Y ou will see just how powerful and useful this tool is for development. Here we walk you through ho w to use the Network Link Conditioner with a couple of FileMaker example s and show you how it can slow things down for you. If you would like to see a real-life example of this being used, check out our YouTube video on this. To test locally, w e recommend installing FileMaker Server on another machine on your local network (LAN), and then use the tool to imitate any bad wide area networks between your computer and your local server. If you run a local file, the network tool settings will have no effect since opening a local file doesn't require the network in order to operate. Since the tool utilizes your computer's network connection to reduce the traffic speed, it's best to make sure that the hosted file is on a computer other than your own. Once the file is unzipped you’ll see the Network Link Conditioner see it in the File labeled “hardware ,” a nd then once you download the N etwork L ink C onditioner you will see find tool in your System P references. When you open it, it will be under the installer file “additional tools for Xcode ” as shown below. ) In order to download the tool, you will first need to download X code from A pple. The Network Link Condition er tool is co nsidered an add-on of Xcode available through the Apple Developer program ( see Apple Developer Tools. The Network Link Conditioner lets you test for all these scenarios. Or perhaps some of your users are running the app in FileMaker Go, and they may be accessing the file in areas with poor cellular or Wi-Fi coverag e. Ma ybe you or a client are traveling long distances, crossing continents while sharing data, or just having latency issues in general. This means that WAN network conditions also may not be ideal. This is common these days as m any clients have their FileMaker solution hosted i n the cloud, and often the connections to the cloud are not under not ideal conditions. When working in FileM aker and/or with FileMaker clients, there are many times you are working with customers in the wide-area network (WAN). As developers, we often have access to high-speed internet daily, but our customers o r users may not be quite so lucky. The key benefit of the Network Link Conditioner is that it lets you know how your FileMaker app will react on a variety of network speeds. įor our conversation here, we will be discussing the Network Link Conditioner for Macintosh. While thi s a Mac-only tool, there are li kely options available for Windows users as well.
Why is this a helpful tool for FileMaker developers? Whether you are an in - house developer or consultant hired to work for an out - of - state company, this is a great resource to have in your toolbo x.
The Network Link Condition er is a n etwork utility tool available via the Apple Developer program that allows you to spoof various network conditions for your FileMaker apps.