A few weeks ago I discussed the FileMaker Pro invoicing solution I was creating for tracking MacProductive clients. Shortly after writing that I used Automator and Mac OS X Folder Actions to add a nifty new feature to FileMaker's ability to send a pdf. Basically FMP makes it very easy to use a script to create a pdf and then create an email that attaches that pdf. But by default this pdf file is overwritten the next time around by a new file of the same name. This is a problem if I want to save the pdf. Yes, its true that the pdf is attached in my archive of sent mail and can be easily retrieved but I like the idea of having a folder of date organized pdfs. The solution is an Automator action saved as a Folder Action script which is then attached to the designated folder. So here's what happens when I click the "Email Invoice" button in my database:

1. The invoice status as marked as "Invoiced Emailed" and given a date stamp
2. 
   
3. A pdf titled "MacProductive Invoice.pdf" is created in a folder called Invoices
4. 
   
5. FMP creates a new email addressed to the client with the subject MacProductive Invoice with the invoice date
6. FMP attaches the new pdf invoice to the email
7. 
   
8. The Folder/Automator Action attached to the Invoices folder kicks springs into action and renames the pdf by adding the current date to the beginning and a trailing serial number then moves it into an Invoice Archive folder
9. 
   
10. Done!

All I have to do is add a note to my client in the body of the email and click send. Each invoice is now archived and easy to find by date should I need it.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker Pro, Automator, Folder Actions, Invoicing, Small Business

I finally sat down and created an FileMaker Pro invoicing database for myself. I've been experimenting for a while with a combination of the OS X Address Book, iCal, Pages, and Spotlight to track projects, tasks, and invoices. It works very well for everything except for the invoicing. I wanted to try this first because I like having everything tied in by Spotlight and FileMaker Pro data is not. Alas, even with keyword tagging the invoicing was just not working. I'm still going to track task and project job time with iCal but will output that to FileMaker for all aspects of invoicing.

I used the nice Pages invoice as the basis for my printed invoice in the invoice table then added tables for contacts/clients and line items. Pretty basic but it works well for my needs. I'm sure I'll customize it a bit more as I use it and save it as a template for any future client that needs invoicing. As it is now I can track outstanding balances much more easily and send off a pdf invoice via email with a single click.

One final note. I think I'm getting better at the visual aspects of FMP database design. Of course there's plenty of room for improvement!

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker Pro, Invoicing, Small Business

I've had a few minutes to play around with FileMaker Pro 8.5, specifically with the included Movie Library database found in the "Home Collections" templates. I put the included fields in a tab of their own and added a new tab called IMDB. Created a new Web Viewer and used this custom address: "http://imdb.com/find?s=all&q=" & Movie Library::Movie Title which is the search string from the site combined with "& Movie Library::Movie Title" from the database via what is essentially a calculation field that is provided in the Web Viewer set-up dialog.

To discover the find string for a website go to the site and perform a simple one word search. The resulting page url, minus your search term, should do the trick. Some are not so easy but many are.

Really, they could not have made this easier. Of course I'm sure I'll think of little things I'd like to do with it that are not so easy. For example, is it possible to pull data out of the IMDB page and have it automatically entered? That seems less doable. Anything on a page that is consistent link and that can be calculated should be doable as a unique Web Viewer object such as the link to artwork that every IMDB entry has. But thats a link to another page. Images might also be linked in via calculations if one knows the formula used for calculating from the base url.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro 8.5

Good news for FileMaker Pro geeks. FileMaker Pro 8.5 has been released. In this initial post there are two new features I'll mention because they appear to be the most important: FMP is now a Universal Binary that will run natively on Apple's new Intel Macs and the new "Web Viewer".

I've not yet moved to an Intel Mac so I can't comment on FMP 8.5 in that regards but I am I'm very glad to hear that FMP is now Intel ready. I hope to upgrade from my trusty 1GHZ 12" PowerBook this fall and FileMaker Pro had been one of my concerns. What I can comment on is the new Web Viewer. I've downloaded the demo and have already hacked the included Contacts database to include a MapQuest Web View. Neat! I've actually incorporated web searches in previous databases such as my Bird Tracker which will search Wikipedia via a new window or tab in the default browser. With the Web Viewer of FileMaker Pro 8.5 I can now have the page displayed right in the database. This is going to rock.

So, to be clear, this new version of FMP includes an integrated web browser! Not only can you view web pages and pdfs on the web but local html files and pdfs as well. In fact, you can also view Quicktime and Flash on the web and locally. Basically, if it's viewable in Safari it works. I'm not sure how it's implemented on the Windows side but on the Mac side 10.4 and Safari 2.0 are required, at least for pdf viewing.

Setting up a Web View using the included Web Views such as MapQuest could not be easier. They include several that will be very helpful and from a quick look I'd guess that setting up new ones will not be too difficult. It goes without saying that this kind of implementation is going to be most useful for those that have a high speed connection. I'm sure I'll post a follow-up when I've had more time to experiment.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro 8.5

One of the greatest things about Mac OS 10.4 is Spotlight searching. Having access to universal search from so many access points and for so many kinds of data just plain rocks. Unfortunately, Spotlight does not look inside FileMaker Pro databases and it's actually a good thing in terms of security. But if we can't search FileMaker data with Spotlight perhaps the next best thing would be the ability to create one single search field that will search across all the fields of a FileMaker Pro database. A sort of Spotlight within FileMaker. Well, it is possible and it is fantastically cool.

It's not that hard to implement and let me tell you the search results are instant. So, so sweet.

This works with FileMaker 7 or higher but you'll need to download this FileMaker plugin (Mac, Windows) which you'll put into the Filemaker Extensions folder. Then head over to Emile's post at Secret Weapon Labs, Spotlight redux: Building a FileMaker Search Engine. Here's an excerpt:

...this technique is simply a field placed in the header part of a FileMaker 7 layout that executes a script when data is entered into the field... Simply put, this lets FileMaker do even more of the technical thinking and working for database users when they are querying for data, much like how a search engine like Google can determine if you are looking up an address, phone number, website, document, image, or a product to buy.

I've made one little insignificant mod by adding the little X graphic found in all OS X search fields which is used to clear the search field. I've added that graphic to the search field and made it a button attached to a little script to clear the search field and show all records. This way the field is even easier to reset and more closely resembles the standard behavior of other OS X search fields.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro

I've probably said this before but it's worth saying again: I love FileMaker Pro. I particularly wanted to say this today because I've just spent the past couple of days working on a new FileMaker database for a client and I enjoyed every minute of it. Perhaps that just makes me a geek with a strange sense of enjoyment and if that's the case, I can accept it. I really do enjoy doing the work I do with FMP, both the process and the end result.

In the past 6 years of using FileMaker I've discovered that, as with web development, there is something very rewarding in the process of learning how to create better solutions. Developing in FileMaker, which always includes learning new ways to do a task better, seems easy and natural. With each solution that I build I usually discover several new techniques which results in generally improved databases. Sometimes it's a new layout technique, other times new steps in script building, quite often it seems to be a combination of both.

Thinking back to my first FileMaker Pro database, a modification of one of the included solutions in version 5.0, and the progression I've made, I realize what makes FMP so fantastic. FileMaker has built a platform that makes it easy to be a user and a developer. In fact they've blurred the lines of what those terms mean and that means they've created a tool that empowers the user. I started down the road of FileMaker development the first time I clicked that little button towards the bottom left of my database. I changed it from browse to layout and that was it, that was the moment. Within a day I had completely modified the visual layout of the library database. I'd also begun tinkering with fields and different methods for sharing.

From tinkering to developing

Within a few months I had modified another of the included databases and had started publishing information to the web via export into html. Let's jump forward two years. I was working at a non-profit as an all around office geek. They decided that it was well past the time that they needed an entirely new database for tracking their 700+ clients and volunteers. Their first decision was to hire one of their volunteers to develop the database with Access. After several months he had to quit the project and I jumped in though somewhat unintentionally at first.

I took a look at what he had completed and discovered his database was about 40% complete. Just for fun, over the next few days I quietly began experimenting with my first attempt at several, related databases. Within a week I had progressed to the point that I felt confident enough that I could offer to do the database in FileMaker Pro. We scheduled a meeting and discussed the FileMaker Pro option. I was given the go ahead. Less than three months later I was exporting data from the old system and importing into the new. This was 2002 and I moved away in 2004. To this day they are still using the system and with no problems. I check in every so often but the answer is always the same,"Everything is fine here."

That was the beginning of what I consider to be a great relationship.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro

One reason I love working with FileMaker Pro is the potential for creating aesthetically pleasing interfaces. I'm in the process of creating a set of themes that can be easily applied to future FileMaker projects. Pictured is "Blue Silver". Others are Sunflower, Green Apple, Milk and Steel, and Blue Sky. None of them are complete yet but I've got a good start!

As a side note I uploaded the screenshot to my Flickr account using Flicksilvr which is a new Quicksilver plugin for easy upload and keyword tagging. Worked perfectly!

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, FileMaker Pro, Flicksilvr, Quicksilver

I've posted a runtime version of Action Tracker 1.3 which, as a stand alone app, will run without FileMaker Pro.

Edit: 2/3/2006 - Thanks to Ivan I've learned that Runtime solutions disable the standard close window widget. I've not used Developer much and didn't realize this. Action Tracker is designed to pop-up mini windows for a few things so this is a problem. I may have the time to add close buttons for each of these mini-windows and re-release as 1.3 (or 1.3.1) but much more likely is that this will have to wait till 1.4 which has no scheduled release date. My guess is 2-3 months, possibly later.

More info or jump straight to the Download. 16.3 MB

Technorati Tags: FileMaker Pro, Action Tracker, GTD

Action Tracker is a project and to-do tracker with a clean, lightweight interface which makes it easier for you to manage your tasks, projects, related contacts and project files. Because it is based on FileMaker Pro it is powerful and easily customizable. Inspired by David Allen's GTD.
With Action Tracker you can:

• Maintain multiple projects
• Assign context, status, and activity level for to-do items
• Create an unlimited number of notes
• Clickable links to web locations, email, and documents
• Easily link cross link related items
• Search, display and print the union of selected lists.
• Manage contacts along with a nearly unlimited number of related projects, tasks, and notes
• Complete document management: Attach Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, movie files, picture files or any document and store them directly in the database. There is virtually no limit to the number of documents you can add to the system and the documents are stored in their original format related to a particular organization or individual.

What's new in this version:

• Redesigned all layouts
• Several new layouts and scripts
• Improved and refined scripts
• Various bug fixes

Get it!
If you are using a previous version you can just export all your records via the file menu: file>export records from your current version. Then open the new version and choose import and select the export file.

Technorati Tags: GTD, FileMaker Pro, Action Tracker

Okay, well, this is not really a Mac tip but it is a nifty little FileMaker Pro database for anyone interested in keeping track of the birds they see. As databases go this is of simple design and very easy to use. I'm new to birding so I may have left out fields important to more experienced birders. If you have a suggestion please write with your ideas.

Easy to use. Click in the common name field and choose from the drop down list which will then auto enter the genus and species for you. Enter all other data that you want. There are buttons for easy and automatic searching of Google for images and audio. There is also a button for searching of the Wikipedia.

Requirement: FileMakerPro 7.

This is freeware though I gladly accept donations.

Download

Technorati Tags: GTD, FileMaker Pro, Birding

I released Action Tracker 1.2 three weeks ago and I'm happy to say that it has now been downloaded more than 500 times! I've not had many responses but to those of you who have responded I want to say thank you!

In regards to future development I find myself at something of a crossroad. What next? I'm not sure. I'm happy with the functionality and simplicity of Action Tracker in its current version. One user has written to say that "to do lists are not enough and using small project managers overkills it" and quite honestly I agree. I designed Action Tracker to fill a particular gap and I think it does that fairly well.

So what next? My current plan is to release version 1.3 with a few minor tweaks, bug fixes and a clean-up of unused elements. After that I'll likely take a break from active development to allow for a period of use and reflection. I'd welcome your thoughts on the current iteration as well as any feature requests you may have.


Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Action Tracker, FileMaker Pro, GTD

Okay.... Action Tracker 1.2 is now available. The download is just a bit larger due to the user manual but it is still less than 500KB. I'm excited about this release! While the first two releases were functional this release is at a point that I feel comfortable with. That said, the previous two were separated by a week, this version is out just 4 days after the last and I will now be taking a break.

• Added project file management
• Added notes module
• Added Automator Action for "New iCal Event"
• Improved and refined all layouts
• Several new layouts and scripts
• Improved and refined scripts
• Various bug fixes
• Requirement: FileMakerPro 7

For those that have asked about the easiest way to upgrade. My suggestion is to add a tag such as "old" or "backup" to your current (soon to be old) Action Tracker file or enclosing folder. Then, once you have opened the new version choose import from the file menu. Navigate to your older version and choose it. Assuming you have not changed the names of any of the fields in your original version the import should be fine. Once you have verified your data you can delete the old folder and/or files.

Download Action Tracker 1.2

Thanks to Janet for the kind words of advice.

Please feel free to email any suggestions, observations, discovered bugs, poetry...

Update: Thanks to Todd for finding a little bug... the "New" button in Next Action was bringing up a new note! Fixed... so I guess technically it is now 1.2.1

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Action Tracker, FileMaker Pro, GTD

A simple FileMaker Pro database for tracking projects and next actions. Inspired by David Allen's GTD.

What's new in this version:

• Added contact management
• New graphics
• Improved and refined all layouts
• Several new layouts and scripts
• Added Next Actions 3X5 card printing
• Improved and refined scripts
• Various bug fixes

Also, you'll find an "opener" database for users of QuickSilver or Launchbar. The "New Action" database can be opened via QS or LB and its only purpose is to run a script to create a new action in Action Tracker and then close itself. If Action Tracker is not open it will be opened by this action. Keep these two files in the same folder. You can add an alias to the New Action database to your desktop, dock, etc. for quick and easy access for creating new actions. Also, feel free to delete the "Picture 1" and "text shadow styles" files as they are included as reference files for the example records included with the database.

For those coming in to this older post from MacUpdate, new version is 1.3,
Download

Download Version 1.1

Requirement: FileMakerPro 7.

Technorati Tags: Apple, OS X, Action Tracker, FileMaker Pro, GTD