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
Chapter 6
Publishing your database on the Web
The FileMaker Pro Web Companion plug-in makes it possible for
you to publish your database on the Internet or an intranet in several
different ways, giving you more choices and control over the design
and functionality of your web pages.
These methods include:
1 custom web publishing using XML
1 FileMaker Pro database-aware Java applets using the FileMaker
JDBC Driver or the proprietary FileMaker Java Class Library
1 custom web publishing using CDML
1 FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing (automatically creating the
web interface for you)
1 static web publishing (exporting data into an HTML table)
When you serve your databases and your instant or custom web
pages via the Web Companion, users can access your databases from
their web browsers using a simple URL.
You can use the Web Security Database included with
FileMaker Pro 5 to publish your databases on custom web pages
using XML, CDML, or JDBC. However, it’s not designed to work
with Instant Web Publishing. For information, see “Using the Web
Security Database” on page 6-16.
Moving forward using open web standards
In earlier versions of FileMaker Pro, the Web Companion allowed
you to use Instant Web Publishing or Custom Web Publishing (using
the FileMaker proprietary CDML format) to publish your databases
on the Web. Now, in addition to these features, the Web Companion
lets you publish your database using XML or JDBC formats.
Custom web publishing with XML
You can use the Web Companion to generate data from your
FileMaker Pro databases into Extensible Markup Language (XML)
documents. With these XML documents, you can (for example) use
JavaScript and the W3C Document Object Model to dynamically
manipulate data after it has been downloaded from your database.
Many of the actions (such as searching) can be performed without
the need to reconnect to the database, making the web user’s
interaction with the database happen much faster.
For information on custom publishing your database with XML, see
chapter 7, “Using FileMaker Pro XML to deliver your data.”
For a list of XML resources and examples, and an overview of what
XML is and how it can be used with FileMaker Pro, see “XML and
FileMaker 5—a Technology Preview” on the FileMaker Developer
support pages at www.filemaker.com. As a shortcut, double-click
FileMaker on the Web (installed in the FileMaker Developer 5 folder).
Custom web publishing with JDBC
FileMaker Developer 5 provides a JDBC (Java database
connectivity) API-compatible driver that allows you to create
FileMaker Pro database-aware Java applets for your web site using
any Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool. This is an
improvement from using the proprietary FileMaker Java classes that
are not recognizable by RAD tools.
With a FileMaker Pro database-aware Java applet, you can provide a
richer functionality for your databases on the Web, making them
function more like they were being used in FileMaker Pro rather than
in a web browser.