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
The FileMaker Java Class Library is installed in the
FileMaker Developer 5 folder.
FileMaker Developer 5 > External FileMaker APIs > Java Class Library
About the FileMaker Java Class Library
The FileMaker Java Class Library is a set of Java classes that sends
requests to the FileMaker Pro Web Companion and gives you access
to the results.
FileMaker Java classes communicate with the Web Companion
using standard HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). The classes
formulate a request string based on the parameters you specify. Then
the classes send the request to the Web Companion. The response is
generated and sent back in the CDML proprietary format and
processed by the FMProResponse class. The Java application or
applet then determines how to display the data.
There are three main Java classes in the library:
1 FMProRequest
1 FMProProxy
1 FMProResponse
Use the FMProRequest class to create objects that submit queries to
the database. You specify the name of the database, layout, and fields
in a FMProRequest object.
Use the FMProProxy class to create objects that execute the queries.
The FMProProxy object is used to send a query from an
FMProRequest object to the computer where FileMaker Pro is
hosting the database, and to receive the result of the query from the
Web Companion. The FMProProxy object then converts the
resulting data into an FMProResponse object.
You can use a FMProProxy object to retrieve the following:
1 the names of all open databases shared via the Web Companion
1 the names of layouts, fields in a layout, and scripts defined for a
database
1 the images from FileMaker container fields
The FMProResponse class allows you to access the query results.
The information you have access to includes:
1 a result code indicating if the query was successfully processed
1 the number of records returned
1 the total number of records in the database
1 the names, field types, and value lists (if applicable) for each of the
fields on the specified layout, and field data
1 record IDs for the returned records
This information can be retrieved using the various methods
belonging to the FMProResponse object.
Looking at the Java applet examples
There are two examples of Java applets that use the FileMaker Java
classes to communicate with a FileMaker Pro database. The
FMBanner applet is a simple Java applet that displays a textual or
picture-based advertisement based on data from a FileMaker Pro
database. The FMMemoPad applet allows you to browse, edit, find,
sort, and create records in a FileMaker Pro database.
Note To view these examples, you need a web browser that is
compatible with Java 1.1, such as Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape
Communicator 4.0 with the JDK 1.1 support patch.
To view the FMBanner applet:
1. Locate the FMBanner folder in the FileMaker Developer 5 folder.
FileMaker Developer 5 > External FileMaker APIs > Java Class Library >
Java Examples > FMBanner
2. Place a copy of the FMBanner.html and FMBanner.jar files into
the Web folder in the FileMaker Pro 5 application folder.