Sun Aug 9th | 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Gellert Rotunda
Track: Technical
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Fun with Button Bars and Other Fancy FileMaker Footwork
T-401 - Fun with Button Bars and Other Fancy FileMaker Footwork
Presented By
Ron Glen Cates
Ron Glen Cates
RGC Data LLC
Bowling Green, KY
Has every FileMaker conference started to feel like an AI conference with a little FileMaker mixed in? Before every problem needed an AI solution, FileMaker developers were building surprisingly sophisticated interfaces with nothing more than creativity and the features built right into the platform. Let's take a break and rediscover how much fun you can have with the tools that have been sitting in FileMaker all along.

FileMaker button bars can do much more than provide a row of static navigation buttons. In this beginner-to-intermediate session, we’ll build a dynamic navigation system from the ground up and explore how calculated labels, return-delimited lists, object names, conditional visibility, and layout variables can transform a button bar into a reusable interface component.

We’ll begin with a simple dynamic menu, then progressively add layout-driven configuration, multiple menu levels, and contextual navigation. Along the way, we’ll examine the importance of calculation context, object drawing order, and the creative use of local variables within layout objects.

Finally, we’ll look beyond navigation with a native FileMaker calendar built using button bars. This example demonstrates how the same core techniques can generate a monthly date grid, respond to calendar settings, and display related event information—without relying on a web viewer.

Attendees will leave with practical techniques and a new perspective on one of FileMaker’s most flexible layout tools.
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The Full Access 2026 Premium Experience

Price: + $600

  • Seamless Arrival: Custom pickup from SFO or the JRC upon your arrival.

  • 🍽️ Exclusive Luncheon: An invitation to join the production team for a pre-setup luncheon at a popular Los Altos restaurant at 11 AM on Wednesday, August 5.

  • 🎥 Behind the Scenes: Exclusive opportunity to hang out with the production team the night before the event (and even lend a hand if you want to see how the magic happens!).

  • 🏨 Extended Stay: One extra night at the JRC (August 5, 2026), including dinner that evening and breakfast the next morning.

  • 🍫 Special Delivery: A curated treat waiting for you in your sleeping room.

  • ✈️ Stress-Free Departure: Custom delivery back to SFO or the JRC when you’re ready to head home.

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