Developer’s Guide
Table Of Contents
- Preface Introducing FileMaker Developer 5.5
- Chapter 1 Installing FileMaker Developer 5.5
- What you need to install FileMakerDeveloper
- System requirements for FileMaker Developer 5.5
- Networking requirements
- Web publishing requirements
- Requirements for advanced features (Windows)
- Requirements for advanced features (MacOS)
- Installing FileMaker Developer 5.5 in Windows
- Installing FileMaker Developer 5.5 in the MacOS
- New features in FileMaker Pro
- FileMaker Pro 5.5 and Mac OS X
- Contents of the FileMaker Developer 5.5 folder
- Contents of the Developer Extras folder on the FileMaker Developer 5.5 CD
- Read Me file
- Electronic documentation
- Abiding by the license agreement
- Registration and customer support
- About the TechInfo database
- Chapter 2 Creating a database solution
- Overview of preparing your solutionfiles
- Considerations for a runtime databasesolution
- Considerations for Kiosk mode
- Using scripts to control your solution
- Protecting your database solution files
- Providing user documentation
- Design tips for cross-platform solutions
- Creating a consistent appearance
- Simulating outline and shadow text styles
- Using common character sets
- Designing text layouts for cross-platform solutions
- Using a common color palette
- Using graphics in cross-platform solutions
- Using QuickTime movies in cross-platform solutions
- Showing the status bar in Windows
- Using separate scripts for printing
- Using the Status (CurrentPlatform) function
- Creating platform-specific scripts
- Your responsibilities as a developer
- Testing before and after creating yoursolution
- Converting and upgrading solution files
- Chapter 3 Creating custom layout themes
- Chapter 4 Using the FileMaker Developer Tool
- About the solution examples
- Using the FileMaker Developer Tool
- Binding your databases into a runtime database solution
- Creating Kiosk-mode solutions
- Renaming your databases
- Removing design access to your databases
- Customizing the About, Help, and Scriptsmenus
- Adding the FileMakerPro extension to database filenames
- Saving your settings in the Developer Tool
- Chapter 5 Distributing FileMakerPro runtime database solutions
- Chapter 6 Publishing your database on the Web
- Types of web publishing
- Using the FileMakerPro Web Companion
- Creating a custom home page
- Creating a custom home page for Instant Web Publishing
- Creating a custom web site using a database layout
- Web Companion support for Internet mediatypes
- Monitoring your site
- Exporting data to a static HTML page
- Testing your site without a networkconnection
- Opening password-protected databasesremotely
- Chapter 7 Using FileMakerPro XML to deliver your data
- About the XML examples
- General process for custom web publishing using XML
- Generating an XML document
- Using the FMPDSORESULT grammar
- Using the FileMakerPro Extended XMLgrammars
- About UTF-8 encoded data
- Generating FileMakerPro CGI requests for an XML document
- Using style sheets with your XMLdocument
- Comparing CSS, XSLT, and JavaScript
- Looking at the XML Inventory example
- Chapter 8 Custom web publishing using CDML
- About the CDML examples
- General steps for custom web publishing using CDML
- About CDML format files
- Generating FileMakerPro CGI requests using CDML
- Using the CDML Tool and templates
- Modified CDML tags
- About the CDML Reference database
- Creating error messages
- Using an encoding parameter with a CDML replacement tag
- Planning your web site
- Chapter 9 Using Java and JDBC to deliver your data
- About the JDBC examples
- About JDBC
- Using the FileMaker JDBC Driver
- SQL supported by the FileMaker JDBCDriver
- FileMakerPro support for Unicodecharacters
- About the FileMaker JDBC Driver interfaces and extensions
- Example 1: Looking at the FileMakerPro Explorer application
- Example 2: Creating the JBuilder Inventoryapplication
- Example 3: Creating the Visual Cafe Inventory application
- Using the FileMaker Java classes
- Chapter 10 Understanding external function plug-ins
- About external functions
- About the plug-in example file
- Installing, enabling, and configuring the exampleplug-in
- Description of the FMExample plug-in’s externalfunctions
- Using the example plug-in
- Customizing the plug-in example
- Requirements for writing an external function plug-in
- FileMakerPro messages sent to theplugin
- Debugging your plug-in
- Avoiding potential MacOS resourceconflicts
- Providing documentation for your plug-in
- Registering your plug-ins
- Appendix A Feature comparison of the runtime application and FileMakerPro
- Appendix B Valid names used in CGI requests for FileMakerProXMLdata
- Generating a –find, –findall, or –findany request
- Generating a –view request
- Generating a –new request
- Generating an –edit request
- Generating a –delete request
- Generating a –dbnames request
- Generating a –layoutnames request
- Generating a –scriptnames request
- Generating a –dbopen request
- Generating a –dbclose request
- Generating a -dup request
- Generating an -img request
- Specifying parameters for the request
- –db (Database)
- –lay (Layout)
- –format (Format)
- –recid (Record ID)
- –modid (Modification ID)
- –lop (Logical operator)
- –op (Comparison operator)
- –max (Maximum records)
- –skip (Skip records)
- –sortfield (Sort field)
- –sortorder (Sort order)
- –script (Script)
- –script.prefind (Script before Find)
- –script.presort (Script before Sort)
- –styletype (Style type)
- –stylehref (Style href)
- –password (Database password)
- field name (Name of specific field)
- Appendix C FileMakerPro values for error codes
- Index
4-10 Developer’s Guide
5. Specify the database files that you want to customize, rename them
if desired, and click Next.
6. Select a primary file, select other options as desired, and click Next
to go through the rest of the screens depending on what other options
you selected.
7. Specify the location for the solution files, rename the folder if
desired, and click Finish.
The Developer Tool creates a duplicate copy of the database files
with a new Kiosk-mode interface and places them in a new folder.
Renaming your databases
Use the FileMaker Developer Tool to rename all the files in your
database solution and automatically update all internal reference
links (filespecs) to related files and scripts. The Developer Tool
creates a duplicate copy of the database files before it renames them
and updates the links.
Procedure for renaming files
To rename your database files and update reference links, do the
following:
1. Close all of your database files that you are going to customize.
2. Start the FileMaker Developer Tool application and click Next.
3. Select Rename files and update internal links, and click Next.
4. Specify the database files that you want to customize, then select
each file in the list and click Rename.
5. In the Rename dialog box, type a name for the new file, and click
OK.
Note If you want the .fp5 extension to be added automatically to the
new filenames, select the Add or remove FileMaker Pro extension
option in step 3 and choose Add .fp5 from the pop-up menu.
6. When you’ve finished renaming all of the specified files, click
Next.
7. Specify the location for the files, rename the new solution folder if
desired, and click Finish.
The Developer Tool creates a duplicate copy of the database files
with the new filenames and updated internal links, and places them
in a new folder.
Choosing filenames for your database solution
When choosing filenames for your database solutions, consider the
platforms on which your solution will be used so your scripts and
lookups will work properly.
Windows filenames must not start with a space. Also, for cross-
platform compatibility, do not use the following characters in
filenames: period (.), quotation mark ("), slash (/), backslash (\),
brackets([ ]), colon (:), semicolon (;), vertical bar (|), equal sign (=),
or comma (,).
Removing design access to your databases
Use the FileMaker Developer Tool to prevent users from altering the
design and structure of your database files and from changing any
passwords or groups that you’ve set up. By specifying the
Permanently prevent modification of database structure option for your
custom solution, users can’t access the following menu commands in
FileMaker Pro:
1 File menu > Define Fields
1 File menu > Define Relationships
Platform Filename support
Mac OS 31 characters
Windows 95 255 characters, including path
Windows 98 255 characters, including path
Windows NT 255 characters, including path