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
Creating custom layout themes
5-3
Basic requirements for a theme file
FileMaker Pro layout themes are described in an XML document
saved in text file format. Each text file must have the .fth filename
extension and reside in the Themes folder inside the FileMaker Pro
application folder so FileMaker Pro can display the themes in the
New Layout/Report assistant.
XML resembles HTML in many ways—however, unlike HTML the
XML for layout themes must be well-formed and comply with the
required syntax. Omitting a required element or attribute, or
mismatching start and end tags will result in an unusable document
and FileMaker Pro will be unable to parse the XML or display the
themes in the New Layout/Report assistant.
Minimum required XML elements for themes
Every theme file must begin with an XML-document processing
instruction that declares it as an XML document using the XML 1.0
specification. In addition, an XML document for a FileMaker Pro
layout theme must contain the <FMTHEMES> and
</FMTHEMES> start and end tags for the file. This FMTHEMES
root element can contain one or more FMTHEME element.
Containing all of your themes (FMTHEME elements) in one file is
useful if you want to organize the way that themes appear in
FileMaker Pro. The order that FMTHEME elements are listed in the
file determines the order that the THEMENAME values will appear
in the New Layout/Report assistant.
Note Values for the THEMENAME element can contain any
characters from the ASCII character set. However, if you’re using an
XML editor to write your themes or if you plan to use the themes on
different platforms, certain measures must be taken.
XML editors expect these characters to be coded as character
entities:
amp (&)
lt (<)
gt (>)
apos (‘)
quot (“)
Using the character instead of the character entity results in an error
from the XML editor. However, FileMaker Pro does not reinterpret
character entities—values in the THEMENAME element will
appear exactly as typed. You can avoid the problem by using a text
editor to create your themes or simply ignore the error from the XML
editor. Your theme names will appear as you write them in the New
Layout/Report assistant.
If you’re planning to use your themes on Windows and Mac OS
platforms, use the HINT attribute to ensure that upper-ASCII
characters (such as the accent mark) appear correctly on both
platforms. See “Valid values for theme attributes” on page 5-7 for
more information.
Minimum elements required for a theme file