• Ernest Koe, CEO of Proof+Geist 
• Todd Geist, CTO of Proof+Geist 

Description: 

In this episode of The Context Podcast, join Todd Geist and Ernest Koe as they discuss the whirlwind of activity in the AI space and how that affects FileMaker. They go over the practices and theories behind “vibe coding”, agentic engineering, the different platforms, and more. 

You can also find this episode on YouTube.

Description:
In this episode of The Context Podcast, join Martha Zink, Todd Geist, and Ernest Koe as they discuss ProofChat— our new, FREE tool that allows you to add an AI Chat interface directly into your FileMaker solutions. Join the conversation to learn all the reasons why this could save you time and change your development, as well as some pitfalls to be aware of while working with AI. You might also catch a reference to Formula 1 racing, or two. Or three. Or four.

Find this episode on YouTube, or your favorite podcasting platform.

Featured Links:
https://www.proofchat.ai/

ProofChat is here
https://www.proofgeist.com/blog/2025/10/28/proofchat-is-here/

• Martha Zink, Director of Experience at Proof+Geist 
• Eric Luce, Senior Software Engineer at Proof+Geist

Description: 

In this episode of The Context Podcast, join Martha Zink and Eric Luce as they discuss the suite of JavaScript tools in ProofKit. In the modern era, having an easily accessible app for your clients is crucial. With ProofKit, FileMaker developers without much experience in JavaScript can create clean and functional web apps connected to FileMaker data, or interactive web viewers for your customers. 

Check out our growing list of content below to get started with ProofKit, and keep an eye out for the newest update on the horizon.

You can also find this episode on Youtube.

Featured Links: 

• https://proofkit.dev/ 
• Claris Engage 2025 Session: How to build next-level web apps with Claris FileMaker
• Build web apps with Claris FileMaker: ProofKit Claris Community Live
• Proof+Geist Talks with Richard Carlton

• Martha Zink, Director of Experience at Proof+Geist 
• Julie Sigfrinius, Former Senior Director of Customer Success at Claris

Description: 

In this episode of The Context Podcast, join Martha Zink and Julie Sigfrinius as they discuss the upcoming Claris Engage 2025 conference! Get a sneak preview of all the fascinating things scheduled for the event. From retro games to exclusive merchandise, an expo hall, and a packed roster of talks lead by FileMaker experts. They also talk about the importance of community and the welcoming atmosphere for first-time attendees— no matter if it's your first time attending or your return, you’ll find a strong community to welcome you into the fold.

You can also find this episode on YouTube. 

Featured Links: 

Learn more about Claris Engage 2025: http://www.claris.com/engage 

Check out the training days and see what sparks your interest: https://www.claris.com/engage/2025/sessions/?tag=training-day  

Want to be a sponsor or an exhibitor at Claris Engage 2025?: Email them at engage2025@claris.com

Have something for The Claris Museum? https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clay-maeckel_clarisengage2025-activity-7273132883827990528-m31D?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop 

• Jonathan Marcus, Head of Software Development at Sureguard
• Dominik Keller, CEO at Co-Founder at Five
• Ernest Koe
• Todd Geist

In this episode of The Context Podcast, Ernest Koe and Todd Geist are joined by Jonathan Marcus from Sureguard and Dominik Keller from Five to discuss the challenges of building user-friendly applications for non-employees. They explore how Five's low-code approach simplifies development, the integration of AI for creating complex business solutions, and the importance of infrastructure, security, and compliance in industries like healthcare. The conversation highlights the flexibility of Five, the collaborative nature of development, and the robust frameworks needed to empower developers to innovate effectively.

Check out the awesome work that Five and Sureguard are doing.

You can also find this episode on YouTube.

00:00

Introduction to the Guests and Their Backgrounds

04:59

The Genesis of Five and Its Role in Software Development

10:13

Exploring the Challenges with FileMaker and WebDirect

14:48

Understanding OData and Its Advantages

20:01

Navigating the Learning Curve with Five and OData

24:50

AI and Code Generation in Application Development

30:41

Building Complex Business Applications

36:24

The Role of Infrastructure in Development

39:01

Security and Compliance in Medical Applications

44:42

Collaboration and Success in Development Projects

Ryan shares how Claris is navigating the transformation from a risk management mindset to a growth-oriented strategy. He dives into the challenges and successes along the way, emphasizing the critical role partnerships—especially with Apple—play in expanding market presence and enhancing the FileMaker platform.

We also explore Claris’s mission to empower small and mid-sized organizations through innovative technology, with Ryan highlighting the growing trend toward custom software development and the opportunities AI presents for shaping the future of business solutions.

Finally, we discuss the evolving role of the Claris community and Claris’s commitment to deeper collaboration and engagement with its partners.

You also can find this episode on YouTube. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about Claris’s vision for the future and the exciting opportunities ahead!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Leadership Transition

03:02 Organizational Strategy and Transformation

05:51 Growth and Market Dynamics

11:45 Retention and Customer Engagement

17:53 Leveraging Partnerships for Growth

29:55 Future Strategies and Market Expansion

32:00 Empowering Organizations with Technology

35:00 Strategic Partnerships and Market Expansion

36:52 Navigating the AI Landscape

40:01 Custom Software: A Right for Businesses

51:53 The Future of Custom Solutions and Community Engagement

Mentioned in the Podcast:
OttoFMS
https://www.proofgeist.com/products/f...
Alo’s Blog --- From Offline to Online: Building a Seamless FileMaker Go App with Otto Webhooks
https://www.proofgeist.com/blog/2024/...
Eric’s Blog --- Using Claris FileMaker as a backend database for web apps
https://www.proofgeist.com/blog/2024/...

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to Mobile FileMaker and Web Projects
01:01 - Offline Data Collection Challenges
08:04 - Understanding Authentication and User Experience
09:49 - Redefining Client-Server Architecture
12:00 - Managing Data Synchronization Expectations
13:58 - Implementing API Keys for Secure Access
18:26 - Utilizing Otto Receiver for Data Handling
32:10 - User-Centric Design and Flexibility
34:07 - Exploring Web App Development with FileMaker
37:49 - Integrating Slack for Real-Time Updates
40:57 - Future Enhancements and User Feedback
51:30 - Conclusion

We discuss how excited we are for Claris Engage, where we get to be together in person on an Apple campus after years of virtual events. Andrew shares some key things he expects to see and learn about at Engage, and we reminisce about past developer conferences. 

If you’re there for the sessions, the products, the exhibitors, or just spending time with the community, come find us at our Proof+Geist and Ottomatic booths or our sessions. We can’t wait to see you all!

While registration for Claris Engage is sold out, there are still slots for three Training Day courses:  https://content.claris.com/claris-engage2024-limited-space-al

You can find this podcast on YouTube. 

• Andrew Lecates, Chief Product Owner for Claris FileMaker
• Todd Geist 
• Ernest Koe
• Corn Walker

Description:

Get ready for a special new episode of The Context Podcast! Join us as we sit down with our special guest, Andrew Lecates, Chief Product Owner for Claris FileMaker. In this episode, we discuss Claris's strategic shift towards a refocused Claris platform as Claris prepares to transition Claris Pro functionally into the FileMaker line, and deprecate Claris Pro (including Claris Go, Claris WebDirect, and Claris Server).

Corn Walker, Todd Geist, and Ernest Koe delve into the fascinating realm of technology and AI as it relates to the Claris platform, both present and future, while also gaining insights into Andrew's new role and its implications. We also dig into the seamless integration of FileMaker, Connect, and Studio, and unpack the implications for the platform. Plus, stay tuned for some sneak peeks into the exciting plans for Claris Engage 2024. 

Check out all the changes Claris is making here: https://content.claris.com/claris-community-products-roadmap-proof+geist 

You can also find this podcast on YouTube.

• Martha Zink
• Todd Geist
• Chris Rogers 

Description:

In this episode of The Context Podcast, Martha Zink and Todd Geist from Proof+Geist sit down with a special guest, Chris Rogers, the mastermind behind TourPro—a revolutionary software shaking up the dance event management scene. In this episode, Chris takes us on a journey through his remarkable transition from building a small side project to the creation of TourPro, a game-changing event registration and management tool for dance enthusiasts.

With approximately 1,000 events a year, Chris and his team have mastered the art of making a complex technical product accessible to non-technical users. As Chris puts it, he's got "enough knowledge to be dangerous with FileMaker," and he's using that power to empower event organizers worldwide.

What sets TourPro apart is its clever design—a user-friendly mobile app that lets you run events offline, keeping things seamless and efficient even without an internet connection. Chris dives into the technical magic that allows users to operate within the app, and then sync up once they're back online. Join us in this episode as we explore Chris Rogers's journey, laugh at relatable anecdotes, and gain valuable insights into the world of innovative software creation. Stay tuned, because this episode is your backstage pass to the captivating world of TourPro and the brilliant mind behind it.

You can find this podcast on YouTube or your favorite podcasting platform.

Links: 

https://tourprosoftware.com/ 

Todd Geist 

Cris Ippolite

Description:
In this episode of The Context Podcast, join Proof+Geist CTO, Todd Geist and Cris Ippolite, founder of iSolutions, as they dive into the fascinating impacts that AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) are having on our industry in general, and the FileMaker community in particular. 

Cris was an early proponent of using Machine Learning and AI with FileMaker. In fact, this is the third time we have had Cris on the pod to discuss this topic. The first was Episode 34, back in May of 2020, and the second time was Episode 71 in September of 2021 – way before ChatGPT was a thing. Now that LLMs and ChatGPT are the elephants in the FileMaker room, we thought it would be a good idea to have Cris back on the Podcast for an updated conversation on what this all might mean for how we do our jobs, and solve problems for our customers with our favorite platform.

Hear how Cris and Todd think AI might revolutionize the way we build applications and systems with FileMaker, while preserving the essence of creative thinking. They discuss the upcoming Apple WWDC 2023 conference on June 5th, and their expectations on how Apple will shape the trajectory of AI. Plus, get an introduction to Proof+Geist's Front Radar Plugin—and stay tuned for the upcoming blog post on that.

Join us as we delve into the intricacies of SimpleQ, explaining its seamless task handling and compatibility with various systems. Discover the advantages of this approach and how it revolutionizes business processes. Additionally, we explore the origins of SimpleQ, discussing the hybrid PubSub and queuing system that gave birth to this remarkable tool. We also shine a spotlight on Otto and its crucial role in accepting webhooks from third-party systems. See how Otto seamlessly integrates with SimpleQ to streamline data flow and enhance communication across different FileMaker apps.

Tune in to The Context Podcast and embrace the efficiency of SimpleQ—a game-changer in the world of FileMaker and business process automation. 

You can also find this episode on Youtube or your favorite podcasting platforms.

• Martha Zink 
• Todd Geist 
• Rick Kalman

Description: 

In this episode of The Context Podcast, Martha Zink and Todd Geist talk to

Rick Kalman from Claris about the launch of Claris FileMaker 2023. 

Together, they discuss the upcoming changes to the platform—including the switch to a year-based naming scheme, significant performance improvements, and the availability of Claris Connect on the free plan. With stronger authentication protocols, greater scalability, and improvements to backend infrastructure, FileMaker 2023 promises to be Claris’s best release yet!

Also featured: Todd’s dog, Clark, who is recovering from knee surgery and is spending his convalescence providing additional commentary in the form of background snoring.

FileMaker’s 19.6 version release brought simplification and cleanup to the developer side of transactions, creating new commands to cut down on multistep processes and turning hard-to-read error-catching code into something legible. This is certainly an update focused on improving the lives of FileMaker developers. All this, combined with the caveats brought up by the (tentatively) Anti-Transactions Team, help round out the conversation. 

This podcast is available on Transistor.FM, or any of your favorite podcast platforms. The video is available on YouTube. 

Check out the rest of our 19.6 series: 

• Transactions in FileMaker 19.6: Part One 
• Transactions in FileMaker 19.6: Part Two 
• Transactions in 19.6 Demo by Corn Walker 
• Claris FileMaker Server 19.6 

• Martha Zink 
• Drew Fessenden
• Shawn Kreuger
• Joe Ranne
• Marcus Swift 

Description:

In the scenic mountains of North Georgia, open-minded attendees gathered together to connect, learn, and grow with one another. In this episode, our guests focus on why PauseOnError differs from traditional tech conferences and how it sparks new perspectives. 

The last of our PauseOnError FileMaker Summer Camp 2022 series takes us through connection, community, and country backroads. Join Drew Fessenden, Shawn Kreuger, Joe Ranne, and Marcus Swift as they detail the unique atmosphere that extended beyond the event itself. 

The podcast is available on Transistor.Fm or your favorite podcast platform, and full individual interviews are available on YouTube.

Links:

• PauseOnError FileMaker Summer Camp 2023 

Join us again this year for PauseOnError FileMaker Summer Camp, October 3-6, 2023, in the same amazing location. We can’t wait to see you there! 

This is the second of three episodes that feature participants’ stories. 

Since PauseOnError 2022 ended, we’ve collected attendees’ big learnings and aha moments for The Context Podcast. Listen to their stories and discover why you might want to join them next year.

This is the first of three episodes that feature participants’ stories. 

Todd Geist, Proof+Geist Co-Founder/CTO 

Matt Navarre, FileMaker Talks Co-Host

Join Martha Zink, Todd Geist, and Matt Navarre from the FileMaker Talks podcast as they discuss changes coming to FileMaker, the Claris Platform, and strategies that businesses can use to benefit from the changes.

In September, Claris announced that the Claris FileMaker platform would shift to the cloud, making it more accessible and powerful. 

This new platform can be used to create rich UIs and apps for public-facing client and customer portals, which was previously only possible with custom web publishing. This is what we think of as Modern FileMaker.

For those who need to use previous versions, they’ll be maintained for a while longer.

You can also view this podcast on Youtube.

Links:

AutoEnter Live

Rome FileMaker Week

PauseOnError

EngageU

What is Mizu (水)? It’s a material-inspired, lightweight FileMaker theme and helper file for FileMaker developers. Mizu is part of an overall design system at Proof+Geist that emphasizes the use of underlying structures (grids), design patterns, and reusable components to enable more consistent, collaborative work.

Join our hosts as they cover topics like: 

• What is ‘capital D’ Design and how is it foundational to the modern FileMaker concept?
• How can Mizu make your mental load lighter by taking on the UI, and why does that help development?
• How can constraints help remove friction in your development process?

You can also find the video version of this podcast on YouTube.

Other Links:

• Mizu on Proof+Geist GitHub
• Proof+Geist on GitHub

Featuring:

• Martha Zink, The Context Podcast Host & Proof+Geist Director of Marketing
• Todd Geist, Proof+Geist Co-Founder/CTO
• John Renfrew, Independent Developer & Owner

Episode Summary: 

The recent release of FileMaker 19.5 introduced a new feature for those with FileMaker Server for Mac and Windows: OData (Open Data Protocol). Originally created by Microsoft, OData is an open protocol that allows for the creation and consumption of queryable and interoperable REST APIs in a simple and standard way.

Description:

The recent release of FileMaker 19.5 introduced a new feature for those with FileMaker Server for Mac and Windows: OData (Open Data Protocol). Originally created by Microsoft, OData is an open protocol that allows for the creation and consumption of queryable and interoperable REST APIs in a simple and standard way.

In this episode, join Martha, Todd, and John as they explore OData and its many wide-ranging impacts: What benefits – efficiency gains, programming ergonomics, and scalability – does OData offer? How does OData compare to and improve upon other methodologies like the Data API, ODBC, and PSOS? Before diving into OData, what are some tradeoffs and cautions we should consider? And perhaps most centrally, how does OData open a door to new ways of modular and decoupled development in modern FileMaker?

You can also view this Podcast on Youtube.

Links:

OData Documentation

FileMaker 19.5 Release

The Context Podcast: New Features in FileMaker 19.5

• Martha Zink 
• Todd Geist 
• Angelo Luchi 

FileMaker 19.5 comes with hundreds of bug fixes–some of them small, and some of them game-changing. In this episode of The Context Podcast, join your host Martha Zink in conversation with Todd Geist and Angelo Luchi as they discuss these various changes. Hear about new support for Unbuntu 20.04, added OAuth performance, Live Text integration on macOS, and important Data Migration Tool changes— just to name a few things. Dive into the conversation as they go over the 400+ bug fixes and various changes in FileMaker 19.5. 

You can also check out this podcast on Youtube.

Other Links: 

• FMComparison came out with a new version and all licenses are reset so anyone can run a new free trial even if you already have before! Check out the new version here.
• Read up on what Claris has to say about their new release on the FileMaker 19.5 Release Notes.
• Check out our previous podcast: Protecting Your Data Hosted with FileMaker Server.

From the outside, hosting with FileMaker Server can seem simple and straightforward. But behind the scenes, there’s a whole lot more going on! Whether you’re hosting on-premise or in the cloud, on your own or through a hosting provider, it’s important to keep a few things in mind to protect your data and your business from risks. Ransomware or malware attacks, accidental or intentional internal threats, file corruption, and various data center, network, or internet issues can jeopardize not only your mission-critical data, but potentially your business as a whole. Join Martha, Angelo, and Todd in this episode as they share their experiences and recommendations around backups, monitoring, documentation, and access/user management that can help safeguard against costly risks to your data and your business.

General Links:

• The Context Podcast: Ransomware For Claris FileMaker Developers (Featuring Wim Decorte, Heidi Porter, and Chris Moyer)
• Ottomatic
• Otto

S3-compatible immutable offsite backup providers/services:

• AWS
• Wasabi
• Backblaze

Network/infrastructure monitoring tools/platforms:

• AWS CloudWatch
• Zabbix
• New Relic
• ZeroTier

Deployment platforms:

• Linux

Documentation tools:

• ClickUp
• BookStack

Andrew LeCates, Claris Director of Platform Evangelism

Martha Zink, The Context Podcast Host & Proof+Geist Director of Marketing

Ernest Koe, Proof+Geist Co-Founder/CEO

Todd Geist, Proof+Geist Co-Founder/CTO

On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, Claris hosted a webinar on the future of their technology. In this episode of The Context Podcast, Martha, Ernest, and Todd are joined by Peter Nelson and Andrew LeCates from Claris to discuss not only the exciting changes in store for the Claris platform that were unveiled in the webinar but also the intention and focus behind those decisions and the implications for the Claris platform in the years to come.

Links:

Claris Updates Webinar - April 26, 2022
The Context Podcast on the Modern FileMaker Revolution
Problem Solvers Circle
PauseOnError
AutoEnter Live

As the FileMaker platform grows and changes over time, so too will our views, approaches, and recommendations. In this episode, Martha, Todd, and John explore multi-file solutions from a broader perspective. As Todd and John posit, contrary to what most might expect, the number of files in a system is not a good proxy for how complex the system is – a complex system can comprise one file, just as a simple system can comprise multiple files. Also, optimizing systems and workflows using multi-file solutions – in doing so, breaking free from the ‘everything-in-one-file’ mindset – allows for an iterative approach to development that measurably improves and rebuilds systems with new models over time.

Join Martha, Todd, and John in this episode as they re-envision best practices and delve into how multi-file solutions and the FileMaker platform can help us build value in new and better ways.

This podcast is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RQQcA5T8R-k

Corn Walker’s presentation (FMDiSC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dztdZrHdrUQ

Otto, Superpowers for your FileMaker Server: https://www.ottofms.com

Ottomatic, A Modern FileMaker Hosting Platform: https://www.ottomatic.cloud

LedgerLink: https://www.geistinteractive.com/products/filemaker-quickbooks-online-ledgerlink/

FMPerception: https://www.geistinteractive.com/products/fmperception-fast-filemaker-analysis/

The Modern FileMaker Revolution

Featuring:

Martha Zink, Host & Director of Marketing of Proof+Geist
Ernest Koe, Co-Founder/CEO at Proof+Geist
Todd Geist, Co-Founder/CTO at Proof+Geist

What is the ‘modern FileMaker revolution’? How can vast networks of apps, tools, persistence layers, databases, experiences, workflows, and more be leveraged to create value using Claris FileMaker, the platform we love?

In this episode, Martha, Ernest, and Todd discuss how Proof+Geist is redefining FileMaker in the context of today’s business needs, modern development practices, and a rapidly changing technical landscape.

Highlighting the growing shift toward a more decoupled, lightweight approach to development, Ernest and Todd share how a new set of ideas, skills, and technologies are directly informing how we build value using FileMaker today.

Links:

• Otto – Superpowers for FileMaker Server
• Ottomatic – the modern FileMaker hosting platform
• Working with JSON functions in FileMaker

• https://www.knowbe4.com/ransomware
• Methods of attack: https://attack.mitre.org/
• Email attack example: https://youtu.be/v-ITcpD1KcQ
• https://www.nomoreransom.org/en/index.html
• https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware
• https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ccips/file/872771/download
• https://www.nsi.org/2021/02/15/employee-cyber-security-awareness-ransomware-wave/
• https://www.coveware.com/blog/ransomware-marketplace-report-q4-2020
• https://www.cybereason.com/hubfs/dam/collateral/ebooks/Cybereason_Ransomware_Research_2021.pdf
• https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA_MS-ISAC_Ransomware%20Guide_S508C.pdf

knowbe4.com

Ransomware | KnowBe4

Ransomware history, prevention tips, removal, FAQs, information on different strains, current news and KnowBe4's ransomware guarantee. (422 kB)

https://www.knowbe4.com/ransomware

YouTube | Kaspersky

How does a computer become infected with ransomware? 

The No More Ransom Project

Home | The No More Ransom Project

Ransomware is malware that locks your computer and mobile devices or encrypts your electronic files. When this happens, you can’t get to the data unless you pay a ransom. However, this is not guaranteed and you should never pay!

cisa.gov

Stop Ransomware | CISA

TIPS & GUIDANCE Ransomware incidents can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services. The economic and reputational impacts of ransomware incidents, throughout the initial disruption and, at times, extended recovery, have also proven challenging for organizations large and small.

If you get hit, you can try available decryptors

• https://noransom.kaspersky.com
• https://www.avast.com/en-gb/ransomware-decryption-tools
• https://www.emsisoft.com/ransomware-decryption-tools/
• https://www.nomoreransom.org/en/decryption-tools.html

Listen to the previous episodes about PauseOnError 2021.
Reflections Ep 1
Reflections Ep 2
Reflections Ep 3

Heidi mentioned the book The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain, by Annie Murphy Paul. It's a great read. Pick it up here or at your local bookstore.

Our topics today include:
1. The Party Model (see below for relevant links)
2. Table Hopping Performance issues.
3. PubSub

Here's some great Party Model discussion links:

• FMBUG 59: Damon Casey presents 
• Dave Graham shares in a recent FileMaker DevCon
• Geist Interactive's implementation of the Party Model
• The definitive guide to Party Model

Cris Ippolite from iSolutions joins me today to talk Machine Learning in FileMaker. He's worked extensively with this idea, first as a hobby and now as part of what he does to use the Claris FileMaker platform to make predictions about all sorts of things. In this episode, Cris and I talk about how Machine learning works, what we can do with it, and its implications. He gives us many examples; I even stumble on some of those, and we discuss how machine learning is used all around us.
 

Cris also shares the story behind this powerful prediction model he's built that has been featured in many places. 

Machine Learning is a powerful and exciting/scary tool. And Cris is here to highlight the power and the scariness.

Links:
The Claris Video highlighting Cris' application

Cris Ippolite at iSolutions

iSolutions Links

• Core ML and FileMaker

AI Examples:

• Open AI
• GitHub Co-Pilot

Here's the link for the Office Hours: https://calendly.com/jeremy-evangelist/js-dev-environment-office-hours

Our Guest, John Renfrew, gives us all the details about oData and makes it clear it is a game changer. At first it seemed kind of scary and new and incomprehensible, but his clear description of its strengths and uses demystifies this new feature. At the end of this episode, I personally, realized OData's potential and decided, indeed, it is a game changer.

John is here to let us know that FileMaker developers of every experience level can have success in using Odata to perform all manner of record-related tasks. I'm glad he was able to clear up the new feature for me.

Read the OData Spec here
Steve Senft-Herrera at Beezwax shares examples and ideas with OData.
Part 1
Part 2

And of course, json.org is a vital site for us to visit and read.

David is part of FMDisc. Their past meetings are found here. Join the Meetup and attend where ever you're at.

You can find more info about Claris Engage Beyond here.

We mention some great learning resources:
RC Consulting and Productive Computing, But there are many more out there! 

NIck Lightbody joins us to lend his experience and perspective to this idea of Performance. For most of his career he’s spent exploring the ideas of performance for apps. Starting with, of all things, developing for iOS, he’s played with techniques that he’s found keep performance high throughout the entire development process. Let’s explore his perspective about keeping FileMaker apps running smoothly.

Links:
This episode is brought to you by FMPerception.

Nick's extensive forum posts are found here.

If you have a performance issue, you can reach out to the community to report an issue.

If you choose to learn another technology, JavaScript is a great thing to learn.

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Say hi, and give your feedback on Apple Podcasts. Email us at thecontextpodcast@proofgeist.com for episode topic ideas and to be a part of the conversation on the podcast.

HEre's a list of the stuff we mentioned:

Modular FileMaker
Claus' episode on Modular FileMaker
React and React Training
Seedcode's articles on JavaScript and Web viewer work in WebDirect

Kate Waldhauser, Development Lead at Portage Bay Solutions. Follow them on Twitter

Her Claris Connect user group is found here. Check there for monthly meetings. Next one is March 17,2021.

Here's the resources you can use to find local (or across-the-world) user groups:
Tony White's source, and here's a list of the user groups Tony is a part of.
Chis Moyer of the Moyer Group's list
Check out the new Claris Connect user group
Finally you can find a list of events here at Claris' website

Molly Connolly of Thorsen Consulting joins me.

Molly has used many hosting providers in her time depending on her clients' needs. Here's a list of the ones she mentioned:
Soliant.Cloud
FMPHost
360Works

And here's more Claris FileMaker 3rd-party hosting providers. Click on "Hosting" to see those companies that offer this service.

Follow us at ProofGeist on Twitter, ProofGeist on LinkedIn
And follow Jeremy Brown 

Jake Johnson is Director of Design at Angel City Data.

Stuff we talk about:
Apple Human Interface Guidelines

No UI: how to build Transparent Interaction

Here's the pieces we point out:

Communities:
Claris FileMaker Community (and all the JS questions)
The FMSoup
FMForums

Social Media:
FB FileMaker Pro Users/Developers Group
FB FileMaker UI Design Group
FB FileMaker Pro Tips Group
Follow us on Twitter

Podcasts:
The Context Podcast
Fireside FileMaker
FileMaker Talk
Off The Record

Partner Videos & Blogs:
Productive Computing's Add-on Videos
FileMaker Magazine
Appworks FileMaker Cool Tricks
Soliant Consulting Blog
DayBack Calendar by Seedcode

Claris Platform:
FIleMaker 19's FIrst Open Release
Add-ons
FileMaker 19 New Features
Claris Engineer Blog

Claris Engage:
AutoEnter (read about it here)
Claris Engage videos (panel and onDemand sessions)
Claris Engage Lessons Learned

Here's the video of John and Todd coding. It's a highlight reel of three days of coding.
Check out Pause on Error's Suitcase Protocol

Check out the Add-ons blog post series starting here:
And review videos about them from Claris.

We have an entire framework that you can use to create add-ons.
And we have some JS utilities you can use in your own work.

Wim participated in two panels during Claris Engage.
Check out Soliant's Cloud Services
Wim and others at Soliant have written much about this topic.

Check out Andrew Duncan at Databuzz.com.au. Take a look at his products and services.

Todd spoke in two sessions. His first was on JS and Add-ons. His second was a panel about add-ons. They're found in the Claris Academy
The Solving FM Use Cases with JavaScript on-demand sessions (9 videos) is up now in the Claris Academy. Find "Engage On-Demand" and click on the "Integration" section.

Stephen Dolenski and Steven H. Blackwell 's paper called: The NEw Add-on Feature: Caveats, Cautions, and Nuances 1.0.1 . There's a lot of great info here about what to consider.

The learning resources these folks mentioned are:

• John Mark Osborne of Database Pros and Philosophy of FileMaker
• Matt Petrowsky of Filemaker Magazine
• Geist Interactive
• The Support Group
• The FileMaker Training Series

The learning resources mentioned include:

• Productive Computing's PCU
• The old FileMaker Training Series (beloved by many)
• The Claris Community (long  ago called "The Technet"
• And for historical reference: Susan Prosser's Missing Manual book series.

Here's the question Jeremy asked a long time ago.
The book Database Design for Mere Mortals is an excellent read about all things data Structure.

Here's some good resources about FileMaker Go:

• FileMaker Go 19 Development Guide
• NFC on FileMaker Go from Skeleton Key
• NFC Scanning with FileMaker Go From Soliant Consulting
• iSolutions and CoreML
• 
  

In a very old video, Todd talks about Selector Connector.
Jason Young of Seedcode also worked out Selector Connector.

We use our Karbon Framework, which supports the idea of separation of concerns and business / UI logic.

Todd is leading a webinar for Claris on JavaScript and Add-ons. You can register to join one of the two sessions here:

Cris, of iSolutions, brought us a lot of information, and he's done a lot of work on the topics of Shortcuts and NFC. Check out his youtube channel. 
Check out his links:

• iBeacons
• NFC Read/Write app
• NFC Tags
• Siri Shortcuts Youtube Video
• NFC Youtube Video
• NFC for iPhone
• LinkedInLearning: FileMaker 19 and Shortcuts
• LinkedInLearning: FileMaker 19 and NFC

We've got a lot of information coming up about the topics covered in this episode. Stay tuned to Geist Interactive's blog site for those posts.
Here's some details and learning resources (more to come at www.geistinteractive.com):

• JavaScript contains Synchronous and Asynchronous functions.
• The new FileMaker.PerformScript() function is only available on the window.
• https://www.1-more-thing.com/javascript-performscript/
• A community post about JavaScript running asynchronously.
• A community post about making sure the FileMaker object is loaded.
• FMwutils library.

Todd will be leading a webinar about JavaScript for Claris.

Modernize your apps with data visualization, maps, calendars and more.

Open up a new universe with Claris FileMaker apps and JavaScript. Learn why JavaScript is such a good fit for the Claris FileMaker 19 open platform. See several compelling business examples, and find out how you will be able to use JavaScript add-ons for things like kanban boards, calendars, photo editors, animated graphics, and more. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Best of all, you don’t need to know JavaScript.

You will learn:
• What JavaScript brings to the Claris FileMaker.
• The advantages of FileMaker custom apps built with JavaScript add-ons vs. SasS alternatives.
• How to get started with helpful resources.

Join us for this 45-minute webinar lead by Todd Geist, Geist Interactive, a Platinum Claris Partner. The presentation will include an overview, demo, and a Q&A session.

Note: this presentation will be in English only.

Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Duration: 45 minutes
Times: 8:00 AM PT, 11:00 AM ET, 3:00 PM GMT, 17:00 CET
RSVP now >
https://content.claris.com/amr-webinar-fm-javascript-06232020-reg-8am

Times: 4:00 PM PT, 7:00 PM ET, 9:00 AM AEST (Wednesday, June 24, 2020)
RSVP now >
https://content.claris.com/amr-webinar-fm-javascript-06232020-reg-4pm

We've written about the FileMaker Execute Data API script step to return records or to get metaData.
And We've written about how to create add-ons.

Other Links:
LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com)
Database Pros (John Mark Osborne)

Cris Ippolite is our guest. He's the Founder / Head Coach / Trainer of iSolutions.
Cris has courses on LinkedIn Learning. Check those out to learn more about Claris FileMaker 19.

Things we talked about:
1. Todd's thoughts on the Open Platform Release.
2. Blog post the Perform FileMaker Data API script step, as it returns records in JSON or metaData.
3. CoreML at Apple.

Todd writes up his thoughts about this new open platform. Check those out here.

• Sarah Stickfort
• Barb Levine
• Dave Graham

We mention the WITFm Claris Engage Scholarship
Sarah is working on integrating Dayback and LedgerLink together

Dave's working on learning JavaScript and our API First mentality.

Say hi to Jeremy on Twitter.
Josh Ormond is also on Twitter.

join::table also described their joint initiative.

Use Social Media to reach out to folks who are fighting this pandemic on the front lines. Reach out to people you know and let them know the Claris community is available for them.

Here's some great blog posts from which you can get great sample files:

• Geist Interactive
• Soliant Consulting
• Seedcode
• DBServices
• MainSpring
• FileMaker Magazine

... and many more. In a future episode, we'll do a review of those sites and more.

Alexis' website is: https://www.fmdesignuniversity.com/
Her new Facebook Page is: FileMaker UI/UX Design Community
She was interviewed for Claris, International recently.
Alexis spoke about Workflow Based Design at the last FileMaker DevCon. Breaking Out lof List and Form View: Workflow-Based Design for the Modern World.
Other Sessions:
The Math of Visual Design: FileMaker DevCon 2016

More about Claris Connect is found here.
Download the 15-day trial.

Mike Beargie, Senior Application Developer and Product Manager of MainSpring was our guest today.
Mike will speak at Pause on Error at the end of March, 2020 about Claris Connect and will hopefully also speak at Claris Engage.
He's part of the two Facebook FileMaker user groups: FileMaker Pro Users/Developers and FileMaker Pro Tips

Matt's Previous DevCon Sessions
Building Prototypes
Building Polished Interfaces: Hands on Lab

Resources
A Book Apart
Apple Interface Guidelines
Android Guidelines

Resources for Prototyping
Adobe XD
Paper / Pens
Figma: Collaborative online interface design tool
Mural: online tool for digital whiteboard with post-its
Service Blueprint
Journey Maps
Adobe Color

Follow Ernest Koe on Twitter. His company is The Proof Group.

Here's what we talk about:
1. Virtual Offices
2. Search and Find (from Ernest's DevCon 2019 session).
3. Let FileMaker be what FileMaker is.
4. Which is a better word to use: App or System or Distributed apps?

And a bunch of other stuff.

The FBA (FileMaker Business Alliance) is now the Claris Partner Program. Consider joining here.

• John Mark Osborne @ Database Pros
• Dr. Ray Cologon @ NightWing Enterprises
• Wim Decorte @ Soliant Consulting
• Kevin Frank @ FileMakerHacks

Beverly has written many posts at FileMakerHacks.com
Beverly published a book: FileMaker Pro 6 Developer's Guide to XML/XSL. 

Logan talks about using the Insert from URL script step. Check out our handling of the set up of this step.

Kevin's blog post of all the Virtual List posts:

This episode is brought to you by Otto: Automatic Server to Server File Migration

Here are other ways you can help.

• Become a “Friend of One Spark” with a monthly contribution of any amount.
• Shop on Amazon Smile. Same Amazon, but a small % goes back to your charity of choice. To sign up, enter One Spark Foundation Inc (Newbury Park).

Pick up the book Digital Transformation by Thomas Siebel

Todd talks in detail about the FileMaker Product Roadmap.
The beta for Claris Connect is now open. Complete this form to request access.
To request access to the FileMaker ETS Program, email ets@claris.com.

Kevin Frank of filemakerhacks.com

Here's a list of posts from the site we mentioned.
Magic Key: Part 1, Part 2
Thinking about JSON
Virtual Lists

Determining if Two Date Ranges Overlap from Soliant Consulting.

We discussed the following topics.
JSON: Here are the JSON specs
XML: Beverly Voth's book
ODBC
Virtual Lists
Lookups
ExecuteSQL: Beverly Voth's Missing Manual post
Repeating fields
Named Variable Buckets: Wim Decorte's blog post
JavaScript: Our FileMaker & JavaScript stuff
SSL
Monitoring Tools: Zabbix (Wim Decorte & Mislav Kos' post and DevCon video)
We also mention Bob Bowers' 2012 DevCon Session: Advanced Reporting Techniques

• Transactions
• Record Life Cycle
• Scripting
• Parts of FileMaker
• Security
• Indexing
• Relationships
• Data Modeling
• Calculations
• Inputting data
• Reporting on data
• APIs
• WebWidgets
• Sharing the File

Todd and Jeremy mention the following modules and tools:

DBTransactions
And more on Transactions

BigTom is found in the community here. He has a lot of good advice. Be sure and follow him.

FMPerception
Dave Ramsey @designdb
FMComparison
Realtime Developer Intelligence Tool
Dave's podcast: Project Update with co host Joe Simpson

The three less-known features of FMPerception are:

1. Auto-open XML Database Design Reports in FMPerception.
2. Text Search area
3. Flagged Functions
4. (BONUS): Copy/paste Sidebar of a script or a field.

FMComparison

• Beta is out soon (macOS first, then WIndows)
• Current FMPerception customers will get access to the beta.
• Current FMPerception customers will get this tool for free.

Our guests today are
Susan Fennema, the chaos-killing, clutter-kicking, disorder-fighting maven of Beyond the Chaos
Vanessa Costanzo, Director, Business Development & Technology at Recruiting Pro Software LLC

Susan and Vanessa are part of the leadership team for Women Innovating Together, a nonprofit that serves Women in the FileMaker world.

Here's the list of topics we talked about:

1. Scholarships. WIT provides scholarships to women each year for the Claris conference. 
2. People can donate to the scholarship fund anytime of the year
3. WIT also offers mentorships for anyone. You can sign up and be a mentor or a mentee.
4. WIT can be supported by FBA partners through donations or encouraging staff to sign up.

• How he learned FileMaker
• WidgetStudio
• FIleMaker DevCon

A list of what was mentioned:

• WidgetStudio Create, Customize, Deploy FileMaker WebViewer Widgets
• Carafe From Soliant Consulting. Easily Work with and Integrate JavaScript in FileMaker
• FMEZ Charts Clean and Intuitive UI for Creating JavaScript Charts with no Experience 
• FileMaker and Industrial Robotics - Carson's DevCon 2019 session.
• Claris’ Visionary Keynote A sneak peak at the new JavaScript script step
• Node Red Low-code programming for event-driven applications

Reach out to us at support@geistinteractive.com if you'd like to join us for a conversation or if you have any topics you'd like us to discuss.

Josh talks a bit, as we start, about how he learned FileMaker:
FileMaker Pro Advanced Help
FM Forums
FileMaker Community

Josh and Jeremy bring up a few external sources in their discussion of FileMaker Security. Here they are:

FileMaker Platform Security Infographic by Steven Blackwell
FileMaker 18 Security Overview by Steven Blackwell
Sarah Stickfort, FileMaker DevCon 2018: Building Security with a Blueprint
A Conversation about 2 Factor authentication

As we chat about security, we bring up the following topics:
The complete portfolio of FileMaker Security
Encryption at Rest (EAR)
Ersatz (home-grown FileMaker security)
Security by Obscurity

Our Guest today is Wim Decorte. He's a Senior Technical Architect at Soliant Consulting. He's been around for a long time, spoken at many FileMaker DevCons, and has worked with both Jeremy (as Jeremy's boss at Soliant) and Todd (working together briefly at New Millennium, now called Codence). WIm worked on a product called FMRobot which was used in the FileMaker 6-to-7 conversion days. Check out a cool blog post about it. It was also featured in a FileMaker white paper (Todd contributed to this paper as well).

Wim and Mislav Kos led a session on Zabbix. Wim summarizes the session and explains the importance and ease of using Zabbix to monitor your server. Wim and Mislav have a few blog posts out about it.

We spend some time talking about FileMaker milestones:

• FileMaker 3: Brought relationships to the app.
• FileMaker 7: One file with many tables
• FileMaker 9: XML API
• FileMaker 15 / 16: Insert from URL with cURL options - really opened the door to integrations.
• (Wim and Todd forgot to mention the WebViewer. Jeremy reminded them)

Once again we reminisced about FileMaker DevCon 2019 (the last one). Wim sees this is as a new beginning. There's nothing stale about FileMaker though it's been around for 30 years.

Finally, we talked about the DEFINITIVE context for the following topics: ( :) )

• Virtual Lists
• The While() function
• Unstored Calcs
• ExecuteSQL
• JSON
• Layout Calculation Tricks

Todd and Wim tell us and finally answer the question: when to use these.

Soliant Consulting is supporting a tool called Carafe. Check it out.

It's interesting to see that join::table wants to structure the projects as any normal project: single developers or a team, people from different experience levels and expertise coming together to give some time to a nonprofit who wants to use FileMaker to innovate in their workplace.

join::table is looking for nonprofits that need FileMaker or a workplace innovation platform and need developers to build them something. So please inquire if you need.
FBA partners can support the work of join::table in a variety of ways.

Stay tuned to the end for a little 'post-credits' bit. ☺

Sponsored by WidgetStudio by Geist Interactive. Find or Create. Customize. Deploy FileMaker WebViewer Widgets

"The Context" Podcast

This very first episode features Jeremy and Todd talking about the podcast itself: why is it named "The Context" and what we will talk about in future episodes. Jeremy talks about the name itself: as we were finding the name, "Context" really stood out because context is what we think about each day build a custom app. It's all about context. Not only inside of FileMaker, but context refers as well to the broader tech community: what integrations will we use and how will we use those. And finally we'll talk specific functions and their value in certain contexts.

Claris Connect

They talk a bit about Claris' upcoming product: Claris Connect. Claris Connect will take away some of the tedious or tough-for-newbies parts of connecting to different services out there. The product will make it incredibly easy. We'll talk more about Claris Connect in the future.

HTML Email

They talk a bit about an oft-requested feature: HTML Email as an example of FileMaker's power. It is so much simpler–for so many reasons–to connect to a service like SendGrid or Office 365 from FIleMaker, and Claris Connect will make it even easier. Since HTML Email is already done in those services, Claris engineers can focus their resources on other needs.

JavaScript

Jeremy, of course, is excited to talk  JavaScript sometimes since, as we know, JavaScript is part of FileMaker.

The Last FileMaker DevCon

Jeremy and Todd also talk about FileMaker DevCon 2019. They talk about its disruptive nature and its future-focused nature. They're looking forward to Brad Freitag's leadership of Claris with their mission statement, values, and pillars and the renewed energy they see in Claris International.