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
6-2
Developer’s Guide
For information, see chapter 8, “Using Java and JDBC to deliver
your data.”
For a list of JDBC resources, see the product support pages on the
FileMaker, Inc. web site at www.filemaker.com. As a shortcut,
double-click FileMaker on the Web (installed in the FileMaker
Developer 5 folder).
Custom web publishing with CDML
The FileMaker Pro Web Companion lets you publish your database
with custom web pages using a proprietary markup language called
CDML. Included with FileMaker Developer are all the tools,
templates, and examples you need to create your own custom web
pages using CDML. For information, see chapter 9, “Custom web
publishing using CDML.”
Note In FileMaker Pro 5, new CDML tags have been added and
others have been enhanced. For information, see “New and modified
CDML tags” on page 9-9.
Instant Web Publishing
When you use FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing, the Web
Companion generates predesigned HTML forms with HREF links to
your database. If you want, you can create a custom home page to go
with your instant web pages instead of using the built-in
FileMaker Pro Instant Web Portal home page. See “Using a custom
home page with Instant Web Publishing” on page 6-6 for
information.
For general information on web publishing and using the Instant
Web Publishing feature, see chapter 14, “Publishing databases on the
Web,” in the FileMaker Pro 5 User’s Guide or see FileMaker Pro
Help.
Static web publishing with HTML
You can also publish your data on static web pages if you don’t need
dynamic web access to your database. See “Exporting data to a static
HTML page” on page 6-11.
Using the FileMaker Pro Web Companion
The Web Companion is a plug-in that acts as a Common Gateway
Interface (CGI) application for handling interactions between
FileMaker Pro and your web browser. The Web Companion also
functions as a web server by providing static files (such as HTML
pages and images) to the web browser.
Web users access your database by entering a URL to the server (the
IP address of the host computer that is running FileMaker Pro) or by
clicking an HREF link that contains a specific CGI command for
FileMaker. The Web Companion then sends either the default home
page or the web page specified in the CGI command via HTTP
(Hypertext Transfer Protocol).
For general information on the Web Companion and about
connecting to the Internet or an intranet, see chapter 14, “Publishing
databases on the Web” in the FileMaker Pro 5 User’s Guide.
Requirements for web access
FileMaker Pro must be located on the host computer that is serving
the web pages on the Web (preferably with a full-time, constant
connection to the Internet or your intranet). The Web Companion
must be enabled in FileMaker Pro.