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
Design tips for navigating in Kiosk mode
To decide how users will navigate your Kiosk database solution, start
by planning your navigation design on paper. Decide what will
happen when each button is clicked, and give users a way to get back
to the beginning of your system from each layout. To further control
what users see, create startup scripts that display a specific layout
when a file is opened.
1 If your Kiosk solution will be run with a touch screen, use large
buttons and allow space between buttons.
1 Try to limit the number of options available on one screen.
1 Because Preview mode disables buttons, make sure that any script
step to enter Preview mode is followed by a Pause/Resume script
step and specify an amount of time the script should remain in
Preview mode; then make the script return to Browse mode.
The Kiosk Solution Example is installed in the Design Tools folder:
FileMaker Developer 5 > Design Tools > Examples > Kiosk Solution
Example
Emulating menu commands and window controls
See chapter 10, “Creating scripts to automate tasks,” in the
FileMaker Pro 5 User’s Guide or see FileMaker Pro Help for
information.
Centering a database window in the Kiosk screen
To center your databases in the middle of a Kiosk screen, create a
startup script that uses the Toggle Window and Set Zoom Level
script steps. When a file is opened in Kiosk mode, two things will
happen:
1 The database window snaps to fit layout objects at the right and
bottom edges of the layout.
The Kiosk Solution Example contains buttons for navigating between
screens, adding and deleting records, and quitting the database
To emulate these
interface elements
Create buttons with these
attached script steps
Menu commands Script steps for any menu command (for example,
Sort, New Record, and Quit Application)
Zoom controls Toggle Window or Set Zoom Level
Status area control Toggle Status Area
Mode pop-up menu Enter Browse Mode, Enter Find Mode, or Enter
Preview Mode
Vertical scroll bar Scroll Window (if the layout is longer than one
screen) or View as List (if browsing)
Horizontal scroll bar Scroll Window (if the layout objects are wider
than one screen)
Window size and position Open File and Toggle Window in a startup script,
or set desired size and position before creating the
Kiosk solution