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
8-2
Developer’s Guide
Using the FileMaker JDBC Driver
You can use the FileMaker JDBC Driver with any Java compiler or
RAD tool to connect with your database while you build the code for
your Java application or applet. After the Java application or applet
has been created, the FileMaker JDBC Driver must be present with
the files or included within the code in order for the application or
applet to communicate with the database.
To use the FileMaker JDBC Driver, your Java application or applet
must register the driver with the JDBC driver manager and you must
specify the correct JDBC URL from within the application or
applet.You need the JDBC URL to make the connection to the
database.
About the FileMaker JDBC Driver
The FileMaker JDBC Driver is a JDBC 1.2 API compatible driver
designed to work with the Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.1.8. It is a
Type 4 driver — a native protocol, pure Java driver that converts
JDBC calls directly into the network protocol used by the database
management system. This type of driver offers all the advantages of
Java including automatic installation (for example, downloading the
JDBC driver with an applet that uses it). The driver will work with
JDK 1.1.8 and Java 2 as long as you only use JDBC 1.2 calls in a
Java 2 environment.
Note Although the driver implements the entire JDBC 1.2 API, it
cannot be classified as a true JDBC-compliant driver because it
supports only a subset of SQL that matches the capabilities of
FileMaker Pro, and is therefore not fully SQL-92 Entry Level
compliant.
The FileMaker JDBC Driver is packaged as a Java archive file (with
the .jar filename extension) containing a collection of class files. The
archive file is named Fmpjdbc12.jar. The path to the file is:
FileMaker Developer 5 > External FileMaker APIs > FileMaker JDBC
Driver > Fmpjdbc12.jar
The driver class and main entry point for the driver is named:
com.fmi.jdbc.JdbcDriver
Using a JDBC URL to connect to your database
In Java, most resources are accessed through URLs (Uniform
Resource Locators). A JDBC URL is used to identify the database so
the FileMaker JDBC Driver can recognize and establish a connection
with the database.
The JDBC URL consists of three main parts separated by colons:
jdbc:<subprotocol>:<subname>
The first part in the JDBC URL is always the JDBC protocol
(“jdbc”). The subprotocol is the driver name or the name of the
mechanism that supports multiple drivers. In this case, the
subprotocol is fmpro, which is registered with Sun Microsystems,
Inc. The subname is the IP address of the machine that is hosting
FileMaker Pro.
The FileMaker JDBC Driver connects to FileMaker Pro through an
HTTP connection. The subname in the JDBC URL includes an
HTTP protocol (such as HTTP or HTTPS), an IP address or domain
name, and an optional port number preceded by a colon.
DBMS
propr
i
etary protoco
l
Java
application
JDBC driver
FileMaker
Pro
Client machine Database server