Sun Aug 9th | 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Gellert Rotunda
Track: Technical
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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.

In this session, we'll explore how a few native FileMaker features, combined with a little imagination, can produce interfaces that look and behave like custom applications—without plug-ins, JavaScript frameworks, or web technologies.

Using RGC Data's Native Calendar and Dynamic Modular Menu System as real-world examples, we'll take a deep dive into the surprisingly powerful capabilities of button bars and the techniques that make them shine. You'll see how a single feature can be pushed far beyond its intended purpose to create dynamic navigation, interactive calendars, modular menus, and reusable interface components.

Along the way, we'll explore calculations, conditional formatting, hide-object techniques, virtual lists, and other bits of "fancy FileMaker footwork" that help transform ordinary layouts into polished user experiences. The focus won't be on a single product or framework, but on the thought process behind making FileMaker do things people don't expect it to do.

Whether you're looking to modernize an existing solution or simply add a few new tricks to your developer toolbox, this session will remind you that some of the most magical things in FileMaker come from mastering the basics and thinking creatively about the tools you already have.

Come ready for practical examples, clever techniques, and a fresh appreciation for the native features that make FileMaker such a unique development platform. You might never look at a button bar the same way again.
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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.

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