Beezwax | LOgiCATOR

I'm interested!

LOgiCATOR is:

the modern, powerful yet intuitive search UI your FileMaker apps need
fully modular and easy to integrate
highly customizable
a pioneering example of a new way to add lightweight, modular functionality to FileMaker solutions
a great tool for learning how to use FileMaker card windows and JSON functions
totally free!

Features at a Glance

An intuitive interface based on familiar standards (think iTunes or Apple Mail)
Automatic field detection, field display-name creation, and rule-type determination simplify integration into your FileMaker apps
Access powerful Boolean logic without a math degree
Save and reuse searches
Restyle to match your solution’s look and feel

Locate Data with Logical Precision

LOgiCATOR builds on the immense power of FileMaker’s native Find mode, and wraps that power in a sleek and intuitive interface. Gone are wonkish operators and confusing find and omit requests, replaced by plain language prompts and options.

Fully Automatic Transmission

LOgiCATOR just works! It automatically detects searchable fields on the current layout, omitting global, summary, and unstored calculation fields. It then presents a menu of those fields for your user to search on, along with search operators tailored to each searchable field.

A field by any other name

The magic doesn’t end with automatic field detection. LOgiCATOR automatically creates user-friendly display names for the detected fields, so your user sees “Street Address” instead of “streetAddress” in the fields popup menu.

What’s your style (naming convention-wise, that is)? Camel case (“numberOfParts”)? Snake case (“CUSTOMER_NAME”)? Either way, LOgiCATOR is ready for you. Automatic display-name creation makes set-up a breeze.

Some developers use FileMaker’s field comment to store display names. Is that you? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered, too! If, on the other hand, you don’t use any of those conventions, or just want to override the automatic display name on a case-by-case basis, the display names can be fully customized.

One Tool to Rule All Rule Types

LOgiCATOR uses algorithms to automatically determine whether a field should be searched as, say, a text, number, or date field, each with its own, type-specific menu of search operators. Currency, Boolean, and rating rule types are also fully supported.

We’re Here to Help
...Your Users Search More Accurately

If a field is associated with a value list-based control (radio- button set or popup menu, for example) on your layout, that same value list will be used in LOgiCATOR, to ensure accurate search-value entry. LOgiCATOR also watches out for invalid ranges in number, currency, or date searches.

Take It to Another (Logical) Level

Extend or constrain the current found set, for even more precise searching.

A Memory Like an Elephant
(For Your Favorite Searches)

Save useful searches to run again and again. Name them however you like, then delete them when no longer needed.

Go from Zero to Search in 60 Seconds

60 seconds! That’s how long it takes to add LOgiCATOR to your FileMaker app. LOgiCATOR is a separate, fully self-contained FileMaker file. Your solution needs only a single external data source pointing to the LOgiCATOR module file, and 2 scripts. Thanks to automatic field detection, creation of user-friendly display names from your underlying field names, and automatic determination of their rules types, LOgiCATOR “just works.” When customization is needed, however, even that is designed to be easy.

DOWNLOAD LOgiCATOR

LOgiCATOR READ ME

LOgiCATOR Release Notes

(*Note: these two documents are also included with the download.)

Version History

Version 1.0 (2017-May-09): Preview Release included with first blog post.

Version 1.1 (2017-Oct-12): Official, integration-ready release.

Useful Links

Read more about LOgiCATOR and the technologies that made it possible in our blog series on:

Also, be sure to check out John Renfrew’s article on the Function-Separation Model:

The Function-Separation Model for FileMaker development

System Requirements

FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Pro Advanced 16, 17 or 18, on macOS or Windows.

License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The “About LOgiCATOR” window and layout, unmodified or minimally modified only to re-style buttons, including original credits and this unmodified copyright notice and license, shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software, and shall be accessible to end users from the main LOgiCATOR search-entry view via a menu command labeled “About LOgiCATOR” and/or a button on the layout labeled “About.”

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

The LOgiCATOR name, “Locate data with logical precision!” tag line, and reading-magnifier logo are trademarks of Beezwax Datatools, Inc. Beezwax is available on a consulting basis to help integrate LOgiCATOR into your FileMaker application.

Acknowledgements

Created by Mark Scott at Beezwax.

Thanks to the following who contributed and inspired:

Vincenzo Menanno, Beezwax’s director of FileMaker Development, for prodding me to abstract a mostly hard-coded search interface I had previously developed, for suggesting we gather as much information as possible from the user’s current layout, for insisting that it have a cool name, and, most importantly, for providing me the space to work on this; Julian Nadel, Beezwax president and founder, for supporting the effort (“Onward!”); Jay Gonzales at Beezwax, for ever-helpful guidance; Michael Cinkosky, Principal, Third Street Software, for long-ago but not forgotten discussions about what makes a great search interface; fellow bee, Lon Cook, for pointing out that keeping LOgiCATOR as a separate file would make integration much easier; John Renfrew of att.it{ude} for proposing the use of an on-timer trigger to eliminate the need for a file reference within LOgiCATOR (the “Function- Separation” model); and to all the beez for the daily inspiration to do excellent work.