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bBox FileMaker external plug-in is a toolbox of functions freely available to all developers. Use it to extend the reach of your macOS or Linux hosted FileMaker solutions to programs, code libraries, or macOS or Linux functions that are normally outside your reach:

Python • JavaScript • PHP • AppleScript • Ruby • SQLite • XPath • Bash/sh

Offering dozens of powerful functions, bBox extends the reach of FileMaker’s existing commands, and adds completely new functionality. This makes it easier to get your projects done, and without the need for ugly workarounds to provide functionality that should be simple.

What functions does bBox provide?

  • run Python, JavaScript, AppleScript, PHP and Ruby scripts
  • execute shell scripts using sh or Bash, with the output returned as a function’s result
  • execute AppleScripts within a calculation, with parameters and the return value as the function’s result
  • execute Python or Ruby scripts directly without invoking shell
  • run FileMaker SQL queries from Python
  • curl HTTP Post, e.g. for SOAP calls
  • XPath evaluation, via libxml2
  • get or set raw clipboard (pasteboard) data
  • filter text through grep, the powerful pattern matching command
  • image file manipulation with GraphicsMagick or SIPS
  • get path type (file or directory), file size, creation, modification and last opened dates, and POSIX permissions
  • demo file with over 200 examples

What can I do with bBox?

  • run Python, JavaScript, AppleScript, PHP, Ruby and shell scripts
  • extract email addresses or phone numbers from text
  • check if a file is present
  • parse XML with XPath based queries
  • parse JSON data
  • quickly and easily use data in a SQLite3 database
  • present a dialog asking users to select a file or choose from a list of values
  • determine if a needed type of data is in the clipboard
  • execute a command requiring Admin authentication
  • get contents of IMAP mailbox
  • perform LDAP or dscl lookups
  • generate PDF files using xhtml2pdf or wkhtmltopdf
  • control SMTP email sending
  • use XlsxWriter to create Excel files with formatting and calcs
  • and more!