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Welcome!

The "FM Manual Free Videos" website is designed specifically for those that have purchased a physical copy of our FM Manual. These videos are for you to follow along with the book, and a good place to get a feel for the training videos we provide.

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Introduction - Overview

0105 - The FileMaker Platform - Summary
* Overview video of all the FileMaker clients and hosts.
* The FileMaker platform consists of many powerful products that allow you to build any type of custom solution you need to solve any type of business need.
* FileMaker has a great collection of tools and products that can be extremely helpful to small and large businesses.
* Building and customizing databases in FileMaker is much faster than other types of database systems.
* Home Depot analogy.
0107 - Product Positioning
* Picking the right mix of FileMaker products is critical for successful business deployment. 
* Two Types of Servers, FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud.
* Three types of clients - Pro Advanced, Go, and WebDirect.
* FileMaker Pro Advanced allows for access to the database while also allowing for development and provides greater tools for serious developers.
* FileMaker Server is an On-Premise server that runs on Mac or Windows.
* FileMaker Cloud provides a server that runs up on Amazon's AWS data centers.
* FileMaker Go works on iPhones and iPads.
0110 - What kind of solutions can be made with FMSP?
* FM Starting Point solutions are finding their way into a number of different types of business, including the following: training, marketing, aviation, legal, etc.
* We use FM Starting Point internally here at RCC, it's a great starter solution that can solve several business needs.

Fundamentals & Basics

0301 - Opening Files for New Users
* There are multiple ways to open a FM file depending on where the file is located.
* Going to File > Create New, will open a dialog window to create a new FileMaker solution file.
* This creation window gives you some convenient options to jump starting a new solution, including template files.
* To open a file that is hosted on a server, you will need to go to File > open and then click the "Hosts" button on the window dialog.
* The Hosts dialog window will give you options to open files that are hosted on FileMaker servers. You can also add new servers to your favorites list.
* You can use a keyboard shortcut to open the remote host window with CMD + SHIFT + O.
0304 - What is a Database - Part 1
* Basic overview of FileMaker and Databases in general 
* Collections of similar types of information goes into Tables
* Fields are individual data elements
* What are outside examples of a database? Ebay is one!   
* Database = Template = Solution.  
* The FileMaker platform uses the .fmp12 file format.   * FileMaker uses screens, called Layouts.
0305 - What is a Database - Part 2
* Basic overview of FileMaker and Databases in general 
* Files, Tables, Fields, and Layouts... and now we have relationships
* Relational Databases - Connect tables together
* Relationships are driven by key fields.
* Relationships allow data from multiple tables to be displayed on a single layout at one time.   
* Scripts are little computer programs that can help automate activities in FileMaker
0307 - Modes in FileMaker
* Browse mode is for using the database and editing the data. 
* Layout mode is for customizing the look of the database.   
* Find mode is for executing a Search in the database.   
* Preview is for "previewing" how a print job will look if the print command is run or if a PDF is created from the current layout.   
* The menu bar changes based upon the mode you are in.
0325 - What is a Relationship (Very Basic Video)
* A Relationship is like a Bridge.
* Super basic video that might be good for people who have no previous exposure to FileMaker.
* Fundamental FileMaker conversation.
0332 - Basics of Sharing a Database Using FMS or Cloud 1 
* Basic outline of peer to peer hosting and FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud hosting.
* Concepts and benefits of using FileMaker Server.
* FileMaker is great at sharing data with other users and collaborative sharing with your team.
* Peer-to-Peer sharing is good for quick ad-hoc networks, but not a permanent solution.
* Dynamic and Static IPs.
0334 - Basics of Sharing a Database Using FMS or Cloud 2
* Basic outline of peer to peer hosting and FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud hosting.
* Concepts and benefits of using FileMaker Server.
* FileMaker is great at sharing data with other users and collaborative sharing with your team.
* Peer-to-Peer sharing is good for quick ad-hoc networks, but not a permanent solution.
* Dynamic and Static IPs.

Performing Finds & Sorts

0401- Finding Records - Basics
* Discusses the basics of Find mode and Found Sets.
* "Found sets" are collections of records that match a particular find request.  
* Find mode focuses all user activities on the "found set."   
* Default searches in FileMaker are wild card searches that search the first part of each word.

Working on Fields & Layouts

0501 - Layouts - Available Tools
* Basics of the layout tools for building and editing layouts.
* Detailed discussion of the tool bar in layout mode.
* Status Toolbar.
* Basic discussion of Buttons, Button Bars, and Tabs/Slides. 
* Basic discussion of the Layout Object Tree / Window.
0502 - Tour of the Inspector Pane
* Understanding all the panels of the inspector is important, and will come with time as you start building solutions in FileMaker.  FM12 only had 3 panels, but 13, 14, and 15 all have 4 panels.  We talk about the POSITION panel more in a later video on object alignment.  This is more of a well-rounded summary.
* Short discussion about naming objects.
* Data, Position, Appearance, Style.
* Discussing hiding objects or POV.
* Discussing the QuickFind function.
* Discussion of Placeholder labels.
* Discuss the 2 features NOT in the Inspector -  Conditional Formatting or setting up a button.
* Formatting date, time, and currency values.
* Discussion of object states in layout mode: Normal, Hover, Pressed, InFocus (In focus).
* Buttons have the 4 states as well.
* Aligning objects.
* Resizing object to the same size.
0503 - Tour of the Object Pane
* This is a great tool to use when dealing with layout objects layers deep.
* You can access it, of course, in Layout Mode and it will open up separate of the Inspector.
* It will highlight items on the layout as you click through the list.
* It allows you to hide certain objects as you work on the layout.
* Hiding something in LOW does NOT reflect browsing the layout in Browse Mode.
* The list is also searchable by object name.
0505 - Intro to Adding Fields to Database (text & Number)
* Adding new fields; finding space on an FMSP layout for new fields; and introduction to Tab Objects.
* introduction to locking objects; Aligning objects; and the format painter tool.
* formatting number field for financial currency data type; and reordering tab panels.
* Working with a Tab object, and locking panels of a tab.
* FileMaker has automatic alignment indicators in "blue" while in Layout mode.
* Using the Inspector Pane... and then the Data Panel.
* Customizing the name on the Tab Panel.

Calculations

0801 - Calculation Engine & New Work Space
* The calculation engine in FileMaker is super powerful, and is available in a ton of places
* We will be covering concatenating text.
* If then functions -  IF Statements.
* IsEmpty functions; IsFull Functions (which don't exist).
* Get(Thumbnail) function actually resizes an image or picture.
* FileMaker Experts generally never memorize all the functions because there are too many.  
* The best strategy is to be familiar with the available capabilities, and then hunt for what you need.  Also discussed the creation of Calculated container fields.

Writing Scripts

0901 - Scripting
* A script is a set of commands that will do a certain action within FileMaker. You can create custom scripts within the Script Workspace.
* The Script Workspace is separated into 3 pieces, on the left is the Script Library where you can see your scripts you have already created, the right will show you the Script Steps that are available to use, and in the center you have the space where you actually create the script.
* Scripts can be easy to understand and use but it can also get very deep and complex.
* When using FileMaker Pro Advance you will want to turn on your Advance tool settings because there are some tools that will be very useful when it comes to creating and testing out scripts.
* Another thing that is useful is using keyboard short cuts to move around FileMaker smoothly and to do some actions like saving your scripts.
0902 - Intro into Script Workspace
* Find common shortcuts with the workspace.
* Get tips on how to be more efficient with the workspace.
* Find out how to utilize some Pro Advance tools like the script debugger.
* Walkthrough the average steps on how to create a script.
0909 - Variables vs. Globals
* Global fields go way back before variables were added to the FileMaker platform.  Mastering both is important for good scripting skills.
* To see global or local variables that are defined and in use while a script is running pop open the Data Viewer.
* Path names for files must use variables.
* In Multi user solutions - Globals are specific to the users session.

Relationships

1101 - What is a Relationship? 
* Relationships should help you model... the "real world" into a database.
* Relationships are not abstract.
* The same relationships between parts of your business... may need to be defined and set up in your FileMaker database.
* Use serial numbers in primary key fields.
* Definitely don't use fields that can change, or that might not be unique.
Names are NOT unique.
1102 - Table Occurrence Basics
* Table Occurrences (TOs) are a MAJOR part of the FileMaker relational model.
* TOs are NOT the same as a table AKA "Base Table."
* Key fields relate tables to each other. 
* A Primary key on the parent side will typically auto populate with a serial number.
* A foreign key on the child side, will typically NOT auto populate with a serial number.

Security

1201 - Security in FileMaker Overview
* FM Starting Point ships with no security enabled, but once you're done getting comfortable it's time to "raise shields" and protect your database.
* New FileMaker files have a basic "admin" account setup with no password.
* Also, FileMaker can be set to auto-login with a specific username and password.
* FM Starting Point is setup this way, just like a new FileMaker file. Admin/{no password}.
* FileMaker has in addition to User Logins: 
* File Level Encryption.
* Point-to-Point Encryption.
* File Access for Authorized Files.
* Audit Trails (not fundamentally built into
FileMaker, but we have the tools to build them).