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
Distributing FileMaker Pro runtime database solutions
4-5
Using a custom installation program
If your runtime database solution is large, or if you plan to distribute
the files on floppy disks, consider using a custom installation
program. Configuring a custom installation application to
automatically install runtime database solution files may require
more engineering than using a compression utility, but usually offers
more professional results.
Here are some custom installation applications that you might want
to use:
1 MindVision Installer VISE (Windows and Mac OS) by
MindVision, Inc. (www.mindvision.com)
1 InstallShield (Windows) or InstallShield Java Edition by
InstallShield Software Corporation (www.installshield.com)
1 StuffIt InstallerMaker (Mac OS) by Aladdin Systems
(www.aladdinsys.com)
Using a compression utility program
If your runtime database solution is small, you might consider a
compression utility application rather than a custom installation
application. To compress files, use a utility such as:
1 WinZip for Windows by Nico Mak Computing, Inc.
(www.winzip.com)
1 StuffIt Deluxe for Mac OS (the StuffIt Expander decompression
utility is available for Windows and Mac OS) by Aladdin Systems
(www.aladdinsys.com)
What your users need
In order to run your FileMaker Pro runtime database solution, your
users will need the same minimum equipment and software required
by the FileMaker Pro 5 application. In addition, your users will need
instructions for installing and starting your solution, and information
about how to recover damaged files.
Requirements for your runtime solution (Windows)
To use your runtime database solution on the Windows platform,
your users need the following minimum equipment and software:
1 an Intel compatible 486/33 PC or higher
1 at least 16 MB of RAM
1 a hard disk with at least 20 MB of free space
1 a CD-ROM drive
1 Windows 95 or later, with Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or
Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 3 or later)
Note The runtime application requires the shfolder.dll and
comctl32.dll files, which are installed by Windows NT 4.0 with
Service Pack 3 (or later) or by Internet Explorer 4.0 (or later).
Requirements for your runtime solution (Mac OS)
To use your runtime database solution on the Mac OS platform, your
users need the following minimum equipment and software:
1 a Power Macintosh or Mac OS computer with a PPC 601 processor
or higher
1 at least 16 MB of RAM
1 a hard disk with at least 24 MB of free space
1 a CD-ROM drive
1 System 8.1 or later
Sharing your solution over a network
Because the runtime application does not support FileMaker Pro file
sharing (peer-to-peer or client/server networking), users cannot
share your runtime database solution over a network unless they
access the files using the FileMaker Pro 5 application on their
machines.