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FMProKit - an easier way to communicate with FileMaker

FMProKit is a swift package that lets you easily communicate with a FileMaker database using both OData and FileMaker Data protocols

Overview

Thanks to FMProkit, it is possible to use:

• The basic CRUD (CRUD is an acronym that refers to the four functions that are considered necessary to implement a persistent storage application: create, read, update and delete.);
• Run scripts from the server itself;
• Retrieve the metadata;
• Call some custom query;
• And only for OData the possibility to modify the database schema.

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Index

• Concepts
  • Async/await
  • Generics
  • Codable
  • DocC
  • Error Handling
  • Testing
• How To Use
• Before you start

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Examples

• Fetch an entire table
• Create a new record
• Delete a record
• Edit a record
• Fetch data using a query
• Get metadata

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🔄 Async/await

This package uses modern and Swift built-in support async/await to run asynchronous and parallel code in a structured way. Asynchronous code can be suspended and resumed later, allowings your program continue to make progress on short-term operations like updating its UI while continuing to work on long-running operations like fetching data over the network or parsing files. Parallel code means multiple pieces of code run simultaneously, for example each core in a processor can run a different piece of code at the same time, completing different tasks.

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👥 Generics

Generic code enables you to write flexible, reusable functions and types that can work with any type. Generics are one of the most powerful features of Swift, and much of the Swift standard library is built with generic code, for example, Swift’s Array and Dictionary types are both generic collections. You can create an array that holds Int values, or an array that holds String values, or indeed an array for any other type that can be created in Swift. Similarly, you can create a dictionary to store values of any specified type, and there are no limitations on what that type can be.

In FMProKit this is foundamental to create a package completely detached from a particular data model allowing to work with any type and how many fields your projects need.

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💱 Codable

Codable is a type that can convert itself into and out of an external representation. Codable is a type alias for the Encodable and Decodable protocols. When you use Codable as a type or a generic constraint, it matches any type that conforms to both protocols.

We use Codable structures to extract data from JSON files and to convert yours data in JSON to send to FileMaker.

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📚 DocC

The DocC documentation compiler converts Markdown-based text into rich documentation for Swift and Objective-C projects, and displays it right in the Xcode documentation window.

We used it to explain for each method its parameters, what it does and what it returns, if it does. With DocC there is an entire structured documentation aviable for you already in the package without external links.

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⚠️ Error Handling

To better handle errors in our package, we implemented custom enumerations by extending the Error protocol.

These custom errors allow us to avoid crashes and appropriately handle all possible HTTP responses that the server returns. Thanks to this type of implementation when using the functions it will only be necessary to use a do catch block so as to avoid any blocking errors. Any server errors or incorrect requests will be shown in the console with related HTTP code.

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🧪 Testing

Our functions are designed to use FileMaker API in the most efficient and easiest way possible, reducing the error possibility. To achieve this goal we tested in many different ways almost every function.

Testing allows us to avoid crashes and handle an incredible variety of errors that will be shown to you in case something went wrong. This is a very long and complex process and requires time. Every feedback or crash report is fundamental to improving FMProKit.

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🗳 How To Use

• Xcode -> File -> Add Packages
• Insert this link https://github.com/CoderlyStudio/FMProKit
• Add an import FMProKit statement
• Initialize an OData or Data object

import FMProKit 

//YOUR CLASS/STRUCT/VIEW/CODE

//OData API init
let api:FMODataAPI = FMODataAPI(server: "serverName", database: "dbName", username: "username", password: "password")

//Data API init
let api:FMDataAPI = FMDataAPI(server: "serverName", database: "dbName", username: "username", password: "password")

• You're ready to use FileMaker API like a Pro! 😎

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Before You Start

In order to convert your objects to JSON and vice versa, they must conform to the Codable protocol.

Make sure that the fields in the database table are represented with the same name and type in your Swift structure/class. If there is an inconsistency between name and/or type, this will cause an encodeError or a decodeError, depending on the operation performed.

Watch out

If you use images within the FileMaker database, in Swift, the corresponding field must be of type Data.

Dates, instead, must be of type String in order to be used in Swift.

Remember that in order to use the OData protocol, it is necessary to grant permissions in FileMaker as follows:

• File -> Manage -> Security
• Advanced Settings -> Extended Privileges
• Look for fmodata and set privileges

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Examples

Remember: since they are asynchronous calls, they must always be used within Task or .task structures.

Let's see some examples of functions inside our kit.

Fetch an entire table

To fetch all the records from a table, use the code below:

Task {
   do {
       //OData API
       let list:[yourType] = try await api.getTable(table: "tableName")

       //Data API
       let list:[yourType] = try await api.getTable(table: "tableName")
       
   } catch {
       print(error)
   }
}

Create a new record

To create a new record, use the code below:

let object = YourObject()

Task {
   do {
       //OData API
       try await api.createRecord(table: "tableName", data: object)

       //Data API
      try await api.createRecord(table: "tableName", data: object)
      
   } catch {
       print(error)
   }
}

Delete a record

To delete a record, use the code below:

Task {
   do {
       //OData API
       try await api.deleteRecord(table: "tableName", id: "recordId")

       //Data API
       try await api.deleteRecord(table: "tableName", id: objectToDelete)
       
   } catch {
       print(error)
   }
}

Edit a record

To edit a record, use the code below:

let object = YourObject()
 
Task {
   do {
       //OData API
       try await api.editRecord(table: "tableName", id: "recordId", data: object)

       //Data API
       try await api.editRecord(table: "tableName", findData: objectToEdit, editData: object)
   
   } catch {
       print(error)
   }
}

Fetch data using a query

To fetch a record using a query, use the code below:

Task {
   do {
       //OData API
       try await api.getTable(table: "tableName", query: "query")

       //Data API
       try await api.getTable(table: "tableName", query: "query")
       
   } catch {
       print(error)
   }
}

Get metadata

To the metadata, use the code below:

Task {
   do {
       //OData API
       let metadata: Metadata = try await api.getMetadataAsData()

       //Data API
       let metadata: Data = try await api.getMetadataAsData()
   
   } catch {
       print(error)
   }
}

And this are just some of the possible functions it is possible to use thanks to FMProKit

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More to come... Stay Tuned! 😏