MBS Plugin Dev Highlights

Like many other FileMaker developers, I have gone through my fair share of plugins over the years of FM development. Some extend FM functions, some enhance the debugging process, while others are multipurpose tools for FM development. One multi-tool in particular is the MonkeyBread Software Plugin, which adds over 3700 functions that greatly extend the default FileMaker functionality. These functions range from additional libraries, SQL Connectivity, extending PDF capabilities, barcodes… the list goes on. I have been using the MBS plugin for quite some time, but the most recent iterations add some notable features, thus this blog post of my 3 most used MBS plugin functions.

First, there’s syntax coloring. For as long as I can remember, syntax coloring in FileMaker has been one of the most requested features by developers. In FileMaker 14, some syntax coloring was added to the new-and-improved Script Workspace, but the MBS plugin enhances the coloring within the Script Workspace and extends that to calculations and the debugger.

In version 5.4, they added the functionality to search within both the Script Workspace and relationship graph. After years of developing with other IDEs, this was another long sought feature for the FileMaker platform. The plugin adds a small search field in the top-right of the Script Workspace window. When text is entered, each line of the script containing that search value is highlighted. There is one small limitation in that the search is limited to the viewable area in side the Script Workspace. For example, if a defined variable calculation extends the width of the viewable workspace, the MBS search will not “see” that text. The search within the relationship graph performs in similar fashion. When text is entered the search field, located at the bottom-right of the window, it not only auto-completes based on the existing table names, but also navigates to the table in question.

Last, and most certainly not least, is the “Copy Script Text” button, located at the top-right of the Script Workspace. This button takes the viewable contents of the current script in the Script Workspace and copies it as text to the OS clipboard. From there, you can do with it as you wish. For me, I use it to paste the script into another script editor like TextMate or TextWrangler, which allows for more complex searching, editing, or what have you. It’s especially helpful when searching through a number of cascading scripts. 

There you have it. My 3 most used features of the MBS plugin. The plugin has innumerable uses, so I encourage you to give it a whirl and share your thoughts!

~Joe Ranne

FedEx and FileMaker

As FileMaker developers, we are always interested in learning new tools and tricks to take a database to the next level. Recently we worked with a simple way to generate FedEx shipping labels from within FileMaker.

By using a 3rd party plugin and FedEx web services, this functionality is easily available in any FileMaker solution. We started by using the module for accessing FedEx Web Services that is a part of the ScriptMaster plugin from 360Works.

Designing and implementing this tool is pretty simple.

• The first requirement is to sign up for a FedEx developer account. 
• Next is to install the ScriptMaster plugin on each computer connecting to the database. 
• The third step is to create the FedEx required fields in the database. (These can be seen in the screenshot of the sample database below.)
• And lastly to create a button with one script step to generate the label. 

The screenshot below shows our sample database that generates the shipping label. The interface allows entry of all the required information for FedEx; shipment method, shipment date, weight, origin address and destination address. Once all fields are complete, clicking the "Generate Shipping Label" button will produce the FedEx shipping label and save it to your computer as a PDF.

~ Kate Wheeler