Can ChatGPT help me write FileMaker scripts?
Probably not new to you is that we can utilise ChatGPT to assist in writing complex FileMaker scripts. The tool allows you to describe your needs in natural language, and it will generate precise script code that can be used into FileMaker databases. This innovation significantly reduces the learning curve for new developers and boosts productivity for experienced users by (almost) automating the script-writing process.
Script steps in FileMaker are XML based
There is no simple cut-paste step to get ‘visible filemaker script code’ back into filemaker. This because FileMaker uses specific XML based language in the script engine. Give it a try, copy some script steps from one script to another, that will work, but copying these same steps to a simple text editor will not work. Nor the other way around. So let us first find a solution for this.
Free BaseElements plugin
To get Script data from or to you FileMaker Script there is luckily a free live saving FM Plugin call BaseElements. Download and install this plug in and now you can use below steps to exchange whole or partial scripts to and from the clipboard.
The “format” parameter above takes a specific FileMaker code to recognise the clipboard content. The following code should be used:
Now why is it important to also be able to Export XML?
Let us teach ChatGPT Filemaker’s XML
The first thing to understand is that ChatGPT can reply her results in any format you like. You can ask it to reply in JSON, HTML, in a Excelsheet or as XML… it is all up to you. So, we can ask for a reply in XML format. But a format is only a structure. Filemaker uses a library of XML nodes that is unique to FileMaker. Thus how do we go from here?
ChatGPT Assistants to the rescue
ChatGPT Assistants can handle files as source to base their response upon. Thus by uploading a large Filemaker XML syntax example set, we can teach ChatGPT how to respond in proper Filemaker XML syntax! A source file is quite simply made by exporting a (couple of) large example scripts from a Filemaker solution to a text (xml) file. The more different steps in this example script, the more library knowledge ChatGPT can take in.
Now we are almost there.
Upload you example library file and start asking questions
In a video blow I will show the result if we bind the above steps together.
Interested? Contact us.
The above is a hopefully a nice insight for fellow FileMaker developers. Loggix is continuously exploring the limits and possibilities of software that we can use to improve our knowledge and your business processes.