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
6-6
Developer’s Guide
Specifying a custom home page as the default
To specify the custom home page as the default in the Web
Companion Configuration dialog box:
1. Make sure the custom home page is located in the root level of the
Web folder (inside the FileMaker Pro folder).
The custom home page can be named anything but must be in HTML
format (with the .htm or .html filename extension).
2. In the Web Companion Configuration dialog box, choose your
custom home page from the Home Page list.
Using a custom home page with Instant
Web Publishing
The simplest and quickest way to publish your FileMaker database
on the Web is to let FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing design
your web pages for you. You can create your own home page to
replace the built-in FileMaker Pro Instant Web Portal page and still
use the instant web pages generated by the Web Companion.
For information about using your own custom CDML web pages
instead of Instant Web Publishing, see chapter 9, “Custom web
publishing using CDML.” See chapter 14, “Publishing on the Web,”
in the FileMaker Pro 5 User’s Guide or see FileMaker Pro Help for
information on using Instant Web Publishing.
To use a custom home page with Instant Web Publishing:
1. Create an HTML file for your home page using a text editor or
HTML editing program.
2. Save the file with the .htm or .html filename extension and place
it in the root level of the Web folder (inside the FileMaker Pro
folder).
3. Create an HREF link on this home page to each database that
you’re publishing and to the corresponding instant web page that you
want displayed.
In order for the Web Companion to generate an instant web page,
each link must contain a valid FileMaker Pro CGI command
including the correct filename of the instant web page. See “Finding
valid CGI commands for linking to instant web pages” next.
4. In the Web Companion Configuration dialog box, select Enable
Instant Web Publishing.
5. Choose your custom home page from the Home Page list and click
OK.
Finding valid CGI commands for linking to instant
web pages
Valid FileMaker Pro CGI commands that will cause the Web
Companion to generate instant web pages for your databases are
dependent on the web styles and browser views you set up for each
database and on the Language setting in the Web Companion
Configuration dialog box.
Here are some general steps for finding the appropriate CGI
command for linking to an instant web page:
1. Set up the Web Companion for Instant Web Publishing and
choose Built-In for the Home Page setting. (See “Enabling the Web
Companion” on page 6-3 and “Setting Web Companion
configuration options” on page 6-3.)
Any HTML file
located in the root
level of the Web
folder appears in
this list