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Unable to see hosted files on FileMaker Server

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An issue has arisen with installations of FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server on or after Sept. 22, 2008 using SSL that causes hosted database files to be invisible to workstation computers. If you have installed FileMaker Pro on or after Sept. 22, 2008 and have FileMaker Server set to use SSL you will experience this. FileMaker now have an article in their KnowledgeBase about this with a suggested workaround. There’s also been some discussion about this on fmforums with some other suggestions that you might find more practical, including simply replacing the server.pem file with a known good copy from another workstation in your office that was installed prior to Sept. 22, 2008 or turning off SSL.

Update (October 19, 2003): FileMaker have released a number of “SSL Updaters” that will install a valid SSL certificate file (server.pem). Updaters are available at the FileMaker downloads site. At the time of writing there are the following updates:

 

Not sure if a FileMaker Server 9 update for Windows is necessary at this stage.

FileMaker Mobile for the iPhone

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I didn’t mention this in my DevCon 2008 recap but one of the other new tools that was previewed in the foyer and hallways of DevCon was the new FMTouch. Think of FMTouch as FileMaker Mobile for the Apple iPhone or iTouch, but much better. The relational capabilities of FMTouch is something long time FileMaker Mobile (now discontinued) users have been wanting for years. FMTouch, whilst limited to the Apple iPhone and iTouch, does a great job in transferring data between your iPhone and your copy of FileMaker on your desktop computer. Like FileMaker Mobile the data is not live but synced on demand – the iPhone just needs to be on your local network using the built in WiFi or you can setup port forwarding to sync remotely.

It works via a plugin and does require the use of FileMaker Pro Advanced to create the Database Design Report that gets downloaded to the iPhone to create the database structure on the iPhone. Databuzz can help you if you don’t have a copy of FileMaker Pro Advanced but need to create the DDR to get FMTouch up and running.

Databuzz is working on some web based solutions for handheld users that need live access to their data, using the FileMaker API for PHP and FileMaker Server 9. We can create smaller versions of the main layouts with navigation between them and on a 3G connection the performance is generally more than adequate. This will work on all handheld web browsers and provides live access to your FileMaker database, which is becoming more and more of a necessity for many of our customers when on the road with only their mobile/smartphones.

FileMaker Pro and SMS/TXT Messages

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Update: we’ve released a new product – fmSMS – that allows you to send/receive SMS/TXT messages from FileMaker Pro. See the website at www.fmsms.com for full details.

We’ve been integrating FileMaker solutions into SMS/TXT message gateways for many years. We sent our first SMS from a FileMaker database in 1999 (back then it involved lots of integration with third party software and modems etc). In 2002 we integrated a CRM solution into one of Australia’s largest SMS Gateway providers using one plugin – simply type your message in your FileMaker database, click a button and within seconds the SMS was sent and received on the recipient’s handset.

SMS messages are an effective communication tool for many users – you can use them to send appointment reminders, alerts (e.g new pricing specials), internal office messages and promotional material to your customers. At around 8c each they are also much cheaper than phone calls and letters (around 40c each) and when used appropriately can save you and your business money on wasted phone calls and mailouts. You are generally limited to 160 characters so you need to keep your messages short and to the point. There’s also none of the hassle with mass email mailings and dealing with anti spam software/filtering and limits on how many messages you can send at once. You know within seconds whether your message was sent successfully.

Databuzz has now partnered with the world’s leading SMS Gateway provider – Clickatell – to bring integrated SMS/TXT message sending into any FileMaker Pro solution. Using the Clickatell SMS Gateway we can send messages to over 700 different mobile networks in over 200 different countries, usually within seconds. We can also offer delayed SMS sending (send a message for future delivery for up to 7 days in advance) and message verification to ensure your message was received by the recipient’s mobile handset.

Clickatell also offer great pricing – messages cost around AUD $0.06-0.08 cents and there are discounts if you purchase in bulk. You can get more information about Clickatell and their coverage/pricing by clicking on the link below:

If you need to integrate SMS/TXT message functionality into your FileMaker Pro 7, 8, 8.5 or 9.0 solution contact us for an obligation free quote. We can setup SMS sending for one/multiple recipients, allow you to use merge fields and templates and tracking the delivey of sent messages. If you’re using FileMaker Server 9 we can also leverage it’s script scheduling feature to have it send the messages after hours to free up workstations.