Developer’s Guide
Table Of Contents
- Contents
- Chapter 1 Introducing FileMaker Developer 5
- Chapter 2 Customizing your database solution
- About the custom solution examples
- Using the FileMaker Developer Tool
- Binding your databases into a runtime database solution
- Displaying databases in Kiosk mode
- 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 3 Preparing files for a custom solution
- About the Relational Example
- General steps for preparing your solutionfiles
- Issues to consider before creating a runtime database solution
- Opening files in Kiosk mode
- Design tips for navigating in Kiosk mode
- Creating startup scripts
- Using button image samples
- Documenting your database solution
- 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
- Protecting your runtime database solutionfiles
- Testing before and after creating yoursolution
- Converting and upgrading solution files
- Chapter 4 Distributing FileMakerPro runtime database solutions
- Chapter 5 Creating custom layout themes
- Chapter 6 Publishing your database on the Web
- Moving forward using open web standards
- Using the FileMakerPro Web Companion
- Displaying a custom home page
- Using a custom home page with Instant Web Publishing
- Monitoring your site
- Exporting data to a static HTML page
- Testing your site without a networkconnection
- Opening password-protected databasesremotely
- Using the Web Security Database
- 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 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 9 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
- New and 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 10 Writing external function plug-ins
- About the plug-in examples and templates
- Installing, enabling, and configuring FileMakerPro plug-ins
- Using external functions in a calculation
- 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
- Naming and registering your plug-ins
- Appendix A Feature comparison of the runtime application and FileMakerPro
- Appendix B Valid names used in CGI requests for FileMaker XML data
- 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
- 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 FileMaker Pro values for error codes
- Index
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Developer’s Guide
Deploying your database solutions
For deploying your custom database solutions over a network, the
Internet, or an intranet, the FileMaker, Inc. product line includes
FileMaker Server 5 and FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited.
FileMaker Server 5 provides multi-protocol support for TCP/IP,
IPX/SPX (Windows) and AppleTalk (Mac OS) networks for serving
up to 125 hosted files simultaneously to FileMaker Pro 5 guests on
Windows and Mac OS machines.
FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited includes all of the features of FileMaker
Pro 5 and also allows for an unlimited number of web guests to
access your FileMaker Pro databases. Use the included Web Server
Connector to publish your databases through six popular web
servers: Microsoft Personal Web Server and Internet Information
Server, Netscape Enterprise Server, AppleShare IP Server,
WebSTAR, and Apache on Mac OS X Server.
Note FileMaker Developer 5 includes trial versions of FileMaker
Server for Windows NT and FileMaker Server for Mac OS.
For more information, see the product pages at www.filemaker.com.
About this guide
The Developer’s Guide provides instructions and examples for using
FileMaker Developer 5.
1 Chapter 1 describes how to install the FileMaker Developer
software on Windows and Mac OS systems and provides tables that
describe the content of what is installed.
1 Chapters 2, 3, and 4 and appendix A describe how to prepare your files
and use the FileMaker Developer Tool for creating runtime database
solutions and other types of database solutions such as Kiosk mode.
1 Chapter 5 provides instructions for creating custom layout themes
to use when you create new layouts for your databases.
1 Chapters 6, 7, and 9 and appendixes B and C describe the use of
the FileMaker Pro Web Companion for custom web publishing using
XML or CDML.
1 Chapter 8 describes how to use the FileMaker JDBC Driver to
create FileMaker Pro database-aware Java applications and applets.
It also includes a section on the proprietary FileMaker Java Class
Library from the previous Developer Edition.
1 Chapter 10 provides guidelines for writing FileMaker Pro external
function plug-ins to use in FileMaker Pro field calculations and scripts.
In addition, throughout this guide are pointers to web sites for
resources and information on various technologies (such as XML
and Java development tools) that you can use with your
FileMaker Pro databases.
Note For information on programming in C or C++, authoring and
using XML, creating CSS or XSL stylesheets, authoring web pages
in Dynamic HTML (including scripting such as JavaScript), and
developing Java applications and applets, see the documentation that
came with your development or authoring tool.
Double-click FileMaker on the Web (installed in the FileMaker
Developer 5 folder) to go to the FileMaker, Inc. web site for more
information.
Installing the FileMaker Developer
software package
FileMaker Developer 5 includes two CD-ROM discs: one for
installing FileMaker Pro 5 and one for installing the FileMaker
Developer Tool, external FileMaker APIs, design tools and
examples, and the FileMaker ODBC Driver.
For a description of what’s installed, see “Contents of the FileMaker
Developer 5 folder” on page 1-5.