Fireside FileMaker

A View from 30 Years of FileMaker Experience - Part 2

Marc Larochelle, CEO of Productive Computing, is a FileMaker veteran with almost three decades of experience. Part 2 of this exclusive interview continues where we left off and sheds a lot of light on the ever changing world of FileMaker.

A View from 30 Years of FileMaker Experience

Marc Larochelle, CEO of Productive Computing, is a FileMaker veteran with almost three decades of experience. In this exclusive interview, we get his expert perspective on subjects like APIs, Cloud 2.0, hosting, AWS, plug-ins, the development process, Claris Connect and much more. Marc’s keen insight into the FileMaker market will help you understand the complexities of this ever changing environment. With so much to talk about with an industry leader, we’ve broken it up into two parts with Part 2 being released next Wednesday (October 23rd). Please come join us around the campfire and enjoy our conversation with Marc.

The Ubiquitous Calculation Engine

The calculation engine is everywhere in the FileMaker interface and for good reason. It adds additional functionality wherever it's employed. It enhances scripting, allows auto-entering related data, provides record level access, hides objects and so much more. To say the calculation engine is invaluable is an understatement. We’ll discuss the ins and outs of the calculation engine in all the different areas where it is used so as to provide a big picture view of this crucial feature.

Is Certification Right For You?

The FileMaker certification exam has been around since FileMaker 7 and is defined as a credential that demonstrates to clients, peers and management your FileMaker skill level. To this date, it’s still the only real method for measuring that level. In this Podcast, we discuss the history of certification, what is required to pass it and generally everything you need to know to be successful. We also ponder whether the effort is worth it? What are the advantages and disadvantages of certification? Will certification translate into more business? Can you do just as well without it?

Developing the Interface

FileMaker solutions can live and die by the interface alone. It’s the first thing a user sees and can sway their opinion in the first few seconds of them seeing it for the first time. It’s so important but many developers don’t give it much thought. How do you develop an interface that clients want to use and which makes it easy for them to do their job? Do you use a standard theme or do you take the time and trouble to develop a custom theme that you can use over and over again? How do you size the screens? How much color should you use? How do you take into account that some of your users may be color blind? These and more points are considered to give you a well rounded look at interface design.

K.I.S.S.

KISS stands for Keep it Simple, Stupid. It’s a funny acronym but a very important concept to apply to the FileMaker development process. Too many developers over-engineer FileMaker solutions, charging clients more than is necessary. KISS is about elegance, about making it easier for someone new to take over a project without having to wade through complicated, modularized scripts that are almost impossible to debug. We live and breathe KISS and hope that, after listening to this podcast, you will too.

WIP your business into shape

The Workplace Innovation Platform (WIP) is a newly defined technology category, by G2.com, for which FileMaker is the leader. There are 27 other software applications on the list and FileMaker was voted the best in the category. While the category itself is new, FileMaker has been WIP compliant for more than 30 years making it very hard for all of its competitors to catch up. Come find out what makes FileMaker uniquely qualified as a visual design and full-stack development application, collaborative, secure, integrative and supportive like no other WIP tool on the planet.

A Conversation with Claris - Part 2

This is Part 2 of a 2 part (90 minute) amazing conversation with Rick Kalman, Director of Product Management for FileMaker, and Robert Holsey, Senior Product Manager for FileMaker. Rick and Robert talk about, among other things, Claris Connect, the benefits of acquisition instead of strategic partnerships, save as XML, responsive layouts, Apple's influence, live database development, moving to a web first strategy and changes to the relationship graph. We are extremely grateful that they took so much of their time to talk with us candidly and openly.

Part 1 was released last Wednesday (8/21/19). Steven Blackwell tweeted that it was an 'Exceptionally significant PodCast' and that 'All #FileMaker developers should listen.' https://firesidefilemaker.podbean.com/e/a-conversation-with-claris-part-1/

A Conversation with Claris - Part 1

This is Part 1 of a 2 part (90 minute) fascinating conversation with Rick Kalman, Director of Product Management for FileMaker, and Robert Holsey, Senior Product Manager for FileMaker. If you aren’t familiar with these two experienced Claris International employees, we consider them to be part of the backbone of the company. Rick and Robert share some incredible insights about what goes into releasing a new version, their vision for the future and their quest to make FileMaker the best tool on the planet. We are very honored that they took so much of their time to talk with us candidly and openly.

Part 2 will be released next Wednesday.

Welcome Back Claris

At the FileMaker Developer Conference last week, FileMaker, Inc. announced they had changed their name to Claris International and purchased Stamplay. This is a bit of déjà vu for anyone who remembers MacWrite, MacPaint and Claris Corporation. It’s a blast from the past that’s been modernized. We’ll share our thoughts on the announcement and even speculate as to what the future holds. Come join us for this exciting new era for FileMaker.