On April 12, 2018 we hosted the FileMaker Pro User Group in Minnesota (FMPUG-MN ) with guest speaker Jeremy Brown of Geist Interactive. He shared some great information regarding JavaScript & the WebViewer. With Jeremy’s permission we are sharing the video of that event.
Here’s an overview of some of the contents of the presentation:
What we know about JavaScript and the WebViewer. There is a lot out there but is is scattered all over the net. This leads to a lot of reinventing the wheel. Jeremy has created a database of facts/issues with the WebViewer.
His last dying wish: Incorporate all available technologies into FileMaker development. Adopt JavaScript as another tool – it’s “native FileMaker”. We can make a strong case for JavaScript. It runs everywhere.
Demo example of DataTables Configuration with FileMaker. You can “forget JavaScript” and use the sample config file to make integrating easier. There are many configure options setting for for different data sets, users, etc. Not everything is a nail. Native FileMaker is still useful but a tool like this makes many things easier.
Geist product: GoDraw3
Jeremy also shared a demo of the new drawing tool that is ALL FileMaker! You can tag objects in the canvas and extract that data in the JSON description of the canvas. Handling WebViewer refresh has been a challenge in the past but that has been taken care of with GoDraw3. Zwibbler library gets refreshed, but not the WebViewer itself. The WebViewer bridge that makes this possible has been released GitHub. It works on mobile with FileMaker Go but not in WebDirect, but does use the clipboard to communicate on Windows, so be aware of that.
Tim Cimbura – CEO and Software Engineer
Tim is an expert in creating custom business solutions that make businesses more effective, productive, and profitable. He specializes in rapid application development with the Claris platform including FileMaker and WordPress. He also knows Apple macOS technology inside and out.