Many new developers will invariably have to work on existing solutions, some dating back many years (sometimes the solution was written before they were born!). FileMaker’s long and storied history lends credibility to the platform, but brings with it problems with older versions (Version 8, anyone?). Converting old databases to the newer versions requires updating more […]
Color (spelled colour in many countries) is a major factor in design, and something to be approached with care. The mood set by the chosen color pallet can make the difference between relaxed and/or anxious users: Learn how to use colour to set the mood, reinforce the hierarchy, and call attention to important elements in FileMaker […]
Alexis Allen posted a must read article on the use of colors in FileMaker, and covers in quite some detail: The fourth in a series on the basics of visual design for FileMaker. Colour is one of the most important elements of a design. Since vision is our most dominant sense, colour has an enormous […]
I missed this post by Alexis Allen of Designing FileMaker back in December. She links to a great PDF design handbook by USTWO that is easy to read, has great examples, and tells you what is naughty and nice with each concept: Reader David Schellenberg (thanks David!) sent The Pixel Perfect Precision Handbook my way a […]
Alexis Allen picks out seven design mistakes most of make and gives us the reasons why we should be more careful. My failings have included 1 and 2, not so much the others. Bad alignment and spelling errors I find particularly egregious. Which have you broken? We’ve probably all done these at one time or other. […]
ALEXIS ALLEN of Designing FileMaker shares more design secrets from Devcon 2014: If you haven’t started using themes and styles yet in your FileMaker development, you should! This article consolidates information from Andrew Paulsen, Adam Ward, and Bob Shockey, presented in sessions at the 2014 FileMaker Developer’s Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The tricks and pointers […]
GRIDS ON A LAYOUT help the designer add organization to the layouts. And organization has several benefits: It organizes space and information It helps users locate information It acts as a visual filing cabinet Alexis Allen of Designing FileMaker has a great article on grids: What they are, why to use them, and how to […]
AS EVERY EXPERIENCED FILEMAKER DEVELOPER KNOWS (heck, an experienced developer in any language, for that matter), there’s more that one way to do a given task. Usually there are several, each having it’s own pro’s and cons. Alexis Allen’s article on controlling the tab action after choosing a value from a drop down is a […]
THIS IS THE FIRST VIDEO INTERVIEW in a series of interviews on influential people in the FileMaker community. New interviews will be posted routinely. Alexis Allen is the founder and main blogger at Designing FileMaker, a new blog site focusing on great design as it pertains to FileMaker. A new site, Designing FileMaker has captured […]
THE PROPER USE OF SPACE when designing a FileMaker solution is one of the harder topics to tackle–it’s not as tangible as scripting, naming conventions, and the like. As such, it’s harder to get one’s mind around it. Alexis Allen of Designing FileMaker just published a great blog post on the proper use of space: As we […]
10 tips for designing great looking layouts in FileMaker Pro: […] For great tips on the use of space, check out Alexis Allen’s excellent post. […]
ALEXIS ALLEN details 9 ways to increase creativity.: I’ve always been curious about how to develop creativity. Since creative skills overlap disciplines, it’s worth examining how people in other creative pursuits go about learning their craft. What important things can we learn that also apply to FileMaker design and development? This article explores how lessons […]
A NEW FILEMAKER BLOG focused on design–a welcome addition, in my view. Mostly because I struggle with design issues on every project. I’m all in for anything that makes it easier. Quoting Alexis Allen of designingfilemaker.com: Lines are one of the most basic elements we work with in layouts. Our minds only need the merest […]
Alexis Allen Video Interview by FileMakerProGurus.com – Design for FileMaker Pro Developers: […] why I love design and FileMaker. You can read Don’s original article and link to the video here. Check…