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My latest ramblings.
Enjoy! I definitely got important things to say
Getting started with Integrate FileMaker API in 5 Easy Steps.
Like you, I wanted to learn how to use FileMaker’s APIs, so I started researching free APIs. I had a very general idea of how an API worked and decided to make a simple API with the available information I already knew about accessing the API data and then parsing the data into a relevant field. So I started by researching weather APIs and found WeatherStack. WeatherStack has three available plans. The free account is limited but will allow you 1000 calls for no cost. This is a great way to get started learning how to make an API call.
Step 1. Go to Website and Create a Free Account
First, go to https://weatherstack.com and sign up for and API it is Free, you can do this by pressing the “Start Using The API” button located on the main screen.
Once you are registered and logged in to your dashboard, you will receive an API key. This key is used to identify your current plan subscription and usage.
Now you are ready to get started. In your FileMaker database create the following fields.
Step 2. Use an Existing or new FileMaker Database and Create Your Fields
API – Will be used to hold your personal API code generated from weatherstack.com
City – This will contain the city and state you wish to find the weather for.
Master URL – Copy the following into your master URL path.
URL Calc – Calculation field which will Substitute your data,
Substitute ( Master URL ;
[“<City>” ; City];
[“<API>” ; API]
)
Date = Date
Description = Text
Temperature = Number
FeelsLike = Number
Humdity = Number
Pressure = Number
Precip = Number
Visibity = Number
Wind Speed = Number
Wind Direction = Text
Wind Degree = Number
Icon Path = Text
Icon Container = Container
JSON = Text
Step 3. Create Your Script
Now create a script called “SET JSON”, when the script is performed FileMaker query the Weatherstack API for real-time weather data in a location of your choice.
Your results can be found in your JSON field and will look something like this.
{“request”:{“type”:”City”,”query”:”New York, United States of America”,”language”:”en”,”unit”:”m”},”location”:{“name”:”New York”,”country”:”United States of America”,”region”:”New York”,”lat”:”40.714″,”lon”:”-74.006″,”timezone_id”:”America\/New_York”,”localtime”:”2020-06-15 16:52″,”localtime_epoch”:1592239920,”utc_offset”:”-4.0″},”current”:{“observation_time”:”08:52 PM”,”temperature”:23,”weather_code”:113,”weather_icons”:[“https:\/\/assets.weatherstack.com\/images\/wsymbols01_png_64\/wsymbol_0001_sunny.png”],”weather_descriptions”:[“Sunny”],”wind_speed”:0,”wind_degree”:83,”wind_dir”:”E”,”pressure”:1030,”precip”:0,”humidity”:36,”cloudcover”:0,”feelslike”:24,”uv_index”:8,”visibility”:16,”is_day”:”yes”}}
Now that you have your API data results you can use, FileMaker’s JSONGetElement function to parse your data results.
If you are not familiar with using this function, don’t worry it is not as scary as you might think. Use your data viewer to assist you. Section in the JSON will open and look something like this {“request”: and will close looking like this “}
In this example there are two sections. Request and Current
If you enter JSONGetElement ( Settings::JSON ; “request” ). You will notice FileMaker returns the following results.
{“language”:”en”,”query”:”Mission Viejo, United States of America”,”type”:”City”,”unit”:”m”}
You can then narrow your results by entering in a second element this is done by adding a dot/period between values.
JSONGetElement ( Settings::JSON ; “request.language” )
Which as you can see returns the following results. “en”
To query the second section your request will look like this.
JSONGetElement ( Settings::JSON ; “current” )
{“cloudcover”:25,”feelslike”:25,”humidity”:59,”is_day”:”yes”,”observation_time”:”07:46 PM”,”precip”:0,”pressure”:1015,”temperature”:22,”uv_index”:10,”visibility”:16,”weather_code”:116,”weather_descriptions”:[“Partly cloudy”],”weather_icons”:[“https://assets.weatherstack.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0002_sunny_intervals.png”],”wind_degree”:210,”wind_dir”:”SSW”,”wind_speed”:20}
To narrow your results add a section name.
JSONGetElement ( Settings::JSON ; “current.humidity” )
In this example the data only goes down one category from current it is possible the data drills down further, using the a period between values will allow you to drill down to the next section as needed.
Additionally, if this was a 5 day forecast, you might find that the JSON repeats for each day of the week. To get the first repetition you data may look something like this JSONGetElement ( Settings::JSON ; “current[0].humidity” ) zero always will indicate the first repetition.
Now go to your field definition and define each of your field as follows, you will find that some of the data will parse out but will include extra characters you may not want.
This was true for some field, like the icons path. Which will be used to pull the weather icon. I also found this to be true for the temperature. The JSON gave me Celsius results when I wanted Fahrenheit.
It is possible I could have made this change in my API call to correct this, but instead I created a custom function to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and created an additional field call “temp letter” this field can be used as a setting to flip between Celsius to Fahrenheit and is also used for display purpose to let the user know the weather format used.
Step 4. Add Custom Functions define Fields
From my experience, I have learned that you may need help every once in a while converting your data. An excellent example of this was when I did a Hubspot API, and the data comes over in a UNIX style format that is was not easily converted. The good news is there are plenty of free custom functions to help you out. In this example, I used a custom function called CelsToFahr to convert my data from Celsius to Fahrenheit.
((degreesCelsius/5)*9)+ 32
DEFINE YOUR FIELDS
Date = Let ( $Date = Left (
JSONGetElement ( Settings::JSON ; “location.localtime” ) ; 10 );
Date ( Middle ( $Date ; 6 ; 2 );Right ( $Date ; 2 )
Description = Substitute ( JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.weather_descriptions” ) ;
[ “\”” ; “” ];[“[“;””];[“]”;””])
Humidity = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.humidity” )
Precip = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.precip” )
Pressure = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.pressure” )
Visibity = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.visibility” )
Wind Speed = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.wind_speed” )
Wind Direction = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.wind_dir” )
Wind Degree = JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.wind_degree” )
Icon Path = Substitute ( JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.weather_icons” );
[ “\”” ; “” ];[“[“;””];[“]”;””])
Substitute ( JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.weather_icons” );
[ “\”” ; “” ]; [“[“;””]; [“]”;””])
Temperature = If(
temp_letter=”C”;JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.temperature” );
CelsToFahr ( JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.temperature” ) ))
FeelsLike = If(
temp_letter=”C”;JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.feelslike” );
CelsToFahr ( JSONGetElement (Settings::JSON ; “current.feelslike” ) )) Number
Step 5. Test and Run your Script
Now that everything is in place, be sure to enter the city you would like to get the weather for. Then run your SET JSON script and it will call and parse your data.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
From the WeatherStack webpage, you can view the API documentation https://weatherstack.com/documentation, this documentation for this demo, however, if you would like to further your skills. You may find this page very insightful.
Good Luck!!
Finding that perfect match can make any database more appealing and help provide visual clues to make content and use more effective. Below are some suggestions on how to choose an effective color scheme.
Color scheme selection, much like brand marketing is an important part of business industry and brand. To better understand what colors work well together you’ll need to revisit color theory history.
When choosing a color scheme. Try to focus on the client’s industry and make sure the color scheme is in line with the company logo and maintaining the brand’s consistency as well as staying true to the industry’s feel.
Visit the Adobe Color Theme Library.
As you might have learned, I started out as a Fine Arts major. Computers were new, I had only taken one computer class. But after getting my first real job as a paste-up artist for the PennySaver. I changed my major to a Graphic Artist. I worked on my first Mac in 1990, the computer department was all men.
Since then I have worked for many companies. I have worked under Women managers and Men managers. If you were to ask me which ones were better managers I would most likely tell you that I have worked for just as many good men managers as I have good woman managers and vice versa.
So what is my reasoning for pointing out I am a woman-owned and operated company? Well this month I attended the 2016 FileMaker DevCon, (a conference for FileMaker developers and companies using FileMaker Pro for their business.) Each year they have a Woman of FileMaker luncheon, which sadly I missed.
But I can tell you that as I was reading the program, I thought to myself why is there a luncheon for women?! Well first, I learned that Women of FileMaker makes up only 20% of all FileMaker Pro developers. I have never considered myself different, but I have been thinking for some time I am the best looking woman in the room. (Most likely because I am usually the only woman in the room).
But seriously, when I thought about it why are there so few women when some of the most important skills of being a FileMaker pro developer women excel in: Organization, Memory, Multitasking, Communication, Collaboration.
During my 2016 FileMaker DevCon I attended one Of Jonathan Stark Filemaker presentations, I landed there on accident only to learn it was one of the best things about this year’s developer conference for me personally. Jonathan spoke about business strategies and how to differentiate yourself in a pool of others who do exactly what you do.
His advice was to present yourself for what makes you different and although I struggled with the idea. I have decided I am different. I am a woman, and a FileMaker Pro developer.
Choosing a developer can be difficult, but being prepared and asking the right question before getting started can ease your stress and create a long-lasting prosperous relationship for both parties.
Looking to hire a Filemaker developer in Orange County, CA? Call today and we would be happy to discuss your needs for updating or creating the Filemaker solution best for your project.
Looking to Hire a FileMaker Developer? Call today: 949-689-8915
www.filemakerproexpert.com
Dynamic Business Solutions provides the expertise you need to build, modify and manage a professional custom FileMaker database solution. Our developers are vetted members of the FileMaker Business Alliance (FBA).
By hiring a vetted FileMaker development company you are assured to save time and money. Clients will find database deploy is faster since FileMaker developers have the right expertise for your unique needs.
Dynamic Business Solutions has quality FileMaker developers who can meet with key member of you staff to determine your FileMaker database needs. We offers quality custom FileMaker development. You will find our staff has all the right tools in making your project a success. We offer products that are so simple to use they require little to no training. When quoting new projects we offer our clients a formal proposal outlining the reason for building your database and how your new custom FileMaker database will meet your requirement. Your proposal will also clearly define each project phase and number of hours and proposed time from in which each phase will be completed. We promise to stay within budget and on schedule.
At Dynamic Business Solutions, we pride ourselves in custom FileMaker development which meets all of your unique needs while remaining user friendly. After a quick installation, it is only a matter of minutes before your entire team is connected and ready to work. Setup is this easy because FileMaker works over your already existing network to link all employees quickly and efficiently. From there, our simple to follow instructions will walk you and your team through every step of the program, ensuring that your business will be confidently employing this exciting new tool in no time.
We understand that all members of your staff are invaluable. We also understand that within a company there are varying levels of competency with computers and software. That is why we, at Dynamic Business Solutions, have designed quality custom FileMaker development which is accessible to all skill levels without sacrificing the complexity you require in a product to get the job done right.
Visit our products page and contact us at www.filemakerproexpert.com to learn more about how our FileMaker Developers can improve the way you do business.
Looking for a Custom FileMaker Database? Call today: 949-689-8915
My entire life all I ever wanted to be was a graphic designer like my mom. As a kid I attended art classes 3 days a week at a local community center. When I reached high school I enrolled in both ceramic and advanced art. Both my art teacher and ceramic teacher were very supportive, and received several awards for my work.
In 1988, I left home in my senior year. When school ended I got my first real job as a paste up artist for the Pennysaver, graveyard shift. I made lots of friends and was promoted, to a typesetter in my first year. I had little to no experience on a computer. The typesetting department at the Pennysaver, included five computers called Advantage. The Advantage computer had no hard drive and the disks were the size of a frisbee. The screen was green and allowed only text no objects. The Advantage computer were phased out and replaced with Macintosh Computers.
Before the Pennysaver, I had little to no computer experience. In fact my only experience was one summer when my mom insisted I take a computer class during the summer. That summer while all of my friends were enjoying the warm sun at the beach, I was stuck in a computer room with a couple of geeks.
I left the Pennysaver in 1990 to work as an graphic artist for a local newspaper called “The Daily Sun Post” I was hired to help install and implement the Apple computers “Macs” that were ordered but never used. The manager of the art department used an old system called Compugraphics. The Compugraphics system was large to say the least, and even less sophisticated than the Advantage computers. The Compugraphic system was step backwards though time, unlike the Apple computers you did not see what your text would look like until the data processed and developed. The system had limited fonts and were loaded into a giant refrigerator sized machine.
Eventually, the Sun Post implemented the Macs and it made life so much easier. Everything was going smoothly until the Daily Sun Post was taken over by the “Preview Magazine” . I was let go, and for the first time I was on my own without work.
During my job hunt, I ran into a friend from the Pennysaver at Kinkos. He was in charge of the special services department and got me a job working with him. The department was a small kiosk inside of the Kinkos store. We worked opposite schedules and shared a single Mac SC Plus, the screen was about 5 inches in size. At Kinkos we designed brochures, flyers, menus and resumes.
In 1991 I also purchased my first computer, a Macintosh Preforma, and started doing freelance projects on the side. I had left Kinko’s, looking for a career job, only to take a job that did not work out. Only to take another job I hated.
In December of 1994, I finally landed a career job working as a graphic artist for PacifiCare/Secure Horizons. Our department was a new department and started in a small storage area. As the work started, so did the paperwork. Our department quickly learned that we needed some way of tracking projects schedules and approvals. My manager at the time had already found a software product called FileMaker Pro, but none of us knew much about it. I can not say that it came to me instantly. But I can tell you that I was intrigued by the product. Mostly because by nature I am lazy, I hate doing the same thing over and over again and once I found out that FileMaker can help me be more proficient we became fast friends.
My boss at the time was very supportive, and liked that I had taken an interest. However, as our department grew so did our needs. And our home grown FileMaker database became like the Winchester mystery house, a yarn mess, databases and fields that were not being used were abandoned for new development. So we hired a professional FileMaker database consulting company, who built us a custom database solution.
Once the database was built and we began to us it, every once in a while we would run across something not working the way it was intended. With my limited FileMaker experience, I became the Filemaker Pro liaison. Working with the developer quickly opened my eyes to what FileMaker was capable of and how the database was structured.
My department continued to grow and our once small graphics department split into two departments, Creative Service and Production. Production was in charge of trafficking and approvals, printing of marketing products and fulfillment. I found myself in a difficult position, but left the Creative Services side and went to work for the production department. I enjoyed working with the database and had even learned how to make the database available to the internet using custom web publishing.
In 1998 I was recruited by a PacifiCare manager, who left PacifiCare to work for Ingram Micro. The position was written with me in mind. I was excited to work for an international company like Ingram Micro and although I thought I had found my career job I accepted an offer working for Ingram Micro as a Production Coordinator. The position was almost identical to my previous position but on a much larger scale. Part of my position was to build a FileMaker database for the production department, which would also require me to integrate with our oracle financial system. By 1999 the company had a major layoff and due to duplication and I was let go. I was disappointed, but had received a nice severance.
Again, I found myself floating around. I picked up work for a creative temp service and later got a job working for an Advertising Agency as the Studio Manager. I had had always thought that working for an Advertising Agency would be so great, I was crushed to learn how wrong I was, the company was extremely unorganized, so I built a FileMaker database to keep track of project approvals and print schedules only to learn the creative director did not much care for deadlines and the product manager was angry I had hired, outside help at a lower rate than her friend who she was employing on the side. The companies problems, were much deeper than I wanted to be a part of and decided to give notice after only working there for three months.
FileMaker 7 was about to hit the market and it was the beginning of the e-commerce boom. I called everyone I knew and told them I was looking for work, and I had given my employer two weeks notice. I never taken such a desperate leap of faith, but I still had my severance pay from Ingram Micro and within a short amount of time a friends called and asked if I had experience as print buyer. As a production coordinator for Ingram Micro, I had some experience.
Sage Software was ready to hire me on the spot, but with my previous fails I was not ready to run into the fire. Sage graciously hired me as a temporary employee, giving both Sage and myself the opportuity to see if the new position would be a good fit.
Eventually, I accepted Sage’s offer. I enjoyed working as a print buyer, I found the work rewarding and enjoyed the people I worked with. I built a FileMaker database to help organize daily activities in the production departments. However after 2 years later, I was let go again. After the Y2K bug in 2001 and the e-commerance bubble, the market become very difficult to find work.
I had gone to many successful interviews, one that I was very excited about and felt is was a sure thing, only to meet with the art director who look at may resume and said I don’t want to hire you for this position, but this FileMaker thing is interesting…I was not interested in being hired as a FileMaker developer, I was so angry after leaving the interview. I went home and removed FileMaker as a skill off my resume.
I continued to interview, with little to no success I became frustrated, only to contact a FileMaker developer friend who I helped get hired at Sage Software and asked “How do I become a FileMaker developer?” his response was, “Kitty you would be great at this.” My reply was “So why don’t you hire me?”
And the rest is history.
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