FileMaker Development Best Practices

The FileMaker software is used to create custom solutions for several companies. There are some best practices for FileMaker development that one must consider and implement in order to create accessible and robust solutions with FileMaker. Here they are, divided into sections for easy reference.

1. Designing Layouts: Sketch Your Layouts

FileMaker recommends you sketch your layouts on paper or onscreen before creating them in FileMaker Pro. Sketches can help resolve design problems, communicate ideas, and save time.

Identify the Devices That Will Access Your Layout

Here are some points to keep in mind while identifying devices:

• Devices vary by hardware, screen size, and resolution. If you identify which devices will access the layout, you can better design the layout to work with those devices. For example, a layout designed for a desktop computer may not work well on an iOS device.
• To provide an optimal solution for users, design your layout to adapt to each device. Design each layout for a range of device sizes, and configure the auto-resize options for layout objects based on the layout’s height and width. This ensures that the layout expands to fill the entire screen for each device.
• You can direct users to the appropriate layouts with the On Layout Enter script trigger, the Get ( System Platform ) function, and the Go to Layout script step.

Use the Screen Stencils and Positioning Tools

Click the arrow on  in the layout bar to display screen stencils that help you design layouts optimally for iPad, iPhone (via FileMaker Go), and several common desktop resolutions. Also note that you can have multiple screen stencils visible at the same time.

Use a Theme that Suits the Purpose of Your Layout

Optimizing Layout Performance 

To improve the overall performance of your layout, remember the following practices:

• In List View and Portals, minimize the number of layout objects displayed simultaneously.
• Minimize the number of portals and tabs in layout.
• Minimize the size and number of shadows.
• Minimize the use of unstored calculations and script triggers.
• Create several layouts with fewer objects rather than one layout with many objects.
• Create custom themes and custom styles rather than overriding existing themes and styles.

2. Creating Tables and Fields

Table Naming

Tables are named using a single word in Title case.

Field Naming 

There are two kinds of field names:

1. Pascal case ( ex: Contact First Name)
2. Underscore case (ex: Contact_First_Name)

Global Fields / Global Variables 

All GLOBAL fields are UPPERCASE and one single word.

Summary Fields

Summary fields should have the prefix “Summ”.

Calculation Fields

Differentiate stored and unstored calculation in field name.

Layout Name

Prefix the layout name with Module / Base Table.

Layout Object 

Layout objects are prefixed by their corresponding reserved name (Ex: Field.Customer Name)

Default Auto-Enter Fields

These are the Auto-Enter fields already present by default:

1. Primary keys with the prefix of “PK”
2. Foreign keys with the prefix of “FK”
3. Creation Date
4. Creation Time
5. Creation Account Name
6. Creation Timestamp
7. Creation User
8. Modification Date
9. Modification Time
10. Modification Account Name
11. Modification Timestamp
12. modification User
13. Creation Host Timestamp (Optional)
14. Modification Host Timestamp (Optional)

3. Scripts

While developing scripts, make sure you do the following:

• Add comments on what a script does and add comments for each functionality.
• Specify the Server side script as different in script name and add numbering.

a. Single Comment Steps Within Scripts

* CustomFunction ( parameter1 ; parameter2 )
*
* PARAMETERS:
*      @parameter1 (text) Input string
*      @parameter2 (num) Numerical value
* RETURNS:
*      (bool) True or False based on proper 
*      evaluation
* DEPENDENCIES:
*      none
* PURPOSE:
*      Use this function in order to accomplish
*      most wonderful things possible!
* NOTES:
*      none
* REVISIONS:
*      10/23/18 - Initial release
*      10/27/18 - Modified to fix issue
*      10/31/18 - No returning Boolean result
*
===================================================== */

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