Making FileMaker Even Better
Online / Offline sync
Today’s customers expect that an app will continue to work well if their connection drops out for any reason. This is particularly true in certain industries such as construction or logistics where the user may not have a consistent signal. LiveCode for FM solves this problem by syncing data automatically whenever you have a connection.
How it works
If you’ve used Go or WebDirect you’ll know that FileMaker can pass data back and forth to your client solutions seamlessly, as long as you have an internet connection. Which is great. However, you don’t always have that connection, and even if you do, being always connected is quite demanding on the server and limits the users you can have at any one time.
LiveCode for FM creates apps which happily go on working even when there is no connection, by saving the data locally, and when it can get a connection again, syncing the data up to your server to save the data and check for anything new that has arrived while it was offline. No button to press, no interruption to the user, just a smooth sync experience once the connection comes back. Neat, right?
Full Control
Setting up your solution for sync is straightforward. You need to ensure each record includes a UUID, creation and modification time, then tell LiveCode for FM you want to sync. We include fine grained control, so you can choose what data you want synced and how often. Decide how often to check the server for updates or retry if there is a connection failure. You can even just add a button to sync on demand if that is what your app needs.
A Lighter Touch
Because the syncing is not always on, you will be putting fewer demands on the server. Your users only touch base when they need to, usually briefly. Fewer resources are needed, and more users can use the app at the same time.
Got Syncing Already?
LiveCode for FM compiles a faithful representation of your FileMaker solution, so if you have syncing already setup and want to continue to use it, it should continue to work. MirrorSync for example has been tested in LiveCode for FM.
