- Part 2

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Speaking at SeattleFMPUG

By admin | September 30, 2008

I will be speaking at Seattle FMPUG in October. For more information, click here.

Making a Case for FileMaker Pro

By admin | September 3, 2008

FileMaker Pro. Many of you have heard of it or may have worked with it, but did you know it has been in the marketplace for more than 20 years?

In that time, more than 13 million units of FileMaker software have been sold around the world. FileMaker enthusiasts include ALL of the top 50 universities in the U.S., the top 250 U.S. school districts, and 70 of the Fortune 100 companies.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, Inc., FileMaker isn’t just for Mac users anymore! Cross-platform capabilities that run natively on both Mac and Windows platform make FileMaker the premium database software on the market today. It has muscled its way into IT infrastructures in all industries.

Currently on version 9.0, FileMaker underwent a massive database engine redesign in version 7. It allows for multiple “tables” to be combined into a single FileMaker file. This feature has cut down both development time and cost, and has brought forward some of the most powerful features in the product’s history.

Most notably, FileMaker now allows for up to 250 concurrent users via Server, full support for php Web integration and a partnership with the MySQL alliance that spawned a connection kit (called “ESS”), allowing for LIVE connections to data sources running MySQL, SQL Server and Oracle!

Imagine connecting to your organization’s SQL Server, Oracle and MySQL databases from one place, and using the information without additional programming. With FileMaker, you can! FileMaker Pro 9 creates secure easy one-way or two-way connections to External SQL Data Sources. The SQL data acts just like FileMaker data. Create custom reports, add calculations and other fields, build relationships with existing FileMaker data, using the easy-to-use tools of FileMaker Pro.

There are new layout objects that allow you to do everything from automatically resizing your layouts to embedding FULL web viewing functionality into your existing FileMaker database layouts.

With the PHP features of the FileMaker Server, you can publish information to external websites, gather information from Web users, and create new solutions combining a Web-based front-end with a rich, FileMaker Pro back-end. Support for popular open source Web standards PHP and XSLT means you and your Web developer will be reading and writing live FileMaker Pro data in no time.

All these reasons support FileMaker Pro as the #1 best-selling standalone database for both Macintosh and Windows.

When business professionals outgrow spreadsheets, they depend on FileMaker products. Customizing, creating, and sharing easy-to-use software solutions is quick and easy. FileMaker is powerful enough to integrate with corporate data environments, share on the web, and evolve with your needs.

Topics: FileMaker | 1 Comment »

Sessions Files from Creative Transitions Conference

By admin | August 12, 2008

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD CTC Session Files

Conference: Creative Transitions Conference

For the database designer looking to create state of the art dynamic solutions for his customers, the combination of Flash and Filemaker offers a compelling combination. In this stimulating presentation, you’ll see a variety of applications presented and deconstructed to show you how dynamic data can be communicated and integrated between Flash and Filemaker to present stunning interface solutions to enhance Web, standalone and networked apps.

If you are interested in an expanded DVD version of this
article, please visit:

“Integrating Flash and FileMaker Extended DVD”

Topics: Flash and FileMaker | No Comments »

FileMaker and Flash Integration DVD

By admin | August 11, 2008

For more information on how to integrate FileMaker (8.x and higher) and Flash , check out this DVD from lynda.com:

CLICK HERE

Topics: FileMaker | No Comments »

The Return of the Thin Client and the Future of Databases

By admin | August 11, 2008

One of the most interesting trend in computing is the re-emergence of the Thin Client. This time it is more significant than ever.

For those in the software and web development fields, this latest trend should not be ignored. In this article I explore the cycle that brings back what looks like the old mainframe client-server model but is instead something exciting for anyone who develops database or web applications today.

If you currently work with Flash you can now leverage your existing skills to create DESKTOP applications, thus opening up your potential market and making yourself much more valuable. Flex and AJAX developers have probably already been creating Web Applications and now those can be brought to the desktop with additional advantages not found in the browser while still taking advantage of Thin client technology.

Its worth a look. Plus, the AIR showcase has a bunch of really cool free apps if you simply want to get familiar with AIR by using the applications themselves.

One of the repeated cycles in the software industry is that we constantly go through this “thin client / thick client” cycle.

In the 1980s, there was still a lot of software being developed for the mainframe. These were basically “thin client” applications – most of the processing was done on the server and the model was that of centralized computing with “dumb terminals” acting as the primary interface. These dumb terminals were indeed pretty dumb (not much processing power, and character-mode interfaces). But, there were certainly advantages to this centralized model. The software could be updated on a single server, security was simpler, viruses and other malware were not a big issue. An important point to note is that these applications were mostly “stateless”. This allowed a user to believe they were interacting with their application directly, when in fact, 99% of the time, the server was simply waiting for another request and idle users were not consuming any resources. This particular model allowed a very large volume of users to be served, because not each user consumed server resources (CPU, memory, etc.) when they were not active.

Then, came the “thick client” wave in the form of client-server. An important thing to note here was that in the client-server model, we did not simply transfer all of the power back to the desktop – but a lot of it. The reason for this shift to thick-client applications was simple: There was a lot of horsepower in the PC and it could be leveraged to create better and more usable applications. It seemed a waste to let all that horsepower sit idly around and use the PC as just another dumb terminal. So, with this shift to client-server, we saw a rethinking of how applications were designed, built and deployed. The server, in most of these applications was a database server and did nothing more than act as a persistence layer to store and manage data. Along with the shift came new tools and technologies to help make it easier to build applications for the new paradigm (one that comes to mind is FileMaker).

In the late 1990s, we saw again a shift to “thin client”. Now, this client was a “much smarter dumb terminal” in the form of a web browser. This trend was fuelled by a number of things:

1. It was painful to manage desktop applications on hundreds and thousands of desktops
2. There were classes of applications where the server horse-power and data storage required exceeded the power of most PCs
3. Internet standards made it relatively easy to build applications that would work across a variety of hardware platforms and operating systems

So, everyone started creating web applications. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, these web applications too were “stateless”. So, the web application could serve tens of thousands of users using the same model made popular in the mainframe days. Instead of CICS or IMS-DC we now had HTML. This made the user interface better than the mainframe terminals but still was a huge step backwards compared to all the progress that was made in the user interface arena in the client-server days. But, this new thin-client model solved a lot of problems with the thick-client apps. You could leverage the resources of huge servers, do things you simply couldn’t do on your desktop and had a nice, consistent set of behaviors from hundreds and thousands of applications that were just a browser-click away.

However because it was browser based, we couldn’t access the desktop and couldn’t store applications locally. Also mixed platforms could cause issues for both running your applications and installing them. What the world needs is a Thin client that solves these issues but still provides the ability to make changes on the server to push out to clients, make management and support of your system easier and control costs while maintaining a secure enviornment.

Enter the modern day Thin client applications enviornment. There are many popping up that require notice, but the most significant has been the recent release of Adobe AIR, a cross-platform runtime environment for building rich Internet applications using Adobe Flash, Adobe Flex, HTML, or Ajax, that can be deployed as a desktop application.

Adobe made a public preview release of AIR (then called Apollo) along with a software development kit (SDK) and extension for developing Apollo applications with the Flex framework, on March 19, 2007. On June 10, 2007, Apollo was renamed to AIR and a public beta release of the runtime was launched. Public beta 2 of AIR SDK was released on October 1, 2007. Public beta 3, was released on December 12, 2007, and version 1.0 was released on February 25, 2008.

AIR is intended to be a versatile runtime environment, as it allows existing Flash, Actionscript or HTML and JavaScript code to be used to construct a more traditional desktop-like program. Adobe positions it as a browser-less runtime for rich Internet applications that can be deployed onto the desktop, rather than a fully-fledged application framework. The differences between each deployment paradigm provides both advantages and disadvantages. For example, a rich internet application deployed in a browser does not require installation, while one deployed with AIR requires the application be packaged, digitally signed, and installed to the user’s local file system. However, this provides access to local storage and file systems, while browser-deployed applications are more limited in where and how data are accessed and stored. In most cases, rich internet applications store users’ data on their own servers, but the ability to consume and work with data on a user’s local file system allows for greater flexibility.

This provides developers all the advantages of the Thin client, yet AIR applications can operate offline, and then activate further functionality or upload data when an active Internet connection becomes available. So no pendulum swing back to Thick client as the happy medium has been discovered.

Adobe currently provides three ways of developing AIR applications:

HTML/Ajax, either via Adobe’s own Dreamweaver CS3, another HTML editor or a normal text editor in conjunction with the AIR SDK.^[9]
Flex Builder 3
Flash CS3

Dreamweaver CS3 requires an additional extension to compile AIR applications, as does Flash CS3 in the form of an update. The cross-platform nature of the runtime means any HTML editor, coupled with the AIR SDK, can create AIR applications. AIR itself uses the WebKit HTML rendering engine, along with Flash and PDF technologies.

You can experiment with Adobe AIR by visiting the Adobe AIR website. You can also download AIR for free to be able to run all of the applications currently available to play with.

The Adobe AIR Showcase has all sorts of existing applications with many already created by some top notch companies. There are several interesting case studies from The New York Times as well as AOL, eBay, NASDAQ, Yahoo, Nickelodeon and many more companies who have already made the commitment to AIR.

However this is not just a call to developers about the next wave, its also a call to software companies. The old model of thick client/server architecture is dead. Web 2.0 has ushered in a new platform for both the browser AND the desktop. Within 5 years this model will overtake current models and software companies will need to take note and adjust accordingly.

Some companies are already offering platforms that are using the browser to become the development and working environment for database systems. They are worth a look because a hybrid of these applications with a deployment environment like AIR could become the next big thing. Right now that prototype doesn’t exist, but check out these offerings for the closest thing to a preview.

dabbledb

Dabble DB helps you create online databases on the web. It’s easy to use yet extremely flexible and powerful. Check out this demo video to get a better idea of how it works.

Awareim

Aware IM is a web application builder that requires no programming, no scripts, no HTML, no database, web or user interface knowledge. Driven by business rules Aware IM works on any platform and supports all popular databases (MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle and others). Deploy your web application on the Internet or on your company’s LAN.
Check out the demo of awareim here.

Rollbase

Rollbase is a new Internet platform for business users and web developers to rapidly create on-demand applications using point & click, drag & drop tools in a standard web-browser. Simply put, Rollbase allows businesses to focus on application innovation rather than software development and all of the infrastructure behind it.

Check out the Rollbase demo by clicking here.

So its coming…or maybe its here. Its at least worth a look for both developers and software companies alike.

Topics: FileMaker | No Comments »

BENTO TRAINING TITLE- Now Available!

By admin | July 9, 2008

lynda.com’s Bento Essential Training
with: Cris Ippolite

Bento is a personal database for Mac OS X Leopard that provides an organizational hub for anything a person might want to collect, track, or connect. Bento is designed for those with no previous database experience, and having database expert Cris Ippolite as a guide makes it easier to get the most from this unique program. In Bento Essential Training, Cris introduces key database concepts as they relate to Bento, including collections, records, forms, and fields. He demonstrates how a little planning and setup results in a more useful collection of information. Chris also explains how to link Bento to other Mac applications, like Address Book and iCal; how to design custom templates; and how to follow best practices for backing up and restoring data. Example files accompany the course.

Click here to get more course information — and free demo movies

Topics Include:
• Creating Libraries by using templates or importing
• Building and modifying Collections and Smart Collections
• Editing records in Table and Form views
• Customizing form layouts
• Managing Related Records lists
• Using file list fields
• Importing, exporting, and printing information
• Creating and restoring from backup files
• Using Time Machine and .Mac

Duration:
2.25 hours

Topics: FileMaker | 1 Comment »

Creative Transitions Conference- Milwaukee

By admin | June 18, 2008

I’m proud to announce Ill be participating in the Creative Transitions Conference in Milwaukee on August 13th. Ill be returning to my hometown of Milwaukee to present a session on Integrating Flash and FileMaker. C2 Events

Evangelists from Adobe and innovators from around the country descend
on the cool shores of Lake Michigan, August 13-15 for three
knowledge-packed days. These software and creative masters will
present two days of seminar-style sessions on animation to InDesign®,
Acrobat to Flex, followed by a third day of related hands-on training.

For information on registration please click here

Topics: FileMaker, Flash and FileMaker | No Comments »

80TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS® CREDENTIALING and SEATING SOLUTIONS PROVIDED BY iSOLUTIONS, INC 

By admin | February 22, 2008

iSolutions, Inc Provides Peace Of Mind to the Oscars® With Its Credentialing And Seating Solutions.

Beverly Hills, Calif. - February 25, 2008 -  iSolutions, Inc (www.iSolutions-Inc.com), inventor and leading provider of Flash/Flex and FileMaker integrated solutions, announced today that their Academy Awards® Seating Solution was successfully utilized for the fourth year in a row at the 80th Annual Academy Awards( held on Feb. 24, 2008.

The Academy of Motions Pictures Arts and Sciences used this leading technology. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences® used iSolutions’ “Drag and Drop” Seating Chart Solution to assign seats and issue tickets to each guest attending this year’s live televised show; as well as to schedule the official screenings of the nominated films for this year’s Academy voters.

With an integration of FileMaker Pro’s® Web Viewer layout object (www.FileMaker.com) and Adobe Flash® technology, iSolutions seating application managed seating arrangements for the Award Show, Governor’s Ball and Sci-Tech Awards this season.
isolutions drag and drop oscars
Using iSolutions’ FileMaker-based seating application, AMPAS staff was able to view the entire floor layout along with table and guest details on their computer screens. The software was used for decision making and placement of guests like Daniel-Day Lewis, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Michael Moore at their respective tables and made seating for the more than 2,000+ invitees much more efficient.

“This year, due to the uncertainty caused by the writer’s strike, we were making constant changes up to the very last minute to accommodate seating needs. The system gave us the peace of mind during this abbreviated preparation period, benefiting not only our staff but also those who attended the Awards Show.” says Kevin Kleinhenz, an official for the Academy.

isolutions oscars 80th

The iSolutions system excels in efficiency and problem mitigation compared to that of the paper-based methods used by AMPAS in the past and by other awards shows even today.

In addition to its Ticketing and Seating Solution, AMPAS® used
iSolutions’ FileMaker-based Online Registration and Credentialing solution to manage over 800 application requests for credentials.

About iSolutions, Inc- iSolutions is one of only 33 FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum members and one of 13 Authorized FileMaker Trainers in the world, specializing in providing custom FileMaker applications and Training for medium to large organizations worldwide. iSolutions has been the pioneer of FileMaker and Flash/Flex based development for over 10 years and currently leads the industry in development of those integrated solutions. The company is based in Los Angeles, California with an office in Chicago and was founded by Cris Ippolite. To learn more about the company please visit their website at www.iSolutions-Inc.com.

Topics: FileMaker, Flash and FileMaker | No Comments »

FileMaker Addict Interview

By admin | February 5, 2008

I recently did an interview for FileMaker Addict.com. It was a good chance for me to look back on how I became a FileMaker developer back in the day and a fun trip down memory lane. Check out my interview on FileMaker Addict: Click here

Topics: FileMaker | No Comments »