Building a TypeScript SDK Wrapper for the FileMaker Data API

Expert

Design and publish a reusable TypeScript SDK that abstracts FileMaker Data API complexity, with typed schemas, fluent query builders, and tree-shakeable exports.

What you'll learn

How to design a fluent query builder for FM finds
How to generate TypeScript types from FM field definitions
How to implement cursor-based pagination in the SDK
How to structure the SDK for tree-shaking and minimal bundle size

An SDK wrapper lets application developers work with typed FileMaker records without knowing anything about the raw Data API. The SDK handles sessions, pagination, error translation, and type safety. A well-designed SDK is the foundation for every integration in your organization.

1/4

Fluent query builder

A fluent interface lets callers build find requests with method chaining. Each method returns the builder instance, and find() executes the request.

FileMaker Script

class QueryBuilder<T> {
  private criteria: Record<string, string>[] = [{}];
  private sortFields: Array<{ fieldName: string; sortOrder: string }> = [];
  private limitVal = 100;
  private offsetVal = 0;

  where(field: keyof T & string, value: string): this {
    this.criteria[this.criteria.length - 1][field] = value;
    return this;
  }
  or(): this { this.criteria.push({}); return this; }
  sortBy(field: keyof T & string, order: 'asc' | 'desc' = 'asc'): this {
    this.sortFields.push({ fieldName: field, sortOrder: order === 'asc' ? 'ascend' : 'descend' });
    return this;
  }
  limit(n: number): this { this.limitVal = n; return this; }
  offset(n: number): this { this.offsetVal = n; return this; }

  async find(layout: string, client: FileMakerClient): Promise<T[]> {
    const records = await client.findRecords<T>(layout, this.criteria, {
      sort: this.sortFields, limit: this.limitVal, offset: this.offsetVal
    });
    return records.map(r => r.fieldData);
  }
}

// Usage:
const contacts = await new QueryBuilder<Contact>()
  .where('Status', 'Active')
  .or()
  .where('Status', 'Prospect')
  .sortBy('LastName', 'asc')
  .limit(50)
  .find('Contacts', client);

Real-Time Sync Patterns Between FileMaker and External Systems API Versioning Migration Strategies