fmAutoMate

Towards a FileMaker IDE

Look out FileMaker Developers!

fmAutoMate is here and now!

A new tool from MrWatson to automate your Filemaker Script Workspace.

It's a Proof-of-Concept - showing that we CAN usefully turn FileMaker into an IDE (integrated Development Environment)

You are a few clicks away from a more productive day:

1. Download it from GitHub https://github.com/mrwatson-de/fmAutoMate !
2. Open fmAutoMate.fmp12
   
3. Press the [fmAutoMate] button
   
4. Open a Script in the Script Workspace
   
5. Right Click on a script step
6. Enjoy the power at your fingertips
   

It's open source, open to edit ... and open ended.

Let me know the great things you do with it / want to do with it.

Happy fmAutoMating!

MrWatson

The Homepage and Download pages have been revamped to make it easieer to find the information you need. Download the latest fmWorkMate Bundle (Mac) straight from the home page, or jump directly to the fmWorkMate YouTube channel! On the download page you can now find various versions of fmWorkMate for older operating systems.

I'm FileMaker Certified !

Again !

fmCheckMate-XSLT has just gone open source!

Download the latest version from GitHub

Get it - use it - like it - transform your work - love it!

MrWatson

fmWorkMate Bundle

Instant power at your fingertips

It has never been so easy to get started with fmWorkMate…

…and it has never been so worth it.

Check out the power

Download

Install

Get started

Hi folks,

hm ... something went wrong with the last release .... it seems like runtimes with FM 15.0.2 may have a problem starting, so I have created the fmWorkMate runtime again using FileMaker 14.

Please let me know (at the conference) or using the contact tab on this website, if you have further problems.

Happy & Smiling 

MrWatson

A Just-In-Time-Update ready for the start of the german FileMaker Conference in Salburg!

fmCheckMate Improved

• The fmCheckMate text result is being improved with search + replace functions and search-term highlighting as in the XML editor (work in progress).
• fmCheckMate Layout Analysis has been improved - find objects lost in sliders and tab controls.

FMK 2016

Check out my sessions today at the FMK 

• 11:00 - 12:30 "Surviving the Themes and Styles Jungle” / Überleben im Design- und Stil-Dschungel
• 14:00 - 15:30 Ein serverseitiges Script (SSS-)Framework

I wish everybody at the FMK 2016 a great experience! 

MrWatson

Prettier, smarter, more useful than ever before!

After two years since the last official release, the new fmWorkMate doesn't just have a pretty face, but is packed with powerful, unique and indispensable tools to make your daily File-Making more joyful, make you more productive and make your product more polished.

Layout Analysis

The new fmCheckMate Layout Analysis function is the king of analysis tools for instant layout analysis!

Find broken field references, commented out calculations, duplicate object names, floating objects, anchoring errors, editable value lists, and much, much more!

Find more errors in layouts than you can possibly imagine - almost instantly with a copy and a paste!

What's the difference?

 The revamped fmTextDiff tool compares your code more easily and intuitively than ever.       

- Compare text or FileMaker objects directly from the clipboard
- Drop files to compare their contents automatically.
- Diff fmxmlsnippets, or analysis results directly from fmCheckMate.

...and a pile more stuff!

The Mac version is online now; I hope to get the windows version ready for my presentations at the Developer Conference in Salzburg.

Happy Making FileMaker Work!

MrWatson

This release of fmWorkMate has a whole bunch of new stuff including support for fm13 themes!

Here is a summary of the recent improvements:

2 brand new tools!

• fmClipboardViewer - lets you browse the contents of your clipboard
• fmTextDiff - compares two files using an online service - for those of us who don't use TextMate ;-)

fmCheckMate now supports Themes!

• 4 new XSLT Transformations let you inspect, analyse and compare your themes.
• The XSLT Chooser has been REALLY simplified:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• With XSLTs categorized into Analysis / Change / Transformation, it is MUCH easier to find and identify the transformation you need.
• The object types are now named in plain english, and the function names are clearer (instead of CamelCase).
• You can also create your own XSLT Library! (or someone you know who knows a little XSLT 1.0)
  
  
• Just create a neighboring folder called "fmChekMate.YourNamespace.com", 
• add an xsl folder to it, 
• copy an XSLT over from fmCheckMate and 
• rename the file using the following format:
  
                       {InputType}_{OutputType}_NameOfTheFunctionUsingCamelCase.xslt
  
  You can see the existing xslt files for examples
  
  
• modify the XSLT // good luck ;-)
• Save the XSLT file
• In fmCheckMate open the XSLT Chooser and reimport the XSLT.
• For example:
  
  The file: ~/Documents/fmCheckMate.mrwatson.de/xsl/XMSS_Text.List_UnusedVariables.xslt
  
  Would display as:    Analyse   |   Scriptstep   |   Unused variables   |   mrwatson.de

fmSyntaxColorizer has had a major overhaul, is more dynamic and now has quick-switching between palettes. Enter f: to check out the function list!

And and handfull of other small improvements:

• fmTextConverter has a button to swap the Search and Replace fields
• fmPluginMate (fmp12) displays the plugin data more clearly & has clearer menus and shortcut-keys
• Simple Calculator has some new functions (UTF-conversion and (q:)oute function to convert an FM-calculation into a string)

To read about ALL the changes: please read the fmWorkMate_Changes.txt file when you download fmWorkMate

One more thing ...

All tools now have a built in online help function (at last!) - now I just have to fill out the help pages ;-)

Happy File-Making :-)

MrWatson

P.S. I've at last published my blog article "fmLogAnalyser - never miss another bug!" (from January) - Don't miss it!

A new release of (Mac version) fmWorkMate and the fmCheckMate XSLT library is available. :-)

2 new tools, and LOADS of improvements

More about it later...

Until now FileMaker plugin installation has been SUCH A DRAG :-( ...

...discovering what version you already have

...all those hidden extensions folders

...restarting FileMaker

…etc, etc. 

But now, with fmPluginMate...

...FileMaker plugin installation is JUST A DRAG :-)

Drag...

...Drop...

...Done!

Plugin installation has never been easier!

...and to discover what Plugins you already have installed, you have to do no more than LOOK + SEE

...and to get to those pesky Extension folders, you have to no more than CLICK.

fmPluginMate is just ONE of the FREE tools in the fmWorkMate toolbox, but because it is just soooo handy, it's also available as an extra download on the downloads page.

Happy Dragging!

MrWatson

FileMaker 13 - the funky new version of our favorite FileMaker Pro database platform - has just been released with pepped up database creation, fantastic new layout styling, the FM WebDirect browser and a bunch of new script and function stuff.

To make FileMaker 13 as bright, colorful and awesome as FileMaker12 just...

download the new version of fmSyntaxColorizer from the Downloads page today.

With fmSyntaxColorizer 0.9v16 you can not only colorize the new fm13 script steps, but - thanks to the amazing MBS Plugin from Monkeybread Software - you can now also highlight undeclared $variables.

IT IS AWESOME! Those fiddly variable names that are always getting mistyped stick out like a sore thumb!

You can see the errors in an instant - EVEN IN THE SCRIPT DEBUGGER! No more stupid little errors!

Have a bright day!

MrWatson

Post Script:

I have just noticed that in all releases of fmSyntaxColorizer to date all the example scripts have no calculations...

>surprise!<

This is apparently - and interestingly - a side-effect of using the FM developer tools to remove the Admin-Access from the file... I'll see if I can find a solution for the next release, and for now, please use your own scripts to check your colorizing and variable-checking results, thank you. Sincerely MrWatson

There's a new release of the fmCheckMate XSLT Library now available on the Downloads page.

Biggest change: Transformation names have been made (a little) less cryptic.

Step by step we make our way to perfection! 

Greets from around the globe!

MrWatson

Getting set up and started with fmCheckMate is now super-easy-peasy with new defaults, a new settings menu, and an improved XML Editor menu.

For a start fmCheckMate now starts up in Internal XML-Editor mode, so that newcomers can get to grips straight away with their fmxmlsnippets.

And with the new XML Editor Settings menu you get a great overview of your settings - and changing them is A SIMPLE SINGLE CLICK - with your mouse or with an easy-to-remember shortcut key.

Moreover, the XML Editor menu has been revamped:

• Functions are much more logically grouped,
• The new Clipboard menu shows all functions that interact with the clipboard,
• The Find and Replace Menu has also been reorganised to make it even easier to find the functions and remember the keys.

One final snazzy touch: each tool file now has its correct icon in the Finder.

New Release of fmWorkMate (Mac) is available, as ever, on the Downloads page.

Happy Checking Mate! ;-)

MrWatson

I'm doing some very intensive FileMaker code transformations at the moment - porting masses of Mail-Sync code from FileMaker 12 back into our old FileMaker 11 solution, so the focus for this release has been getting things transformed fast and efficiently with fmCheckMate (on Windows).

Thus, in this release the XSLT chooser has been pepped up: 

• New shortcut keys for selecting one of the top 5 transformations quickly
• Your favourite transformations remain at the top, even after an update, because the usage statistics are now stored in user preferences!

AND, most importantly, the Windows version works better.

SO: fmWorkMate for Mac and Win released - get it on the Downloads page 

Good night!

MrWatson

Get the new releases of fmSyntaxColorizer and fmWorkMate from the Downloads page!

If you haven't seen the Line Numbers in FileMaker Scripts yet, then get moving and get the latest MBS Plugin!

With the newest release of fmSyntaxColorizer it is just ONE CLICK easy locating of those bugs quicker than ever!

No more senseless searching, scrolling and screaming!

And, seeing as line numbers are so handy, I've also built a function into fmCheckMate to add line numbers to your text result:

or even to your filemaker xml fmxmlsnippet:

Press SHIFT+COMMAND+0 (zero) to toggle the line number on and off to discover exactly where your lines are.

 (In the XML-Editor you may want to first press SHIFT+COMMAND+H in order to format the XML one step-a-line)

Enjoy knowing where you are!

MrWatson

OMG! Monkeybread Software have done it again and taken our breath right away.

The new MBS-Plugin version 3.5 brings not just beautiful - and meaningful - colors into your FileMaker development....but now also shows LINE NUMBERS in your scripts!

FileMaker developers have been screaming for this for years!!! Thank you MBS-Plugin, you make our dreams come true!

You have to see it to believe it - it's not just a mock-up - and it's FREE!

----------------------------------------------------

 And with fmSyntaxColorizer your dreams are only ONE CLICK AWAY!

 Just 4 steps away:

1. first make sure you've got the newest MBS-Plugin version 3.5 from Monkeybread Software,
   
2. download and install the latest version of fmSyntaxColorizer from the Downloads page,
3. open fmSyntaxColorizer and
4. => Click Colorize! <=

----------------------------------------------------

Enjoy your FileMaker development - like never before!

MrWatson

New Versions of fmSyntaxColorizer, and of Mac AND WINDOWS Versions of fmWorkMate are available on the Downloads page

What would software be without bugs? What would I hunt?

Greets from Germany

MrWatson

There's some great new stuff in the new releases of fmWorkMate, fmCheckMate and fmSyntaxColorizer!

fmSyntaxColorizer

now ships with a CampSoftware color palette (see last blog entry), and has greatly improved palette-import & export functionality to support easier community palette-swapping.

fmCheckMate

has been honed again to provide a much smoother interface experience, with more intuitive menus and shortcut keys. A vastly improved text result editor now supports search & replace, and provides the ability to save the text to an external file in the much more useful UTF-8 encoding, as does the XML editor.

fmWorkMate

has seen some subtle development in the simple calculator, making it possible to do away with the mouse and operate it entirely via the keyboard.

Good to know:

• You can define your own functions in the settings page for the simple calculator.
• You can now start the simple calculator with a keypress (SHIFT+Command+0)
• All fmWorkMate tools have been equipped with a structured arsenal of shortcut keys so you can perform repetitive tasks easily and efficiently.

BETA 'n' BETA

Actually, it's the other way round: fmWorkMate is getting better and better, and thus, as more and more functions are 'rounded off',  it's getting less and less BETA.

Downloads

Releases, as ever, are to be found on the Downloads page. 

Happy work, mate!

MrWatson

There is a new version of fmWorkMate on the downloads page, with some nice goodies in the fmCheckMate tool.

I'm working on a huge conversion task at the moment; porting FileMaker 12 stuff back onto old FM 11 versions, which means that the focus of this release is on improving the pace of the work flow, that means

• improved menus, 
• useful keyboard shortcuts and 
• more intuitive flow through the data.

 Both the XSLT Chooser and the Text Result Viewer have been honed into efficient tools:

XSLT Chooser

Text Result Viewer

The text statistics really help to find problem characters in your code - or even in any text: just paste it in the text viewer and press command-8.

Have fun. New XSLTs should be coming soon.

MrWatson