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Frequently Asked Questions

Newcomers to GitHub may feel a little confused or overwehlmed by the release, code download, clone and other forking possibilities available, so here is a little help

First up: what's a repository?

A repository is basically just a place where code is stored - in this case on GitHub. The fmWorkMate repository, for example, is here: https://github.com/mrwatson-de/fmworkmate

The complicated bit, is that there are several ways to 'get' the code, depending on exactly what you want to get - or to give!

How do I best download MrWatson’s tools from GitHub?

First of all browse to the tool’s repository.

  • If you are still looking for the repositories, you'll find what you are looking for in the repository list

If you are wanting to just download and use a tool

  • Download the latest Release:
    • Releases > Latest Release > Download zip
  • The main benefit of the release-zip is that it contains the (pretty) mac file icons

If the repository has no releases or if you want to use the very latest development version of the tool

  • Download the latest zip-file on the green Code button
    • Code > Download ZIP

On the other hand, if you want to join in helping develop the code...

How can I help?

You can help MrWatson help us all to have better tools!

  • ▶️ Use the tools
  • 📣 Shout about it!
    • Share / promote the tools
    • Share your experiences and enthusiasm
      • with your friends, colleagues, boss, other FileMaker developers, with Claris even!
    • Share IRL / on social media / on twitter / on TV (:D)
  • 🗣 Join the discussion
  • 🚦Give feedback
    • On the repository's issues tab you can post bugs, ideas, wishes and questions
    • Drop me a line
  • 📖 Help document
    • If you have used a tool successfully, please feel free to submit documentation or publish a screen video
    • If you are good at writing documentation, please do!
  • 📲 Contribute code
    • See below
  • 💰Donate funds
    • MrWatson's tools are free
    • The tools are however not without development and running costs
    • So, every donation is extremly welcome, and fantastic for morale! :D
    • Donate here
  • ⏱ Donate time

Using Git / GitHub Desktop to contribute...

Need to clear up the best way of doing this, since FileMaker files and GitHub don't work great together.

Basically:

  • Create yourself a GitHub account, if you don't yet have one
  • Star &/ Watch your favourite repositories
  • Follow mrwatson-de
  • Then...

If you want to experiment with the code, or test out using GitHub

  • Fork the repo to your own GitHub account (for yourself)
  • Clone your repo to your computer
  • Play around

If you have FileMaker code to contribute...

  • Let me know what you have added / changed
  • We'll review the changes and work out the best way to integrate them into the master database.

If you have documentation to contribute, you can use Git / Github to clone a repository to your local machine

Cloning a repository to your computer

Do this if you want to contribute changes back to the project.

  • Clone the repository to your computer
    • I use
      • the GitHub Desktop app in order to get a pleasant GUI and make it easier
      • a folder in my documents folder, where I put all my GitHub projects ~/Documents/Git/<repositoryname>
    • If you are using the git command line, good luck!

Note: Since FileMaker files change every time you open them:

  • I tend to copy the FileMaker file(s) to another directory before opening them
  • I only copy them back to the repo folder if I have really changed them and want to synchronise the changes back to GitHub
  • Like that you avoid commiting the FileMaker file back to the repo when no code has actually changed
  • Make changes
  • Copy the FileMaker files back to the repo folder
  • Make a Pull Request

We'll see how it goes from there! 😉

MrWatson

Where can I get more help (with using the tools)?

I'm always extremely busy with work, family and life in gerneral and thus notoriously bad at checking mails within any reasonable time frame, so if you need help you may be able to find what you need under one of the following:

Me: