Errata for FileMaker Pro 12: The Missing Manual

The text accompanying Figure 3-3 states "manage the fields you're creating, and change the design of your data screen (page 71)." There is nothing pertaining to this on Page 71.

Note from the Author or Editor:
All page references will be fixed in the second printing.

The Note says that there are sample PDFs for download from the Missing CD pager at www.missingmanuals.com/cds/fmp12mm. This is not true as there are no PDFs available for download there.

Note from the Author or Editor:
An update will be posted shortly.

The Figure and all subsequent text describe changes the reader is supposed to make to the Sample file from www.missingmanuals.com/cds/fmp12mm, however the figures and text are not at all like the sample file provided. This makes it very difficult to follow along learning these fundamental concepts and skills. It seems that ALL of the sample files do not match the book very well at all. I have received updated files for Chapter 14, have all of the files been updated and not published?

Note from the Author or Editor:
Thanks. We'll review the example file in question.

This exercise takes the reader through the process of inserting a picture (Logo) into the header of a FileMaker layout, however, in the sample file all of these steps have already ben performed and the Logo is already inserted into the proper place depriving the reader of the opportunity to follow along and properly complete the exercise. In previous sample file downloads it seems the was always a START file and a FINISHED file. The file provided here appears to be a "somewhere between START and FINISHED with much of the practice work already done. I think the entirety of the sample files for this book needs to be reviewed to ensure the proper files are provided. The sample files appear to have changed since they were originally published as I found a complete CD download that I downloaded shortly after the book was published that has many more files than the one currently on the web site, but still with omissions or other discrepancies. The earlier file for example seems to have .PDF files and .PNG files that are not present in the current download.

Note from the Author or Editor:
We'll review the example files and revise as appropriate.

The last sentence in this paragraph says to use the "Space" button shown in Figure 3-17, but no "Space" button is evident in Figure 3-17.

Note from the Author or Editor:
Please change the reference from Figure 3-17 to Figure 3-18.

Arguably one of the most important aspects of working with FileMaker is to understand "context" ... what it means, where it is important, when it is applicable, how to change it, etc. The MM tries in multiple places to use (and quickly describe) this term while explaining some specific FileMaker concept, but as an experienced developer I find the recurring explanations at best misleading, at worst confusing, and sometimes inconsistent. Adding to the confusion is a lack of a specific definition accepted by everyone about the exact meaning of context in a database sense, which increases the importance of the MM using its own definition in a consistent and clear manner. Certainly context includes the "where" aspect (the active layout you are looking at or which the script has switched to) which in turn determines the specific Table Occurrence associated with that layout, which in turn determines what information is accessible to you through the Relationship Graph. This is the base level which every FileMaker developer must understand. If that's ALL you identify with "context" then it is critical to never confuse the reader by talking about a "Found Set" as if it were part of the context too. Or if you DO include the Current Found Set as part of your context, THEN you have to consistently include "which Window" is active in talking about context because the Found Set is unique to a Window and Layout combination (two windows can be looking at the same Layout but have different Found Sets). Too often I found the wording in the MM uncomfortable in seemingly implying that the Found Set was determined solely by knowing what the current Layout was. In the mentions of context in MM I only saw once the current Window mentioned as important to the Found Set, while MANY mentions of the Found Set seemed to say it was determined by the current Layout (without mentioning the Window dependency as well). Granted, in many solutions it is rare to have two windows open but it's crucial not to mislead the reader by oversimplifying how the Found Set is determined by Window and Layout (the latter determiningTable Occurrence). Then there are the subtleties of Sort-Order and whether you consider that is part of your current context (I don't). But because sort order is included so often in the MM when talking about Found Set, the reader can easily be mislead into thinking Sort Order is part of context if they didn't clearly understand whether Found Set was part of context (which it is, if you think about the general meaning of the word context outside the database world, meaning everything that affects what can happen next). It might help if the MM defined "context" in some more general sense important to database developers before moving to the Filemaker-specific concepts that explicitly determine context. My recommendation would be to put a full definition of context somewhere in the book, with repetitive references to that master definition when giving specific examples throughout the book. Because of the term's importance to FileMaker, I think there should be several pages devoted to this subject, with clarifying examples, perhaps in an appendix (because a new reader may not have the vocabulary or the concepts to fully understand the explanation if it occurred early in the book). This would allow short summaries to be embedded as necessary in various chapters, but still allow the reader to read the full explanation anytime they start to lose the full meaning of the word in a FileMaker sense. For that reason, the appendix would be most useful if it had back-pointers to the sections of the Missing Manual that best explain the crucial terms used in its own definition such as Table Occurrence, Layout, etc.

Note from the Author or Editor:
Thanks. We'll take your critique under advisement.

The the steps in this exercise have already been completed in the sample file downloaded from www.missingmanuals.com/cds/fmp12mm. This is confusing to the reader who is trying to follow along with the book and the opportunity to DO the exercise is lost. It appears that the Sample files available for download need a complete review.

Note from the Author or Editor:
We'll review the sample files and revise as appropriate.

This WARNING box states that the reader should "See the box on page 292 to learn how calculations can control these people's urge to get around the system." There is a box on page 292, but it does not address any sort of calculation for this VERY important issue.

Note from the Author or Editor:
All page references will be corrected in the second printing.

Paragraph says to go to the chapter's example file "CH08 People.fmp12" and go to the "Number Formatting layout". There is no "Number Formatting layout" in the example file.

Note from the Author or Editor:
Under the Number Formatting heading please change the first sentence to read: In this chapter’s example file, CH08 People.fmp12, go to the Data Formatting layout, select the Number Field and turn your attention to the Data Formatting section on the Inspector’s Data tab.

This entire exercise is meant to be completed by the reader. However, in the sample file downloaded from www.missingmanuals.com/cds/fmp12mm the entire exercise is already completed. It appears from this and previous errata submissions that a complete review of the sample files compared to the text is needed. It is extremely useful for the reader to actually compete the exercises, but they cannot if the samples already have them in completed for. ALL samples should include START and FINISHED files.

Note from the Author or Editor:
We'll review the example files and revise as appropriate.

This figure does not match the Sample START file as downloaded from www.missingmanuals.com/cds/fmp12mm. The book and Sample Files continue to not match. Please fix this.

Note from the Author or Editor:
We'll review the example files and revise as appropriate.

The Note says that the file SW Zip Codes.fmp12 is included on the Missing CD available at www.missingmanuals.com/cds/fmp12mm. But as far as I can see that file is not there at all. Also, the files for Chapter 14 are not at all similar to what is described throughout the chapter. I found that I had to use the Chapter 17 files instead. On page 565 in the Note at the bottom of the page it says to use the files Invoices START.fmp12 and Invoices FINISHED.fmp12, but the only file in the Chapter 14 section of the Missing CD is Ch14_Invoices.fmp12. This is all very confusing.

Note from the Author or Editor:
Zip Code file is still missing at this writing. I've again submitted all three files: the Invoices START, Invoices FINISHED and SW Zip file. They should be uploaded soon.