This one-day class is based on Module 9 of the official FileMaker Training Series. In fact, it is taught by the author of that module, Mr. Scott Love. A developer's learning is progressive: Once you are familiar with most of FileMaker's features, the next skill-building step is to creatively combine these features in ways that enhance the capability and usability of your solutions. One of the most important abilities one can acquire is knowing how to synthesize various functionalities to solve progressively more complex problems as they naturally arise. This applied-knowledge approach is the indispensable trademark of a professional developer.

In this class, you'll learn intermediate and advanced techniques that provide capabilities frequently requested in real-world situations. The most in-demand of these techniques include dynamically filtering and sorting portals, storing and recalling user preferences, reducing value lists based on prior user selections, and providing detail for a selected portal row on the same layout. Equally important to learning these techniques, you’ll gain invaluable professional insights while examining and constructing these interface solutions. So come prepared to expand your experience, as Scott takes you on an in-depth exploration of this highly-evolved development approach.

Who Should Attend
You should seriously consider taking this course if you are:

• A past participant of Soliant's FileMaker 9 Core Essentials course
• An intermediate-level developer wanting to boost your development skills
• An advanced developer wanting to expand your FileMaker repertoire
• An expert developer wanting a focused refresher

This class focuses on using standard FileMaker features as building blocks for enhancing functionality, so any modestly accomplished developer will benefit. We especially recommend this class for anyone wishing to add to their FileMaker tool box, refine their techniques, or extend the capabilities of their solutions.

Classes
Classes are held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with an hour off for lunch. The coffee's on at 8:30 a.m., so feel free to come early. Computer workstations are provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptop (Windows or Mac) with FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced installed. You'll definitely want to retain the results you achieve during this class.

Curriculum Overview
When you have finished this class you will:

• Be able to dynamically control the contents of a portal
• Know how to create relational value lists to maintain referential integrity
• Understand two techniques for dynamic portal sorting
• Know how to implement the preview pane UI design pattern
• Have experience with advanced scripting techniques
• Know how to create and conditionally activate custom menus
• Know how store and utilize user preferences in a multi-user system
• Better understand techniques to deal with record-locking issues

As this is a high-level class, other advanced techniques may be included as time and student interest permit.

Expanded Technique Descriptions
Following is the core group of techniques we will cover—some in more detail than others. As this is a high-level class, other advanced techniques may be included as time and student interest permit.

Relational Value Lists
Value lists in FileMaker Pro allow you to create data entry choices for users. You can provide users the means to choose from a dynamic set of values based on data from a related table. You can further customize the relationship for a value list so it will present fewer and more focused options, perhaps controllable by the user. We will explore relational value lists and, in particular, how they are used most often to maintain referential integrity.

Filtered Portals
Anyone with familiarity with FileMaker Pro knows that portals are a fundamental building block in a developer’s toolbox. The standard use of portals is to display related records from other tables. However, portals can also be used in other creative ways. You might use portals to create dashboard experiences for users that synthesize information on a single screen from multiple data tables. You might also use portals to provide “pick lists” of records in order to facilitate the associating of related records. When the number of related records shown in a simple portal is too great to be of practical use, filtered portals become a viable option, to allow users to dynamically control the records that appear.

Portal Row Highlights & Preview Panes
This is a specific interface approach common among software applications, including those built with FileMaker Pro, namely portal row highlighting and preview pane operations. A user clicks on a row in a portal and sees feedback that he or she has actively selected the row. On the same view (usually to the right or below the portal), that row's related information appears in a preview pane area. [example]

Dynamic Portal Sorting
Being able to change the sort order of a portal can provide a quick means to analyze data or identify specific records. The capability to sort records on a portal-by-portal basis was introduced in FileMaker Pro 7; however, giving users the ability to re-sort a portal on demand, based on a column of their choice, requires some additional work by developers. We present two techniques for such expanded sorting functionality. [example]

Storing User Preferences
Developers often face the need to customize the interface or how a solution functions based on the characteristics of individual users. Users might also have personal preferences as to how a solution should behave. We can create a user table with information about a user, including individual preferences, and tie that information to a login account to tailor the interaction. Respecting user preferences enhances the quality work of users and reduces the potential for errors.

Custom Menus
With FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced, developers can customize menus within their FileMaker Pro applications. With Custom Menus, you can change the names of existing FileMaker Pro menus or menu items, associate your own scripts with existing FileMaker Pro menu items, disable or remove individual menu items, create menu sets that change depending on the current file, layout, mode, or user platform, and change the appearance and function of menus via scripts. Coupled with whatever user interface an application requires, Custom Menus make it possible for you to deliver a completely tailored application to end users. Defining Custom Menus requires FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced, but once defined, all FileMaker Pro clients make use of the custom menu settings established in a given file.

This class offers valuable skills and techniques that have immediate application for your real-world solutions.
To register now, click an available class date on the schedule above.