As I sit here in front of my computer, enjoying some pumpkin pie cheesecake leftover from last week’s Thanksgiving Day feast, I am reminded of tradition that many families follow on this particular holiday. This may even be a tradition in your own family. I am referring to those few moments before the eating commences where each family member is given the opportunity to share a brief moment of thanks.
In keeping with that tradition, albeit in the world of FileMaker and custom app development, we have gone around conference table at Cross IT Services & Solutions and shared that thing for which we are most thankful.
First, we heard from Bobby Hritz, Database Developer:
This year in FileMaker I am most thankful for FileMaker’s iOS counterpart, FileMaker Go. Having a natural and intuitive way to get our FileMaker applications onto an iOS device without any additional overhead has been greatly beneficial for us and our customers. It has allowed our customers to move from paper processes to almost entirely electronic ones. It is easy to use from a developer’s standpoint and works seamlessly with FileMaker server to enable a fully integrated environment.
Second, Eric Lewis, FileMaker Project Manager/ Developer, shared the following:
Being a newer developer to FileMaker in the past year I have learned there are a lot of things I am thankful for this this platform. My previous experience working with SQL and other programming languages has always been a passion for me, but with the introduction of FileMaker I have learned to do things that would normally take me hours or even days to complete in a fraction of the time.
To put a name to the thing I am most thankful for with FileMaker this year is the simplicity. The simplicity of being able to craft everything from the User Interface to backend scripting and data modeling at a pace that has been unprecedented in any other language or platform I have used. For anyone who started on FileMaker and may not be familiar with some of the complex situations I am talking about I invite you to download Eclipse IDE (Well respected IDE for Java) and look at the processes involved in just getting a simple form developed with scripting and buttons, you also will be thankful for the simplicity of FileMaker by the end of the day.
Then, Laura Betz, Data Systems Architect, spoke up and let her voice be heard:
There have been a lot of changes to FileMaker from where it started, and with improvements people who have followed FileMaker have grown to appreciate it more over time.
I was introduced to the FileMaker platform right before version 10 was released. (With a brief glance of FileMaker 9 with its status bar to the left.) From even that point, I have enjoyed the changes that have been made. Although, I have heard the improvements up until that point, and appreciate those, as well.
There has been one change, however, that I feel I need to point out, and I know I am not alone on my thoughts about this feature: the Script Workspace.
As a person who has studied programming I am used to a very textual environment. In scripting with FileMaker there is an ease of use, however it does have its limitations. The Script Workspace helps bridge this gap; therefore improving efficiency.
When I first heard and saw this feature, there aren’t any words to describe my excitement, but I held my breath to see if this was to become a reality or another feature that had teased me temptingly. In learning that the Script Workspace existed in FileMaker 14 made me practically cry for joy. An embarrassing amount of joy for this one new feature, which if still asked, I will gush about it. And even in FileMaker 15, they made new improvements in the Script Workspace, which I very much appreciate. I would love to see more improvements, but still very happy with what I have.
Finally, it was my turn to share:
As the senior member of the FileMaker team at Cross IT, I have over 15 years of experience with the FileMaker platform, starting out with FileMaker 6. I would say that I am most thankful for the opportunities that FileMaker has provided. While my FileMaker skills have certainly provided employment for the last decade and a half, I am also speaking to those occasions that go beyond just a simple paycheck.
I started out as an in-house developer, updating and adding features to a solution used by a manufacturing company. As my skill level grew and the company expanded, I was able to build solutions for a number of companies in a wide range of use cases – K-12 education, higher education, general business, and non-profits to name a few. As part of each project, I have gotten to know a number of interesting people that have helped me expand my knowledge in all disciplines.
I have also met a number of remarkable FileMaker developers throughout the community via local developer groups, the FileMaker Business Alliance, and online forums. These relationships have allowed me to extend my skills as a FileMaker developer. I’m not familiar with other development platforms, but I feel as though the camaraderie I enjoy in these settings is somewhat unique to the FileMaker platform. This feeling of togetherness is most apparent each year at the FileMaker Developer Conference.
As we all took our turn to share, it became obvious that we have a number of reasons to give thanks. So, FileMaker, thank you, from all of us at Cross IT.
