RefreshFM

Goya has done Vendor Sessions at the last two previous FileMaker Developer Conferences. Both sessions were primarily about BaseElements and how to get more from that product.

This year we decided to take a slightly different approach and we're going to talk about solution updates using RefreshFM. You can see details of the session in the schedule, it's at 2pm on the first day.

So if you're interested in learning more about RefreshFM or about solution updating in general, then we'd love to see you there.

Although it took a little longer to sort out, we have a beta version of RefreshFM 2 for FileMaker Pro 12 available today :

http://www.goya.com.au/files/rfm/2.0.0b3/RefreshFM2.zip

Technically this is b3 as we've been through a few issues internally but this is the first public beta. The big changes in this version are just due to conversion to the fmp12 file format and some updates to plugin installation. This should make it a much smoother install or setup for anyone who didn't already have the plugin enabled.

As well as some other minor tweaks FileMaker 12 has a few changes to the import order. What this meant for us in testing was that all our import orders would come in with no fields selected by default. If you left it at that, then nothing would be imported.

The reason this happens is that in 11 and earlier when you pasted the import script step, all fields would be selected by default. With 12, no fields are. So we needed to add code to individually map every field in the table. Although this seems like a pain it actually adds the potential for a great feature into RefreshFM 2 : we now have the ability to set our import mapping first in RefreshFM 2 and then have it copied to the clipboard exactly as required. In other words with this feature added, there will be no need to adjust import mappings.

In the mean time, this beta version should be great for testing and importing any 12 solutions. Functionality wise it's as feature complete as 1.3 was, so there should be no issues running your updates with it.

Pricing

This is a free update to 1.3 and your licence codes for 1.3 will just work with 2.0. We like to keep paid upgrades to be for functionality improvements and the file format changes don't justify a paid upgrade.

Hot on the heels of yesterdays Big RefreshFM update is another smaller RefreshFM update. This one bumps the version number to 1.1.6 and has two minor fixes :

Firstly the portal listing old file names is now editable, so you can modify file names directly there, or add in new files.

Secondly if you had a setup where you had multiple files, or filenames between old and new that weren't the same, it was possible that the copy old file step would copy files with the wrong name. This has been fixed.

As usual, downloads are available, and you can import from a previous version ( from 1.1.3 onwards ) into this release using the "Import" button when RefreshFM opens for the first time.

We're very excited to announce the release of our new Developer Tool RefreshFM. This is version 1.1 as it's somewhere between 1.0 and 2.0. It's a 1.0 in that this is the first time it's had a real name ( it was before called UpdateManager ), a new logo and it's first press release. But it's also almost a 2.0 as there has been such a big change since 1.0 that it probably deserves it's own integer.

RefreshFM is an update automation tool for FileMaker developers. It allows you to build an import process from scratch for any size solution in a matter of minutes, and then run that import automatically. By automating the process you're able to run the import as often as required to make sure the data comes across exactly as you need and to know in advance you can deliver the final version. And it does all of this without any modification to your solution files, so you don't have to change your live or development copies.

RefreshFM now has a completely automated setup process that allows you to build your import process in a matter of minutes, and covers all aspects of the import process.

We're very excited about how much time and effort this will save FileMaker developers. Even if you've written an import process yourself in the past, it's time consuming and difficult to keep it maintained and up to date every time you make changes. Plus it's easy to miss either some critical aspect or to not have done enough error checking and have issues that aren't found until later. RefreshFM takes care of all of those problems for you so you can get on with the job of writing a great FileMaker solution.

RefreshFM is available now for $299, and there is a free 30 day demo period that allows you to try out the product in full with no restrictions.

I'm always on the lookout for useful materials to talk about FileMaker as a tool for our customers. Which is why I was glad to see FMPug publish this white paper on their site about FileMaker in the enterprise. This is a useful document that both FileMaker developers and IT infrastructure staff should read thoroughly.

But I was extra glad to see in the costs section, the recommended tools for FileMaker custom Development included this extra item :

Goya tools for development

And we completely agree, essential tools for all developers.