The word 'Update' typed on a piece of paper in an old typewriter.

FileMaker 19.3 Update

Anthony Lambert

July 1, 2021

Claris has released FileMaker 19.3, an update that applies to both its FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server software. This post highlights the features added, the items changed and the bugs fixed.

On June 23, 2021 Claris announced the release of the latest version of its software platform: FileMaker 19.3. The FileMaker 19.3 update adds a large number of new features, changes some functionality and fixes a number of bugs. Every way in which you use your FileMaker apps – desktop, mobile device, web, cloud – has been enhanced in this release.

I have summarized the highlights below, but please read the full release notes for FileMaker Pro 19.3 and FileMaker Server 19.3 if you wish to obtain more information.

Highlights of FileMaker 19.3 Update

Features Added

  • (Pro/macOS) FileMaker Pro can now run on Apple Silicon, as well as Intel-based Macs.
  • (Pro/Windows) FileMaker Pro now uses the Microsoft Edge (Chromium) engine rather than the Internet Explorer one.
  • (Pro) There is a new function – GetModelAttributes – that returns metadata about a machine learning model that is currently loaded.
  • (Server) FileMaker Server now runs on Ubuntu Linux.
  • (Server) A new Logs tab in the Server Admin Console provides access to viewing and downloading FileMaker Server logs.
  • (Server) The Web Publishing Engine now uses thread-safe concurrent collections, making it more robust.

Changes Made

  • (Pro/Windows) Web viewers provide better support for web standards.
  • (Pro/Windows) PDF files in interactive container fields now display using the Microsoft Edge engine. A web browser plug-in is no longer required.
  • (Pro/macOS) The FileMaker Pro quick start experience for creating custom apps has been enhanced.
  • (Pro) A number of functions – including the JSON functions, GetAddonInfo and Get(SystemPlatform) – have been enhanced.
  • (Server) New FileMaker Admin API calls allow more functions to be performed without having to access the Admin Console or the command line interface.
  • (WebDirect) Card windows in FileMaker WebDirect now display more efficiently because they use cached cascading style sheets.
  • (Server/Pro) Open-source libraries have been updated to take account of fixes to security vulnerabilities in those libraries.
Computer code on a computer screen.

Computer code on a computer screen. Photo by Chris Ried/Unsplash. Photo of the word ‘Update’ on a typewriter at top of page by Markus Winkler/Unsplash.

Bugs Fixed

  • (Pro) Under some circumstances a file increased greatly in size when the ExecuteSQL function was used repeatedly; this has been fixed.
  • (Cloud) If an attempt, lasting hours, at loading a large file to FileMaker Cloud failed and FileMaker Pro had to be force quit, the file could not be accessed by FileMaker Pro; this has been fixed.
  • (Pro/macOS) Checkbox and radio button sets did not display the correct conditional formatting after the field value changed; this has been fixed.
  • (Windows) In the functions list available in the Edit Custom Function dialog box, three functions – FindPersistentData, GetPersistentData and SetPersistentData – appeared but did not work and could cause FileMaker Pro to quit unexpectedly; these functions have been removed.

How to Get the FileMaker 19.3 Update

You can download an installer for FileMaker Pro from the Claris downloads page, or you can update FileMaker Pro directly by selecting ‘Check for Updates…’ from the FileMaker Pro Help menu.

You can download an installer for FileMaker Server from your Electronic Software Download (ESD) page, or you can log in to your Claris Customer Console and download it from there.

If you need any help with a FileMaker update, please contact us.