FileMaker 5.5 Data Querying?

[DVFS]

I am very familliar with SQL databases and am using FileMaker 5.5 for the first time.

Is there any way to issue commands to query or modify large chunks of data? I am looking at the ScriptMaker from the menu but that appears to be some kind of Macro creator. I'm just not familliar with what utilities are available in this software and looking for any advice or tips.

Thanks, Joe

 

[JeanW]

ScriptMaker isn't a computer language like BASIC, Pascal or C++. It's basically a macro generator. It's a sequence of steps that run in a linear fashion to automate a process that would otherwise be performed manually.
What you get with ScriptMaker, that you don't get with other macro languages, is a dynamic environment.
Once finished, you can end up with many scripts that create a feature set. One script can call another script, which can, in turn call another etc.

Scripts can also make logical decisions (if statement) and perform repetitive tasks (looping).

Scripting is what makes a database solution equivlent to a piece of software, in the truest sense, you are programming when creating functional scripts.

ScriptMaker is quasi object-oriented. While it could be argued that it is unlike object oriented programming (it lacks inheritance, classes and a few other technical features), you are still creating objects that perform actions and can be referenced by other scripts.

Bottom line is, with FileMaker and ScriptMaker a solution requires only a fraction of the time, when developing, yet the results are similar to developing with a programming language.

HTH

 

[JeanW]

To go a little further on this...

You can do anything with FM that you can do with a calculator or even with pen and paper.

The advantages of using a database are speed and automation. Calculation fields, along with the find and sort mechanisms, provide the speed. They evaluate and arrange data more quickly and easily than by any other means. Using ScriptMaker adds a level of automation and sophistication to your database, making it significantly more useful. Sequencing the stps which perform finds and sorts, adding repetitive controls and incorporating the power of decision-making conditional statement (if-then-else), enable your database to do just about anything you can dream up. By attaching the script to a button, the whole process becomes a one-clcik operation.

HTH