Trying to make friends with the Script Workspace

[AHunter3 7,332]

I can readily see the intended improvement, don't get me wrong:  that one can just start typing and have the appropriate script steps, with their options, fill in as you go.  But I can't seem to get the process working for me.  

 

• When I'm editing an existing script, I can't figure out the Magic Keystroke to let me just start typing something between steps.  The only way I can figure out how to place something between steps is to type it in the "Search" field at the right, then once it appears in the list below, to double-click it.  

 

• The same problem occurs if I invoke If / End If or Loop / End Loop.  Obviously I'm going to be inserting some steps in between but once again I don't see an obvious way to do so without using the freaking mouse and the Search field.

 

• When I type a Set Field script step, the spacebar still lets me pick the field I'm setting, but Ctrl-Option-spacebar no longer pops up the dialog into which to type what I want to set it to, nor can I figure out what new and improved keystroke does so.

 

I really wish FileMaker Inc would quit mucking with the scripting environment unless they're going to support "classic mode" so that people who are already proficient in that arena don't have to relearn it.  Several times I've had to regain the ability to touch-type the ScriptMaker  umm Manage Scripts'er umm Script Workspace.  This time despite the apparent intention to make it more friendly to freehand typing I feel more pushed towards the mouse than ever.  I ignored it for a long time, just continuing to use version 13, but now server versions won't allow connections from software so ancient.  So how the hell do you edit scripts in FmPro 14-17 from just the keyboard?

[Steve Martino 15]

I hear ya!

For me it's always trial and terror.  It doesn't appear to be consistent when it comes to using Tab, Enter or Return, the space bar or the arrows to move/pop up dialogues.

Seems like (usually) if I'm on the script step, I tab through the dialog until I get to the *, then the space bar opens up the dialog.

I don't understand what you mean by "...just start typing something between steps...".  

I also noticed that if you don't put in spaces after a (, for example, it won't auto enter the Table//field, or other steps, i.e.

isempty(typing a field name doesn't work

But

Isempty ( typing here will start the auto-enter 

Which makes sense, I just prefer removing all the spaces, and if I do, then if I have to edit that part, I have to put the space back in, or go to the mouse.

Also on the other forum I reported a bug about if you try to use keyboard commands (Windows only) to paste a calculation into an edit box that contains returns (pilcrows), you only get what's up to the pilcrow, not the entire calculation.

https://community.filemaker.com/thread/189707

[AHunter3 7,332]

I don't understand what you mean by "...just start typing something between steps...".  

 

Let's say you were editing this script:

 

Go to Layout [Layout #1]

Enter Find Mode

Set Field [Table::Field One; "some value"]

Perform Find

 

... and that you wanted to insert a "Set Error Capture [On]" before the Perform Find.  In the pre-FileMaker 14 scripting environment, you could arrow-key down to the Set Field script step, tab twice (first tab put you into the script title, second tab moves the focus to the list of script steps on the left), rapidly type "Set Err", then Ctrl-spacebar to insert the script step into the script, where it would appear between Set Field and Perform Find.

 

How do you do the equivalent of that in the modern Script Workspace?

 

What I end up doing is reaching for the mouse, clicking on "Set Field" within the existing script, clicking into the Search field at upper right, typing "Set", reaching for the mouse again and clicking "Set Error Capture", then either hitting Return to insert it or (since I have the bloody mouse in my hand anyway) just double-clicking it.

 

I keep thinking there's some mystical keystroke that lets you do the equiv of arrow-keying up and down through the active script and (more importantly) a keystroke that lets you begin typing a script step between existing script steps in an already-existing script the same way you can just start typing script steps when you start off with a blank new script.  But I can't find the technique, or haven't by trial and error so far.  

[Steve Martino 15]

I do understand you can't move from the search box to the active script you are editing, and back.  But in the script I can arrow to the Set Field, hit return, gives me a new line and start typing the script step

I can also from the search box of script steps, type in there, arrow down to the script step, hit enter and it enters it below the highlighted script step.  I just can't get back to the search box without a mouse click.

[AHunter3 7,332]

Somehow using the return key in that context never occurred to me.  Yeah that works.  Doesn't fix everything but it fixes my greatest annoyance.

[Josh Ormond 1,201]

Shift-enter will also add a line before the current line.

• Shift-enter
• Type "sec" ( will match Set Error Capture )
• Then either tab to the option and hit space bar, or hit +. To access the options for that script step.

Calculations also follow that type-ahead match on the capital letters.

[AHunter3 7,332]

How the heck did you discover that?

[Josh Ormond 1,201]

I think they had shown it in one of the product release webinars. The + thing is in the shortcuts list. The return thing came from the webinar, I'm sure.

[AHunter3 7,332]

Mostly I meant things like SEC = Set Error Capture.  I never would have discovered that by trial and error.

[Josh Ormond 1,201]

That one was definitely from the original webinar. Calcs works the same way. 

You can control it in Custom Functions also. First letters of words and capitals if I recall correctly.