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fmCheckMate Layout Analysis

The fmCheckMate Layout Analysis tool is the world's most powerful tool for finding errors in your layouts - and the fastest!





How to analyse a layout


1. First just copy all the layout objects you want to analyse

2. With fmCheckMate convert the objects to XML

3. Press the [T]ransform button, search for the "Analyse Layout" function in the XSLT Chooser and select it (click on name / press return).

You'll be amazed at the results!


How to deal with the results


fmCheckMate displays the results as a list of analyses titles and warning or errors.


If you see a big green OK message at the bottom you are good to go! (The blue entries are just the titles of the performed analyses)

If, on the other hand, you get red errors or orange warnings, you need to locate the problems and deal with them:

Finding the troubled objects


Many objects can be found by looking at the (rather horribly coloured) green square on the right. The red boy indicates the position.

If you change to the detailed view by clicking the green box, you press the picture button to see the layout, so you can visually identify the location:

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Ever since FileMaker introduced hierarchical objects like tab controls, sliders and particularly popovers it has become a challenge to FIND a particular object - the coordinates alone do not necessarily help, thus fmCheckMate also shows the hierarchy of objects.


Use the object hierarchy list to see where the objects are you need to click to get down to the erroneous object. (Have fun ;-) ! )





Tick off the entries as you fix them


You can use the list as a to do list, ticking the problems off as you solve them.


Just click on the round red / orange status symbol on the left to mark an entry as completed and omit it from the list.


To remove a whole section hold [ALT] and click on the blue title symbol.


Keep going till you get the big green OK message :-)





Power tips


•   To analyse a new layout, you can skip going back to the main fmCheckMate view and after copying the layout objects just press the [Reanalyse Clipboard] button.


•   If you are analysing LOTS of layouts you should use fmCheckMate's Analysis mode, which automatically opens the XSLT Chooser showing only analyses as soon as you convert to xml.
•   You can put fmCheckMate into Analyser mode by returning to the start page and clicking the (i) button, or choosing settings from the menu - or pressing CMD+9 and selecting [Analyser]
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