SQL for the Common Man

The most important feature in FileMaker 12 is arguably the ExecuteSQL function.  This is the first of an occasional series highlighting some real life uses of this new and exciting technique.

One reason I’m learning to embrace ExecuteSQL is because it lets you perform many tasks without accessing the Relationship Graph.   Continue reading ‘SQL for the Common Man’

 

FileMaker Developer Conference 2013 – Schedule Announced

Go here.

 

Please join us February 26th – Jerry Salem: In/Out Boards, held in the new ITS App Dev Office Space

Greetings FileMaker Enthusiasts,

Our next Philadelphia FileMaker Developer Group meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, February 26th, 2013 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the IT Solutions Fort Washington Office.

414 Commerce Dr., Suite 150, Fort Washington, PA 19034

Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/37mhhh

Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend this meeting:

http://www.fmpug.com/rsvp.php?eventID=1389

IN/OUT BOARDS

Jerry Salem will be presenting on an application he built for an ITS client to track employee work status and attendance.

THE ITS NEW APP DEV OFFICE SPACE

For those of you who have come to many of our meetings, you know that when many people are in attendance, there’s spillover into the cubes and corridors – it can get cramped.

The App Dev Department at ITS has moved to a new, more spacious wing in the office, and we’ll be much more comfortable.  Same address, just take a left instead of a right when you walk through the ITS doors.  Come hang out in the new space!

About the Presenter

Dr. Jerry Salem began his career in technology as a computer science major, eventually moving to the biological sciences where he earned his Ph.D in Biochemistry. During that time he published papers on malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS. He holds a U.S. patent and has spoken internationally on numerous topics.

As a researcher, Jerry learned computer networking, web design, and FileMaker. He has worked in various technology fields developing a number of solutions, including electronic medical records software and complex systems for many businesses and organizations.  Along the way he has mastered standard SQL tools and a variety of other technologies.

Since 2007, Jerry has worked at IT Solutions, a Platinum level member of the FileMaker Business Alliance. Among his accomplishments since joining ITS are certification in FileMaker versions 8 through 11 and frequent contributions to the Philly FileMaker User Group.

About the Philadelphia FileMaker User Group

The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group was founded in 2004 as an initiative by FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum member IT Solutions Consulting.  The group’s goal is to provide an open forum for FileMaker developers and those interested in FileMaker to meet, brainstorm and network.

We hold meetings the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6PM, in the office of IT Solutions Consulting, Inc., at 414 Commerce Drive, Suite 150, Fort Washington PA.

Meetings are open to all, regardless of background and there’s no charge to attend.

Please subscribe to our Mailing List to get announcements on upcoming meetings. The list is set to Announce only, so the volume is typically between one and 2 emails a month.

http://fmpug.com/mailman/listinfo/philly_fmpug.com/

You can read our blog to get updates and meeting recaps:

http://www.phillyfilemaker.org/

Twitter here:

http://twitter.com/phillyfilemaker

We’re also an FMPug Chapter:  http://www.fmpug.com/  Consider membership today, especially if you purchase training, plugins, 3rd party products, or web/filemaker hosting – FMPug membership affords considerable discounts across a range of offerings.

Finally, The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group is hosted by:

IT Solutions Consulting, Inc.

Employee ownership – fueling our innovation, strengthening your business.

http://www.itsolutions-inc.com/

IT Solutions is proud to be a member of FM Academy, a consortium of leading FileMaker development companies in the United States whose purpose is to further educate FileMaker users and developers to encourage best practices and foster further adoption of the software through online webinars.  Learn more here:

http://www.filemakeracademy.com/

 

Please join us 1/22/2013:

Greetings FileMaker Enthusiasts,

Our next Philadelphia FileMaker Developer Group meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, January 22nd, 2013 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the IT Solutions Fort Washington Office.

414 Commerce Dr., Suite 150, Fort Washington, PA 19034

Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/37mhhh

Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend this meeting:

http://www.fmpug.com/rsvp.php?eventID=1370

Have an idea for a presentation?  Email me at colin.keefe@itsolutions-inc.com.

This month we have a special presentation from group member David Hollander, who will be discussing and building on the work of Bruce Robertson’s Virtual List technique.

The “Virtual List” Technique

anything is possible when you’re not in a relationship

Continue reading ‘Please join us 1/22/2013:’

 

8th Annual Philly FileMaker Year End Bonanza!

It’s tonight!

Our next Philadelphia FileMaker Developer Group meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, December 4th 2012 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the IT Solutions Fort Washington Office.

414 Commerce Dr., Suite 150, Fort Washington, PA 19034

Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/37mhhh

 

This is our Eighth Annual Year End Bonanza!

Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend this meeting (it helps with ordering food):

http://www.fmpug.com/rsvp.php?eventID=1351

 

THE TOPICS:

We’ll be continuing our tradition of reviewing the 2012 predictions we made last year, and making predictions for the coming year. There are no formal presentations, but feel free to break out laptops while you nosh. Talking about FileMaker is, of course, inevitable – but not required! Mainly this is an opportunity to wrap up the year with some good food, networking, and gossip. If you’ve never been to one of our meetings, this is a good time to start! We’d love to have you.

 

THE FOOD:

Catered food will provided, courtesy of IT Solutions, Inc.

 

About the Philadelphia FileMaker User Group

The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group was founded in 2004 as an initiative by FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum member IT Solutions Consulting.  The group’s goal is to provide an open forum for FileMaker developers and those interested in FileMaker to meet, brainstorm and network.

We hold meetings the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6PM, in the office of IT Solutions Consulting, Inc., at 414 Commerce Drive, Suite 150, Fort Washington PA.

Meetings are open to all, regardless of background and there’s no charge to attend.

Please subscribe to our Mailing List to get announcements on upcoming meetings. The list is set to Announce only, so the volume is typically between one and 2 emails a month.

http://fmpug.com/mailman/listinfo/philly_fmpug.com/

 

The Philly FileMaker User Group is sponsored by

IT Solutions Consulting

 

Please Join us November 13: Working with and Extending FileMaker Starter Solutions

Our next Philadelphia FileMaker User Group meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, November 13th, 2012 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the IT Solutions Fort Washington Office.

(This is a reschedule due to Hurricane Sandy)

414 Commerce Dr., Suite 150, Fort Washington, PA 19034

Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/37mhhh

Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend this meeting.

As always, pizza and soft drinks will be provided.

Working With and Extending the Starter Solutions

Jerry Salem of IT Solutions Consulting conducted a webinar for FMAcademy back on October 25th.  The webinar recording is here:

http://www.filemakeracademy.com/index.php/working-with-and-extending-the-starter-solutions/

Jerry will present aspects of this webinar material in person to the Philly FileMaker User Group next Tuesday November 13th! There will be extended opportunities for some back and forth with attendees and for exploring the files in more depth.  If you watch the webinar, you’ll have a chance to dig deeper with the presenter; if you missed it, don’t worry!  He’ll get it all covered.

 

About the Presenter

Dr. Jerry Salem began his career in technology as a computer science major, eventually moving to the biological sciences where he earned his Ph.D in Biochemistry. During that time he published papers on malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS. He holds a U.S. patent and has spoken internationally on numerous topics.

As a researcher, Jerry learned computer networking, web design, and FileMaker. He has worked in various technology fields developing a number of solutions, including electronic medical records software and complex systems for many businesses and organizations.  Along the way he has mastered standard SQL tools and a variety of other technologies.

Since 2007, Jerry has worked at IT Solutions, a Platinum level member of the FileMaker Business Alliance. Among his accomplishments since joining ITS are certification in FileMaker versions 8 through 11 and frequent contributions to the Philly FileMaker User Group.  He has also been a DevCon presenter and is a FileMaker Authorized Trainer.

 

About the Philadelphia FileMaker User Group

The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group was founded in 2004 as an initiative by FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum member IT Solutions Consulting.  The group’s goal is to provide an open forum for FileMaker developers and those interested in FileMaker to meet, brainstorm and network.

We hold meetings the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6PM, in the office of IT Solutions Consulting, Inc., at 414 Commerce Drive, Suite 150, Fort Washington PA.

Meetings are open to all, regardless of background and there’s no charge to attend.

Please subscribe to our Mailing List to get announcements on upcoming meetings. The list is set to Announce only, so the volume is typically between one and 2 emails a month.

http://fmpug.com/mailman/listinfo/philly_fmpug.com/

You can read our blog to get updates and meeting recaps:

http://www.phillyfilemaker.org/

Twitter here:

http://twitter.com/phillyfilemaker

We’re also an FMPug Chapter:  http://www.fmpug.com/  Consider membership today, especially if you purchase training, plugins, 3rd party products, or web/filemaker hosting – FMPug membership affords considerable discounts across a range of offerings.

Finally, The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group is hosted by:

IT Solutions Consulting, Inc.

Employee ownership – fueling our innovation, strengthening your business.

http://www.itsolutions-inc.com/

IT Solutions is proud to be a member of FM Academy, a consortium of leading FileMaker development companies in the United States whose purpose is to further educate FileMaker users and developers to encourage best practices and foster further adoption of the software through online webinars.  Learn more here:

http://www.filemakeracademy.com/

 

FM Academy Webinar recording online – Working with and Extending the FileMaker Starter Solutions

Our own PFUG member Jerry Salem (of PFUG sponsor IT Solutions Consulting) conducted a webinar October 25th:

 Working with and Extending the FileMaker Starter Solutions

Go here to watch the recording!

This is what Jerry will be talking about at our October 13th meeting.

 

October 30th Meeting Postponed

I’ve just been informed that we have some light rain predicted, so our regularly scheduled meeting for tomorrow night is going to be postponed.

Let’s do November 13th!  See you on the other side of Sandy and Election Day, and stay safe.

 

PhillyFileMaker News: FileMaker Project Management Meeting Recap, FM Product Conference in Chicago, FM Academy Webinar Oct 25

10/3 Meeting Recap – FileMaker Project Management

Thanks to those who came out last Tuesday.  The plan was to convert the Webex recording to something postable on the blog, but Cisco’s conversion tool couldn’t cope – the video hangs.  If you’d like to listen to last week’s meeting, please send me an email and I’ll send you a link to the Webex recording in its native streaming format.  It’s mostly a slide deck and discussion.

FM Academy Webinar October 25th – “Working With and Extending the Starter Solutions”

Thursday October 25th 2-3 PM

http://www.filemakeracademy.com

As some of you know, the folks at IT Solutions are partners in FM Academy  – a collaborative effort among several FileMaker Platinum level firms to provide free education and online training webinars to the community.  The next session is October 25th and will be run by our own Jerry Salem!  This is very much worth signing up for if you’ve ever considered leveraging the new starter solutions that come with FileMaker 12.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/679588185

Next meeting October 30th – Follow up to “Working With and Extending the Starter Solutions”

Next meeting will be on October 30th instead of October 23rd – we’re going to skip November and the December meeting will happen early in the month.

Jerry will give a modified and more interactive version of his FM Academy presentation – depending on where the group wants to take the topic, we may delve further into use cases.

FM Product Conference – October 23rd-24th

If you build a vertical market application in FileMaker – or would like to – you may be interested in the FM Product Conference being held in Chicago IL October 23-24.  Details here:

http://fmproductconference.com

As always if you have any questions or feedback about the Philly FileMaker User Group, please feel free to drop me a line.

 

Please Join Us Oct 2: Managing FileMaker Software Projects – A Roundtable Discussion

Our next Philadelphia FileMaker Developer Group meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday evening, October 2nd, 2012 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the IT Solutions Fort Washington Office.

414 Commerce Dr., Suite 150, Fort Washington, PA 19034
Google Map

Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend this meeting

Managing FileMaker Software Projects: A Roundtable Discussion

One of the primary challenges for any FileMaker developer or development team is managing lifecycle of a development effort. Colin will share some “lessons learned” in the field, talk a bit about the iterative development process from a management perspective, and provide some suggestions for the solo developer who needs to self-manage projects. We’ll talk about burndown charts, work units and budgeting in a holistic way, with some practical examples.

We’ll then open the floor for a discussion of alternative ways of organizing efforts, and give folks an opportunity to share their experiences and war stories. Please bring your own thoughts and be prepared to talk!

About the Philadelphia FileMaker User Group

The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group was founded in 2004 as an initiative by FileMaker Business Alliance Platinum member IT Solutions Consulting. The group’s goal is to provide an open forum for FileMaker developers and those interested in FileMaker to meet, brainstorm and network.

We hold meetings the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6PM, in the office of IT Solutions Consulting, Inc., at 414 Commerce Drive, Suite 150, Fort Washington PA.
Meetings are open to all, regardless of background and there’s no charge to attend.

Please subscribe to our Mailing List to get announcements on upcoming meetings. The list is set to Announce only, so the volume is typically between one and 2 emails a month.

http://fmpug.com/mailman/listinfo/philly_fmpug.com/

You can read our blog to get updates and meeting recaps:

http://www.phillyfilemaker.org/

Twitter here:

http://twitter.com/phillyfilemaker

We’re also an FMPug Chapter: http://www.fmpug.com/ Consider membership today, especially if you purchase training, plugins, 3rd party products, or web/filemaker hosting – FMPug membership affords considerable discounts across a range of offerings.

Finally, The Philadelphia FileMaker User Group is hosted by:

IT Solutions Consulting, Inc.

Employee ownership – fueling our innovation, strengthening your business.
http://www.itsolutions-inc.com/

IT Solutions is proud to be a member of FM Academy, a consortium of leading FileMaker development companies in the United States whose purpose is to further educate FileMaker users and developers to encourage best practices and foster further adoption of the software through online webinars. Learn more here:
http://www.filemakeracademy.com/