FileMaker 13 is a Game Changer
FileMaker 13 is finally here!
FileMaker released the latest version this morning (12/3/13), and several of the features are real game changers:
WebDirect
The replacement for the long ailing Instant Web Publishing (IWP), WebDirect brings most of the features of FileMaker Pro Client to a browser window:
- Script Triggers
- Conditional Formatting
- Script steps and functions
- Popover Buttons (a great new feature discussed below)
- Slide Controls
Popover Button
This feature alone will have developers scrambling to redesign their current solutions! Popover buttons allow the developer to show a custom designed information pane that is essentially a little layout. The pane can hold fields, portals, related data, buttons, and much more. The interface improvement possibilities will be limited only by developers imagination:
- Name or Account Lookup functions
- Related information from the related record – customer details, for example, linked to the customer name
- Related record portals – all contacts and their information for a company
- Check in and out of assets
Here’s an example of a Popover button from one of the new starter solutions:
Major Design Improvements
- Shareable custom themes and styles
- Drag and Drop data fields onto the layout
- The ability to hide or display objects based on business logic
- New layout design capabilities that auto fit the layouts for iPad, iPhone, reports, etc.
- Dozens of new enhancements for developers
Simplified Server Administration, including an entirely new HTML5 administrative console in FileMaker Server 13 for managing business solutions from anywhere (the old Java based admin, with all of its problems, is finally gone).
There lots more, like ease of design of new layouts, scanning tools, and new licensing details.
Stay tuned for more details and more in depth discussions. There’s a lot to learn!