Database Reference
In-Depth Information
▪
Minimize the number of objects on the screen
. If necessary, break up busy layouts into
multiple, smaller layouts.
▪
Stick with simple themes
. Avoid gradients or image slices.
▪
Use a custom theme with shared styles
. If every field on your layout has one style to
rule them all, it takes only one snippet of CSS code to define them all.
The same applies to text elements (like labels) and buttons. Use styles as much as pos-
sible in place of individual formatting.
▪
Avoid the Format Painter
. The Format Painter doesn't use styles, so any objects it gen-
erates have unique definitions, which bloats the CSS code.
▪
Tab controls, slide controls, and popovers aren't your friends
. While these features
may be handy for your desktop users, these elements require extra communication with
FileMaker Server and can slow things down.
▪
Minimize the use of images
. Use FileMaker's tools to create simple buttons. Avoid pas-
ted icons or other frills.
▪ Use
script triggers, tooltips, and conditional formatting
sparingly.
These tips just scratch the surface of ways to optimize your database for FileMaker Go and
the Web. The FileMaker Pro Starter Solutions (
Moving and Resizing Fields
)
provide some
examples of layouts designed for WebDirect. Another free FileMaker template that addresses
WebDirect optimization can be found at
www.fmstartingpoint.com
.
Also, the WebDirect Development guide (
https://fmhelp.filemaker.com/docs/13/en/
fm13_webdirect_guide.pdf
) contains additional information for sharing your FileMaker 13
databases via WebDirect.
Creating a Good User Experience
Consider the ways most people use their mobile devices—they're often on the move as they
stare at their screens. So a layout that looks clean and uncluttered on a 1920 x 1200 monitor
becomes tiny and hard to control on the iPhone's 640 x 960 screen. (And that's the dimen-
sions for the newest iPhone. If your users are on pre-iPhone 5 models, they've got even few-
er pixels to focus on.) The carefully scripted email button that you lovingly placed beside the
Email field is perfectly acceptable for a user with a mouse. But try to tap that button with a
fingertip as you're rushing down the hallway frantically trying to send an email on the way
to a meeting. Because a finger is not a precise pointing device, it's hard to hit the button in-
stead of activating the field. If folks can't hit buttons to run scripts properly, it's more than a
