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 1
Introducing FileMaker Developer 5
Welcome to FileMaker Developer 5! The FileMaker
®
Developer 5
product provides the software, APIs, and tools to create custom
FileMaker Pro database solutions for work groups, web sites, or
stand-alone runtime applications.
Ways to use FileMaker Developer 5
Customize FileMaker database solutions
Use the redesigned FileMaker Developer Tool utility application to:
1 create stand-alone runtime database solutions that do not require
the FileMaker Pro application
1 customize your FileMaker Pro 5 databases to display in Kiosk
mode, without access to certain menu commands, or with special
menu access to custom Help and About <your solution> layouts
1 rename FileMaker Pro database files without losing links to related
or external files
Create custom web sites
Use the tools, API documentation, and examples provided by
FileMaker Developer 5 to create:
1 custom web sites for publishing FileMaker Pro databases on the
Internet or an intranet using FileMaker XML documents or CDML
1 FileMaker Pro database-aware Java applets for your custom web
sites, developed using the open standard FileMaker Pro JDBC
Driver or the proprietary FileMaker Java Class Library
Take advantage of FileMaker support for open standards
1 Use FileMaker Extended XML documents to exchange
FileMaker Pro data with other XML-compatible applications.
1 Use the FileMaker Pro JDBC Driver with your Rapid Application
Development (RAD) tools to create custom front-ends to your
FileMaker Pro database solutions.
1 Use the FileMaker ODBC driver with other ODBC-compatible
applications to access your FileMaker Pro database solutions from
machines that are not running FileMaker Pro.
Expand your FileMaker Pro calculations and scripts
Use the FileMaker Pro External Function Plug-in API and the C or
C++ programming language to create external function plug-ins that
extend the feature set of your FileMaker Pro database solutions (for
example, by providing calculation formulas that take advantage of
recursion and looping, or that hook into other programming
interfaces).
Provide layout themes for your solutions
Use custom FileMaker layout themes to create a consistent look for
new layouts in your database solutions.
Use design tools and templates for UI design
Use the sample buttons, interface elements, and database examples
provided by FileMaker Developer 5 as you develop the user
interface to your custom database solutions.