One of the strengths of WordPress is the tens of thousands of plugins available (for free via the WordPress.org plugin repository and for purchase). However it can be an Achilles’ heel at times. When you start mixing 10, 20, or 30+ plugins written by different authors and never tested against each other, sometimes issues arise. […]
FileMaker, WordPress, and the Healthcare Medical Industry – HIPAA Compliance
FileMaker has a new Healthcare portal available to assist with building custom applications for the medical field. This free eBook features LuminFire’s mobile healthcare TrackUS custom app built using FileMaker and web technologies. LuminFire specializes in assisting clients in the healthcare and related medical industries by rapidly building affordable custom applications and websites. Some of the […]
cURLing in FileMaker 16
At LuminFire, we’re very excited about enhanced support for cURL in FileMaker 16. And no, we’re not talking about curling the sport, though it is very popular here in Minnesota and we recommend you try it too if you never have. We’re talking about cURL the free and open source project consisting of two products, a command […]
FileMaker as a CRM and ERP – Software Integration
Two software important industry buzzwords today are CRM (customer relationship management) and ERP (enterprise resource planning). Both CRM and ERP software help you to run a business better by managing a business’s operations, customer relations, and financials. They provide access to data, analysis, and reports that can help you make smarter business decisions. FileMaker is […]
Mac Laptop and iPhone Travel and Photo Accessories – Mini’app’les User Group
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota is fortunate to have a vibrant and active tech community. One such group is the Mini’app’les User Group. It’s a group of of Apple users interested in sharing knowledge and experience with other Apple users and owners. Members vary from beginners, to consultants and developers of any age. […]
MSPWP User Group Meetup 2017-02-23
Marty Kokes, one of the web developers here at Cimbura.com spoke at the Minneapolis/St. Paul WordPress User Group meeting last night about Gravity Flow. Since we’ve finally worked all the bugs out of our A/V and recording setup, we have a recording of this month’s talks! Cimbura.com was the host, and BrilliantPlugins had cake and beverages to celebrate […]
Summary of Recent FileMaker Statistics
This article has moved to an infographic here…
Changing Database Versions in Pressmatic
I just recently (yesterday!) started testing Pressmatic for my local WordPress development. Up until now I’ve been running my own Apache, MySQL/MariaDB and PHP servers which I installed using Brew by following this tutorial. Pressmatic is very attractive because it lets you quickly switch PHP versions, swap Nginx for Apache and use a virtualized […]
The Upgrade Cycle – Have a Plan
We recently did a check in with a client that we hadn’t worked with in a while to see if they wanted to do any updates, enhancements, or maintenance. We built a custom FileMaker solution for this commercial printing company to replace their paper job tickets and manual production lists for scheduling. In the past, the Production Manager had to go […]
50 Years with Technology
Tim Cimbura, 9/26/15 I just turned 50 years old. I feel as young as ever though I need to wear glasses nearly all the time. About halfway through my life I know there’s a lot more to come. It’s interesting to reflect back on a half century of technology and how it’s influenced my career […]
Do I need to escape the output of WordPress template tags like get_the_title()?
It came up at the Minneapolis WordPress User Group that I spoke at last night and on the Genesis Slack chat this morning. It appears to be the question of the day… So should I escape it? Yes! You should (late) escape (or sanitize) all output, all the time. But… Always and forever — ignore this advice at your […]
Working Efficiently in the FileMaker 14 Script Workspace
There is a ton of great stuff in FileMaker 14. It’s been available to the public for just over two months now, but it seems like we’ve been using it so long, that we can’t imagine going back to the previous version. We wrote a post about Our Favorite Hidden Gems in FileMaker 14, and recently provided some […]
Our Favorite Hidden Gems and Tips in FileMaker 14
As you may have heard, last week FileMaker released the FileMaker 14 Platform. While there are certainly some great mainline features that make it a worthy upgrade, as is often the case, there are many of those “little things” that may not grab the headlines, but together they add up to really make for a nicer overall experience. […]
FileMaker 13 is Here! – Hello WebDirect
It’s been over a year and a half since FileMaker 12 was released ushering in a new familiarity with themes based on html/CSS, a new file format, and many other improvements. Today, FileMaker 13 was released with several new enhancements that make it an even better development platform for building iPad/iPhone applications and now applications […]
Operating System and Productivity Apps FREE on Mac
Who says you don’t get anything for FREE anymore? That’s not true with Apple and the Macintosh. Apple recently released the latest version of their OS called Mac OS X (ten) Mavericks and it is FREE. It includes a few new FREE applications iBooks and Maps. There are also new versions of Safari, Calendar, and […]
Mac OS 10.9 Mavericks is Here…and it’s FREE! Impact on FileMaker
Apple announced that OS X Mavericks, the latest Mac operating system, is free. The major update of OS X Mavericks became available October 22 at no charge via the App Store. Users with systems dating as far back as six years ago will be able to download and install the operating system. Mavericks can be […]
Mac OS Email Application
I’m using a Mac and wondering what application I should use for email. Can you help? I would recommend using the built-in Apple Mail application that comes with Mac OS. Here are some advantages to using Apple Mail: It connects to any mail source…and multiple sources. Gmail, Exchange server, IMAP, etc. all from one place. […]
Why You Should Share Your Budget
When you decide to invest in your business by building custom application software there are many benefits. You will get technology that will maximize your productivity, effectiveness, and profitability as well as provide your business a unique competitive advantage. The majority of our projects have a quick ROI (return on investment) and so the projects […]
The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Abbott Northwestern Hospital Uses FileMaker to Assist with Leading Edge Technology Training
Abbott Northwestern Hospital, part of Allina Health in Minneapolis Minnesota, is the largest non-profit hospital in the Twin Cities. US News ranked it in the top 50 hospitals in the United States. The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Abbott Northwestern is on the leading edge of making use of medical technology including new portable ultrasound […]
Home safe home with Orbicule’s Witness App
Update 9-15-14 “Mac OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 are just around the corner. Both upgrades bring a lot of innovation to your Apple devices, but are unfortunately incompatible with Witness. We have therefore taken the difficult decision to halt further development of Witness. We will continue to support and operate Witness for older versions of […]
Lion and iCloud and Upgrading Your Mac OS/MobileMe System – Do It Now
Apple recently announced their new operating system Mountain Lion (Mac OS 10.8) to be released later this summer. It will move the Mac OS and iOS closer together so that you have a more consistent experience across your Mac and iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch devices. It will also make even more efficient use of iCloud. Motivated by […]
What is OpenBase and do I need it?
Question: Every so often, a window appears announcing that OpenBase is updating my files. Is this a good thing? Should I find and delete OpenBase? OpenBase is an industrial strength SQL-based database tool that is used by some Mac OS applications to store, retrieve, and search information (Wikipedia OpenBase article). You can find out where […]
Make a Smart White Board for Less Than $99
The White Board… You can build a non-magnetic whiteboard out of a product called melamine that is commonly used for creating shower walls. Whiteboard specific melamine is more expensive but the only difference is the thickness of the board. This is great for a training room, home school, etc. What you need: A big wall […]
Exporting Contact Information From Mac OS X Address Book or FileMaker Bento
Once you have entered information into the Mac OS X Address Book, there is not a straightforward and easy way to get it out. There are two built-in Export options: “Export as vCard” or “Address Book Archive”. Neither is terribly useful or easy to access like an Excel file. vCards can be read by some […]
FileMaker and Mac OS X Lion
Lion, the next version of the Mac OS, is due in a few weeks. One of the changes that will affect some Mac users is the inability of Lion to run older PowerPC-based software. Compatibility software called “Rosetta” will not be included as part of Lion. So applications like AppleWorks, Quicken 2007, older versions of […]
Mac OS X Anti-Malware and Anti Virus
This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series SecurityWindows has had malware, virus, and trojan threats for years. With the gain in popularity of the Mac, they have started showing up on Mac OS X. One such beast is masquerading as “Apple Web Security”. Here’s an example screen shot as seen by some: This […]
Contact Management for Business
Contact management is an essential part of any business and even personal relationships. You need to know who your clients, vendors, and other people are and keep track of your interactions with them in order to develop successful relationships. Software will help you keep your mind open for more creative things and share all that […]
Anti-Virus/Spyware Protection on MacOS and Windows
If you’re running on a Macintosh, you really don’t need anti-virus protection…unless you’re running Windows on your Mac. If you’re using Parallels, VMWare, Bootcamp, etc. you’ll want to install anti-virus/spyware protection on the Windows partition of your Mac. (To protect against other potential internet security threats see this article and use OpenDNS.) It’s a reality […]
Creating a Video and Sharing with iLife and YouTube
If you’re looking to edit a video and share it with your friends and you have a Macintosh, look no further than the software that comes with your Mac…the iLife suite of applications. In fact, it’s one of the great reasons to get a Mac. No software should be necessary other than iMovie to do […]
Viewing Windows Videos on the Mac
Once in a while I’ll have Mac users ask why they can’t view a particular video sent to them by a friend. With most videos posted on YouTube or Vimeo today, it’s not a problem that occurs very often but older files may still it require a solution. If you need to play a WMV […]
