The active user community is one of the noteworthy benefits of developing with FileMaker. Whether you’re working on a system of Macs, PCs, or a blended platform of desktop and mobile devices, the community support is the same. Professionals and citizen developers are all enthusiastic about what they’re able to create and how they can help you succeed.
Today’s example of this camaraderie is John Mark Osborne’s site, “Philosophy of FileMaker.”
Since John is a hobbyist chef, it isn’t too surprising that he also cooked this site up from scratch. Instead of registering for a plug-and-play blog, he created a site about FileMaker that runs on FileMaker.
John’s interest in philosophy is a key ingredient here. He explains that his college philosophy classes fascinated him, showing how philosophers put laser focus on a subject, examining it from all sides, considering things so thoroughly that people might be tempted to call it ridiculous — but useful. John points out:
“I have used the philosophical methodology throughout my database development career to reveal advantages and disadvantages in order to choose the best solution for the problem at hand.”
He has committed to a similar approach for his FileMaker blog, never leaving out details or withholding trade secrets. This candor is clear, for example, in a post from mid-April. This scripting primer introduces FileMaker Pro scripting and the Script Workspace. Then John gives you a quick breakdown of script steps his years of experience have shown to be the good, bad, or ugly.
If you’re interested in other details of FileMaker development, John’s blog provides search and navigation tools that make it easy for you to tap into his expertise. Kudos to John for his great work.
Your interest in FileMaker custom apps might be greater than the time you actually have to spend on it. An excellent solution is to invest in a robust business software package that is developed on FileMaker. This provides a foundation for you to build smaller custom tools and reports, honed to your exact needs. aACE 5 is a highly recommended solution that integrates accounting, CRM, and ERP for your small or mid-sized business.
