iText and FileMaker: Solving a PDF Problem

How to merge PDFs and consecutively number them in FileMaker - Sounds like it should be easy, almost built in, but it is not. Adding page numbers to PDFs is not a trivial task without additional software like Adobe Acrobat. Merging several FileMaker reports with additional PDFs and adding consecutive page numbers to the new document seems like it requires magic. I recently had the opportunity to try my hand at this elusive problem and found that if you are familiar with Java and it is done correctly, it can make for a great solution to many workflow issues. A special thanks to Matt Petrowsky for his great example file that was very helpful at getting me started.

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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