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July 20th, 2010
Looks like we have another way to access FileMaker Pro solutions! EXcellent – nice job FileMaker!
If you need any application tweaked or enhanced to take advantage of the new deployment strategy of GO from FileMaker, Inc. – Excelisys is the GO to team to help!
Want more info on go: http://www.filemakertrial.com/go/
Want more info on Excelisys’ FileMaker services: http://excelisys.com/database-development-consulting.php
Tags: Custom Database, Database Applications, FileMaker GO, FileMaker Pro, iPad, iPhone, Mobile
Posted in Application, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro | No Comments »
June 3rd, 2010
The NEW eX-BizTracker V3.0 for FileMaker Pro 11 is built off of the strong foundation of the original FileMaker Business Tracker developed by Excelisys for FileMaker, Inc., and both the eX BizTracker V1.0 and V2.0. Excelisys has upgraded the jump–start solution with dozens of new features including: eye–popping charts and graphs; dynamic sub–summaries in list views; activity tracking; sending email directly out of FileMaker Pro; and an upgraded graphic interface.
The eX–BizTracker V3.0 is an easy to use “jump–start” solution for small to medium size businesses and organizations who wish to track clients, invoices, inventory, payments and communications in a robust multi–user scalable solution with dozens of new features based on the recent release of FileMaker Pro 11.
NEW features added to the eX Biz Tracker V3.0 include:
- Report module now includes eye–popping charts and graphs
- Dynamic sub–summaries in list views
- Track activities such as phone calls, appointments, follow–up reminders and email
- Send email and email invoices directly out of FileMaker Pro
- Completely upgraded graphic interface
- New invoices features include quote tracking and drop–shipments
- Revamped navigation uses script triggers to handle background tasks when manually changing layouts
- Script triggers used throughout to provide better UI controls
- Expanded user preferences
Posted in Excelisys Biz Tracker, Excelisys Business Tracker, FileMaker, FileMaker 11, FileMaker Pro | No Comments »
May 22nd, 2010
It’s that time again for the FileMaker Excellence Awards nominations. Every year at the annual FileMaker Developers Conference (August 15-18), FileMaker honors those individuals and companies who have made a difference. FBA members received their voting instructions this week. And finally, in all the years Excelisys has been sponsoring DevCon and never winning an award, it finally dawned on me… It must be because I’ve never VOTED! ;-)
Apparently, voter turn-out hasn’t been what it should have in the past. So this year, I’m doing my part and participating. If you’re an FBA member (which you should be) and going to DevCon in San Diego this year, definitely take a moment to cast your ballot. And when you do, think of Excelisys! Here’s what I submitted.
I hereby nominate EXCELISYS for category #2 (Contribution to the FileMaker community), and for category #3 (Solution of the Year) for the Excelisys Business Tracker. Here’s why:
Excelisys enjoys being ranked among its peers as exemplifying professionalism in every aspect, raising the bar on innovative FileMaker techniques and being regular contributors to the developer community. Frequently a past sponsor of the annual FileMaker Developer Conference as well as providing some of its speakers over the years, Excelisys is a symbol of longevity and prosperity even despite a down-turned economy and a world of fly-by-night consultancies. Every week, dozens of FileMaker developers try to join the Excelisys team, because they know about the reason for our success. Not all make it, but we help those that don’t understand why and point them in the direction they need to improve their skills.
The Excelisys Business Tracker is a free, unlocked solution given away to the FileMaker community to understand the true power of FileMaker in a workgroup environment. Hundreds of hours of development work have gone into creating a jump-start solution that scales well and is easily expandable. We’ve had thousands of downloads, and received lots of compliments from FileMaker developers around the world for being so generous providing a tool that teaches them real-world applications of FileMaker’s impressive feature set. We appreciate the opportunity to give back to the development community from which we have received so much support over the years.
So don’t forget to go out and VOTE! And we’ll see you in San Diego…
-Geoff Ryle
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
April 28th, 2010
A well-built FileMaker Pro database will have the ability to maintain its speed and usability over time while managing an ever-increasing number of records. When best practices are not applied, they can slow a database to a crawl under the most modest circumstances. This is the concept known as scaling.
So today a client comes to me saying they decided to use the Music Library starter solution that ships with FileMaker Pro to track their production department’s immense CD vault. It’s a simple template featuring a typical parent/child relationship between albums and tracks.
The problem was that every time they added a new record and entered the artist and title, it ran a replace upon exiting the field that was taking longer and longer – we’re talking up to 10 seconds and growing – with the dialog box indicating there were 96 records remaining. That was very interesting, since they’d only entered 40 album records thus far, each with a multiple number of tracks.
Upon close examination of this start solution, I was shocked to find the reason behind this. The “Artist” and “Title” fields have script triggers that execute upon exiting, both pointing to the same script. That script had two steps: replace all track records’ IDs with themselves, and then commit records.
Each time they exited a field, each and every track record was being updated. This was totally unnecessary, and was causing the solution to buckle under its own weight.
So first, we have to understand why the related track records need updating at all. In this template, some of the data fields for an album are copied to its child tracks. This may or may not be necessary for their particular purposes, but it’s just how this template was built. Now, two of those things that a track record grabs from its parent album when entered is the artist and title. If one should later change the album’s artist or title details, the child track records normally would not be updated automatically without some sort of mechanism in place, such as a script. So they would potentially contain different information than their parent record, when they should be identical.
So really, there’s no reason why EVERY track record should be updated when a title or artist is entered, just the tracks (if any) for the current album being edited. By adding a few script steps, we were easily able to speed up the data entry process and still satisfy the need to keep track records up to date. The modified script now first tests to see if any track records exist for the current album, and if so uses a GTRR step to find those records and runs the replace step just on those records, then commits and goes back to the original layout. So entering records is now as fast as you’d expect. And if they modify an artist or title for an album that contains track records, there will be only a slight pause that is barely noticeable. The best part is: no matter how many records are entered, that occasional pause will never increase in duration.
So the lesson here is: just because you saw it in a FileMaker Starter Solution, doesn’t mean it represents best practices. Of course, there is a whole separate issue here about whether the Replace function should be used in this situation or not due to record-locking implications in a multi-user environment. But that’s for another time…
-Geoff Ryle
Tags: FileMaker, FileMaker 11, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro 11, script triggers, Starter Solution
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
April 6th, 2010
Excelisys is proud to announce that President and Co-Founder Geoff Ryle is among the first to pass the new FileMaker 11 Certification just released this week. Geoff has been a certified FileMaker developer since the exam was first created way back with FileMaker Pro 7. The certification is an indicator of Geoff’s broad knowledge and experience across the FileMaker 11 product line. Congratulations, Geoff!! Well done!
Tags: Excelisys, FileMaker, FileMaker 11, FileMaker 11 Certification
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
September 11th, 2009
Engineers at FileMaker Inc. have finally dispelled a rumor.
During the recent FileMaker Developer Conference in San Francisco last month, quite a few attendees approached us asking whether a statement heard in one of the sessions was true or not. It seems one of the presenters from FMI suggested the idea that Excelisys‘ now famous drag-n-drop technique was not necessarily reliable and should be used with caution.
The statement was made in recognition of the fact that the technique, which allows you to create a once-impossible user interface feature, is based on what engineers call an “unexpected behavior” which could possibly change in future versions of FileMaker Pro. However, this behavior is NOT a bug, and is in fact considered a feature by many developers.
The behavior in question is the fact that an auto-enter calc will trigger before a script trigger is executed. Discovering this behavior was a surprise to many, including FMI engineers.
We wanted to set the record straight, so we spoke with FileMaker engineers. The word finally came down from them this week that there is almost no likelihood of this behavior changing anytime soon. Of course, FMI can’t guarantee the low-level behavior will persist in future versions, nor would we expect them to. But we are confident that such a change is highly unlikely.
So relax and integrate this amazing technique into your solutions with confidence. The advice to use with caution is generally made when any technique is dependent on an unexpected behavior. But with a confirmation direct from the “horse’s mouth”, as it were, we consider this a green light.
Tags: DevCon, Developer Conference, Drag-n-Drop, Excelisys, FileMaker, FileMaker 10, Free, script triggers, Tip, tips-n-tricks
Posted in Developer, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker10 | No Comments »
September 4th, 2009
EXCELISYS IS NOW 100% SNOW LEOPARD COMPATIBLE
South Bend, IN, September 3, 2009 — Excelisys, Inc., a database solutions and consulting organization specializing in quality custom database application design, development, and consulting for LAN, WAN, Web, and Mobile deployments, and a member of the FileMaker Business Alliance, is pleased to announce that all of their FileMaker® Pro development and consulting practices, abilities and methodologies are fully functional and 100% compliant with the new release of the Apple® Mac OS® X 10.6.
Snow Leopard Compatibility
All of the following Excelisys practices are fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.6, a.k.a. Snow Leopard: Initial Free Consultation, Project Scope Gathering, Design Specification Production, Estimating, Interim Build Delivering, Final Deployments, and most importantly, Ongoing Support.
“We are very excited and pleased that our services are 100% compatible and fully functional with this new Mac OS release,” said Christo, CEO and founder of Excelisys. “Our methods are now bug-free and ready to use!”
Scott Mosher, Business Development Manager at Excelisys, is confident that the company’s quick response time was a key element in their smooth transition. “Keeping up with evolving software and operating systems is integral to the success of any good development and consulting firm. At Excelisys, we worked quickly and efficiently to update our practices and policies to adapt to this new OS. We are most confident that our services will continue to be as rock solid as they have historically been, and plan to move forward with no interruptions.”
Geoff Ryle, President and Co-Founder of Excelisys, envisions immediate benefits for the company’s clients. “With the release of Snow Leopard, our clients can now enjoy enhanced productivity and superior performance with the solutions we build for them.”
“The entire computing industry is moving from 32-bit to 64-bit technology, and it’s easy to see why,” explained Greg Furry, VP of Technology at Excelisys. “Today’s Mac computers can hold up to 32GB of physical memory, but the 32-bit applications that run on them can address only 4GB of RAM at a time. 64-bit computing shatters that barrier by enabling applications to address a theoretical 16 billion gigabytes of memory, or 16 exabytes. Does that scare you? It shouldn’t. At Excelisys, we’ve been planning for the 64-bit changeover for 8 years.”
Snow Leopard Discount
To commemorate this auspicious occasion, Excelisys is offering discounted hourly rates until September 30th, 2009, and bonus hours based on time purchased and used. Call one of our FileMaker® experts today at 866-592-9235 or e-mail us at info@excelisys.com to find out the details of this extraordinary offer!
About Excelisys, Inc.:
For over 8 years, Excelisys, Inc. has been helping companies become more efficient, reliable, and profitable by providing excellent, integrity-driven consulting and development software services. From custom FileMaker® Pro database development and consulting, to the eX-File jump-start products, to Web Site/Application design, development and consulting services. Excelisys is should be your first strategic partner of choice for all your company’s technology needs.
Contact:
Excelisys, Inc.
South Bend, IN 46635
Phone (sales): 866-592-9235
Media Contact: 574-273-5805
Email: info@excelisys.com
Web: http://www.excelisys.com/
Copyright 2009 Excelisys, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker Pro is a registered trademark of FileMaker, Inc. Apple, Mac, and Snow Leopard are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.
Tags: Apple, Mac, Mac OS X, Macintosh, Snow Leopard
Posted in Application, Developer, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro | No Comments »
September 3rd, 2009
For our Octo-celebration Excelisys is offering an incredible gift good until the end of September; greatly discounted hourly rates and free time to those who make the wise decision to retain our services! If you have been looking for the right FileMaker, MySQL, Web, PHP consulting and development firm, you found it and now is a better time than any to act on it!
Excelisys was founded initially by Christo & Geoff Ryle on 9/1/01. The Excelisys organization initially started with only FileMaker Pro development and consulting services with Christo handling marketing, sales and administration duties, and Geoff acting as lead programmer and project manager. Both individuals shared many other responsibilities until they grew the team. Since then Excelisys has been honored to have some of the finest talent come, stay, and unfortunately go. With a client base of over 300+ and still growing steadily, Excelisys is pleased that despite this years economic “issues” they are still going strong!
Kurt Knippel, VP of production and a Project Manager stated “Excelisys, Inc. has brought together some of the finest individuals that I have ever had the pleasure to know and work with. The distributed office model has made possible the gathering into a single entity of a diverse group of people, not possible in a traditional centralized office model. I am honored to work with each and everyone of our management, sales and development staff.”
Geoff Ryle, President/Co-Founder and Project Manager bragged “Time sure flies when you’re having fun. When we started this company 8years ago, we had two main goals: to foster long-term technology relationships with our client and create a flexible and positive environment within which our developers can thrive and do their best. We’ve since grown our team to include some of the most talented developers I’ve had the pleasure to know, and in doing so have become a family that works, learns
and plays together.”
Scott Mosher, Account/Business Manager for Excelisys went on with “As Excelisys celebrates it’s 8th birthday, I celebrate my 3rd year as a Business Account Manager for them. Working with this team has been a great experience and different then with most. Although the Excelisys business model is untraditional in it’s work-from-anywhere model, all members perform in a very professional manner with outstanding communication and constant availability. This team consistently shows it’s flexibility and foresight by bending and morphing it’s strategies and dynamics to the current and rising trends in technology and development paradigms. It’s a pleasure and comfort working with such a spirited and progressive company.”
Greg Furry who is Excelisys’ CTO and also a Project Manager claimed “As Excelisys celebrates birthday number eight we stopped to ask. Is eight enough? Heck no! We are just getting started. Think about the tech scene 8 years ago. In September of 2001 the iPod® wasn’t even announced yet! We are excited to continue on the leading edge of high tech for years to come. We have assembled a team of developers, designer, writers and other techie type people across the country to design, develop and deploy solutions to make your life easier and far more productive. ”
Rick Middleton, Account/Business Manager for Excelisys says “Excelisys turns 8 years old this month, I’ve been with them for 3 1/2 years. It has been a wild ride. It still amazes me every day. There are experts in very area of our company, from the “new” tech toy, to the latest and greatest script trigger. Any time I have a question, a Project Manger or developer is ready willing and able to assist me, and they don’t even giggle when I ask “simple” questions. I have never worked with a greater bunch of people. The Project Manager and Developers have worked extremely hard to make sure there is always constant, continuous, communication, not only between us and the clients, but also between the staff.
Posted in FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, MySQL, PHP, Web | No Comments »
July 23rd, 2009
Excelisys is once again a major sponsor for the FileMaker Developer Conference. Excelisys has been a sponsor for the FileMaker DevCon for the last 7 years, this the largest gathering of FileMaker developers in world.
Join us at the Hilton San Francisco on O’Farrell Street, August 13-16, Thursday through Sunday for the annual FileMaker Developer Conference 2009. You’ll get the most intensive technical FileMaker educational opportunity of the year and you can stop by our booth and get some advice, assistance, and maybe a goodie or two to take home!
Tags: DevCon
Posted in Developer, FileMaker, FileMaker Pro, FileMaker10 | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2009
Excelisys, Inc. is now a member of the worldcloud.com consortium of FileMaker developers and consultants.
Worldcloud.com provides dedicated servers and data-centers for experienced administrators and developers. They have various nodes of presence around the world allows your solution to be deployed into our global Internet cloud.
Developers can select from several pre-built servers and operating systems or they can provide you with your own virtual data-center. With our virtual data-centers developers can build and control multiple servers within their own resource pool.
Worldcloud.com provides the infrastructure to many of the leading FileMaker businesses, developers and hosting companies.
Tags: FileMaker, hosting, Web, Worldcloud
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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