at fmstarter.com .
FM Starter 2.1 with German manual
FM Starter 2.1 released
Now with German manual
FM Starter 2.1 is the final update to the FileMaker starter solution. The update contains various bug fixes and minor improvements. The most important extension is the new German manual. This means that German-speaking developers have a detailed compendium on all aspects of FM Starter.
FM Starter is already structured in several languages. The user interface already is in four languages (German, English, French and Spanish) and can be expanded as you prefer. There is now a user manual in English and in German.
Further information on this release can be found in the following article:
FM Starter 2.06
FM Starter 2.06
Italic has just released FM Starter 2.06. FM Starter is a start-up file for new FileMaker projects. It contains functions and modules that are required in almost every project, such as dynamic global navigation, multilingual text labels, user management and much more.
About this version
The navigation has now been better integrated with the user administration, so that the navigation table is now correctly structured depending on the selected group. The ToDo module has also been improved. There is now a more generous overview of changes for the respective version, as well as detailed step-by-step instructions on how to apply the new functions or bug fixes for projects that have already started.
The following changes have been made:
Bug fixes
- Navigation can again be correctly limited to a user group.
Extended
- ToDo module: The ToDo module has been expanded with a generous view of individual tickets. This makes it easier to read larger tickets.
- ToDo module: Tickets can now also be printed out
- Global navigation module: Visualization created for the representation of the navigation for different user groups.
Update
FM Starter 2.06 is sold as an unlimited version with free upgrades for one year. Every buyer can download the latest version directly from the kursiv-software.com account.
FM Starter now available as version 2
FM Starter now available as version 2
FM Starter 2 is the starting point for new FileMaker projects
FileMaker developers can now rely on FM Starter 2 for building new databases. The starter file for new FileMaker projects comes with a sound project structure and many modules for basic functionality like a navigation, a user management solution and much more.
With FM Starter 2, new projects can be started in no time because all the basic functions are already included. This greatly simplifies recurring tasks. While many developers gradually turn to reusing partial solutions that have already been created, only a few have the time to develop their own start file.
FM Starter 2 can also be used excellently as illustrative and learning material for FileMaker development, since it is not a sample file, but a basis for real solutions.
FM Starter offers a developer Dashboard, combining all settings and for the solution and its integrated modules. This simplifies programming to mere configuring. The approach can easily be understood by FileMaker novices and readily be used and enhanced by experienced developers.
FM Starter 2 is a FileMaker file and requires FileMaker Pro 17 as a minimum. The product can be obtained from Kursiv Software ( kursiv-software.com ). Further information is also available on the product’s own website fmstarter.com .
FM Starter: Development environment for Filemaker Pro
FM Starter: Development environment for Filemaker Pro
Filemaker is perhaps the best-selling database in the world. The database can be used very quickly and results can be achieved quickly. It is a flexible and very good tool for mapping business processes and good software solutions can be created with it quickly.
Italic has a starter file for Filemaker on offer, with which Filemaker developers even faster and easier get results.
“FM Starter” is a development environment that covers many basic requirements, such as dynamic navigation, user administration and many other components. FM Starter is designed from the ground up for multilingualism and all information can be easily parameterized.
FM Starter is suitable, for example, for setting up new project proposals quickly. In no time you can create dummy projects with your own navigation and any number of pages for your own masks, lists and other tasks. In this way, you can talk specifically about processes, workflows and the like, even before the actual development has started.
FM Starter offers simple address management implemented as an example solution. FM Starter has its own website, which can be reached at the following address: