New features in FileMaker Pro 16
FileMaker Pro 16 includes the following new features and improvements.
Improved layout object editing
Improved usability
•Windows: All document windows are now independent of one another, all can be positioned in any available monitor, and each window has its own menu bar.
•Enhanced Specify Calculation dialog box – For information about a function, click an item in the functions pane, then click
. See
Specify Calculation dialog box.
•Accessing plug-in features – You can use external script steps provided by a plug-in to access the features of the plug-in. See
Creating custom plug-ins.
•Copying and pasting value lists – You can now use standard keyboard shortcuts to copy a value list and paste it into another FileMaker Pro file. See
Defining value lists.
Support for JSON data
•JSON parsing, character encoding, and cryptographic functions – You can use these functions to process and encrypt JSON data exchanged with other data sources, such as web services that have REST APIs. See
Working with the JSON functions.
Enhanced security
•Interactive lock icons – When you open a shared file, click the lock icon to view encryption information about your connection to the host. See
About the security lock icons.
Script steps
New script steps
Changed script steps
•AVPlayer Set Options now allows you to change the zoom setting for the video and volume settings for the audio. AVPlayer Play and AVPlayer Set Options now provide Embedded Only as an additional option for displaying the media. See
AVPlayer Play script step and
AVPlayer Set Options script step.
•Go To Layout now allows you to specify the animation to use for switching to the new layout in FileMaker Go. See
Go to Layout script step.
•New Window now allows you create a card, a window that is modal to its parent window. See
New Window script step.
•Print now allows you to create PDFs in web browsers with FileMaker WebDirect. See
Print script step.
Removed script steps
•The Set Allowed Orientations script step has been removed.
Functions
New functions
•CryptAuthCode – Returns a binary HMAC (keyed-hash message authentication code) using the specified cryptographic hash algorithm. See
CryptAuthCode function.
•CryptDecrypt – Decrypts container data with the specified key and returns text or container data. See
CryptDecrypt function.
•CryptDecryptBase64 – Decrypts Base64-encoded text with the specified key and returns text or container data. See
CryptDecryptBase64 function.
•CryptDigest – Returns a binary hash value generated by the specified cryptographic hash algorithm. See
CryptDigest function.
•CryptEncrypt – Encrypts data with the specified key and returns container data. See
CryptEncrypt function.
•Get(AccountGroupName) – Returns the current account’s group name when the account authenticates via an external server or an OAuth identity provider. See
Get(AccountGroupName) function.
•HexDecode – Returns either container or text content from text encoded in hexadecimal format. See
HexDecode function.
•JSONDeleteElement – Deletes a JSON data element specified by an object name, an array index, or a path. See
JSONDeleteElement function.
•JSONGetElement – Queries JSON data for an element specified by an object name, an array index, or a path. See
JSONGetElement function.
•JSONListKeys – Lists the object names (keys) or array indexes in JSON data for an element specified by an object name, an array index, or a path. See
JSONListKeys function.
•JSONListValues – Lists the values in JSON data for an element specified by an object name, an array index, or a path. See
JSONListValues function.
•JSONSetElement – Adds or modifies an element in JSON data specified by an object name, an array index, or a path. See
JSONSetElement function.
•SortValues – Sorts a list of values based on the specified data type and locale. See
SortValues function.
•TextDecode – Returns text decoded from container data using the specified character encoding. See
TextDecode function.
•TextEncode – Returns a text file as container data from text using the specified character encoding and line endings. See
TextEncode function.
•UniqueValues – Returns unique values that are in a list based on the specified data type and locale. See
UniqueValues function.
Changed functions
•GetAVPlayerAttribute returns the following additional settings:
zoom,
pictureInPicture,
volume, and
externalPlayback. See
GetAVPlayerAttribute function.
•GetLayoutObjectAttribute – In Windows, the object coordinate measurement has changed. In previous versions of FileMaker Pro, the starting point was relative to the bottom-left corner of the FileMaker Pro menu bar (and toolbar, if present). It is now relative to the top-left corner of the primary display’s desktop area. See
GetLayoutObjectAttribute function.
Removed functions
•The External( ) function has been removed. To use functions or script steps provided by a plug-in, see
Creating custom plug-ins.
Note Plug-ins written for version 6.0 and earlier are no longer supported.
Changed and removed features
•Windows: The Launch Center now displays a menu bar. When the last document window is closed, FileMaker Pro quits unless the Launch Center or another window is open, or there is a hidden window.
•The zoom control area, which included the zoom controls, status toolbar control, and Mode pop-up menu, has been removed from the bottom left of the document window.
•To zoom in or out, use the View menu, keyboard shortcuts, or the Set Zoom Level script step. See
Setting the zoom level.
•The following layout themes have been removed from FileMaker Pro. Any layout created in a previous version of FileMaker Pro that uses a removed theme will continue to use that theme in FileMaker Pro 16 and will be displayed in the Change Theme dialog box. See
Changing the theme of a layout.
Family | Layout theme |
Condensed | Dark, Light |
Contrast | Black, Blue, Green, Red |
FileMaker Millennium | Cool Brown, Cool Gray, Cool Gray Touch, Warm Blue, Warm Bronze, Warm Green |
Glass | Onyx, Onyx Touch, Purple, Silver |
Rectangular | Bamboo, Ice, Pine, Shell, Stone |
Rounded | Cosmos, Desert, Forest, Ocean, Ocean Touch, Sky |
Semi-Rounded | Beach, Canyon, Meadow, Quarry, River, River Touch |
Specialty | Electric, Retro, Wave, Wave Touch |
FileMaker Pro 16 Advanced
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