Developer’s Guide
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1 Welcome to FileMaker Developer
- Chapter 2 Installing FileMaker Developer in Windows
- Chapter 3 Installing FileMaker Developer in the Mac OS
- Chapter 4 Creating a database solution
- Overview of preparing your solutionfiles
- Considerations for a runtime databasesolution
- Considerations for Kiosk mode
- Using scripts to control your solution
- Protecting your database solution files
- Providing user documentation
- 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
- Your responsibilities as a developer
- Testing before and after creating your solution
- Converting and upgrading solution files
- Chapter 5 Creating custom layout themes
- Chapter 6 Using the FileMaker Developer Tool
- About the solution examples
- Using the FileMaker Developer Tool
- Binding your databases into a runtime database solution
- Creating Kiosk-mode solutions
- Renaming your databases
- Removing design access to your databases
- Customizing the About, Help, and Scripts menus
- Adding the FileMaker Pro extension to database filenames
- Saving your settings in the Developer Tool
- Chapter 7 Distributing FileMaker Pro runtime database solutions
- Chapter 8 Publishing your database on the Web
- Types of web publishing
- Using the FileMaker Pro Web Companion
- Creating a custom home page
- Creating a custom home page for Instant Web Publishing
- Creating a custom web site using a database layout
- Web Companion support for Internet mediatypes
- Monitoring your site
- Exporting data to a static HTML page
- Testing your site without a network connection
- Opening password-protected databases remotely
- Chapter 9 Custom web publishing using CDML
- About the CDML examples
- General steps for custom web publishing using CDML
- About CDML format files
- Generating FileMaker Pro CGI requests using CDML
- Using the CDML Tool and templates
- About the CDML Reference database
- Creating error messages
- Using an encoding parameter with a CDML replacement tag
- Planning your web site
- Chapter 10 Using FileMaker Pro XML to deliver your data on the Web
- About the XML examples
- General process for custom web publishing using XML
- Generating an XML document
- Using the FMPDSORESULT grammar
- Using the FileMaker Pro Extended XML grammars
- About UTF-8 encoded data
- Generating FileMaker Pro CGI requests for an XML document
- Using style sheets with your XML document
- Comparing CSS, XSLT, and JavaScript
- Looking at the XML Inventory example
- Chapter 11 Using JDBC to deliver your data
- About the JDBC examples
- About JDBC
- Using the FileMaker JDBC Driver
- SQL supported by the FileMaker JDBC Driver
- FileMaker Pro support for Unicode characters
- About the FileMaker JDBC Driver interfaces and extensions
- Example 1: Looking at the FileMaker Pro Explorer application
- Example 2: Creating the JBuilder Inventory application
- Example 3: Creating the Visual Cafe Inventory application
- Chapter 12 Understanding external function plug-ins
- About external functions
- About the plug-in example file
- Installing, enabling, and configuring the example plug-in
- Description of the FMExample plug-in’s external functions
- Using the example plug-in
- Customizing the plug-in example
- Requirements for writing an external function plug-in
- FileMaker Pro messages sent to the plug-in
- Debugging your plug-in
- Avoiding potential Mac OS resourceconflicts
- Providing documentation for your plug-in
- Registering your plug-ins
- Appendix A Feature comparison of the runtime application and FileMaker Pro
- Appendix B Valid names used in CGI requests for FileMaker Pro 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
- Generating a -dup request
- Generating an -img 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
Some FileMaker Pro features are unique to or work differently on
certain operating systems. This manual and online Help use the label
“Mac OS 9.x or earlier” to indicate when a described feature is specific
to Mac OS 8.6 through 9.2.2. However, keep in mind that Mac OS 8.6
is the earliest Mac OS version that FileMaker Pro supports.
Networking requirements
If you plan to share FileMaker Pro files with other computers on a
network, you need to know which type of network you’re using.
FileMaker Pro supports the following network protocols:
FileMaker supports
this network On these operating systems
protocol
TCP/IP (recommended) All supported Windows and Mac OS operating systems
IPX/SPX Supported Windows operating systems only
AppleTalk Mac OS 9.x or earlier
If you’re not sure which network protocol is installed and in use on
your computer, check with your network administrator before you
begin installation.
Note FileMaker recommends using the TCP/IP protocol on both
Windows and Mac OS networks. You must use the TCP/IP protocol
to share files on a mixed Windows and Mac OS network.
Computers running Windows also require a Windows-compatible
network card and a software driver for the card.
Welcome to FileMaker Developer 1-3
Web publishing requirements
To publish a database on the Web using the FileMaker Pro Web
Companion, you need a host computer with access to the Internet or
an intranet via TCP/IP. The Web Companion network protocol
(TCP/IP) is independent from the network protocol you choose for
FileMaker Pro. For example, you can choose AppleTalk or IPX/SPX
for the FileMaker Pro network protocol and still publish your
database on the Web via TCP/IP.
Important Access to the Internet requires an Internet service provider
(ISP). FileMaker Pro does not provide an Internet account for you.
Requirements for advanced features (Windows)
Some of the advanced features of FileMaker Pro require
additional software.
FileMaker Pro
advanced feature Software requirement
Send Mail script step A Mail API (MAPI) enabled e-mail client software
Phone dialing Phone dialer or other Telephony API (TAPI)
compliant software
ODBC features Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC)
version 2.5. To update MDAC software, use
Microsoft Windows Update or see the Microsoft
web site at www.microsoft.com.
Insert QuickTime movie QuickTime software (available at www.apple.com)
and image files
Requirements for advanced features (Mac OS)
FileMaker Pro
advanced feature Software requirement
Send Mail script step E-mail client software
Insert QuickTime movie QuickTime software (available at www.apple.com
and image files if it was not included with your Mac OS version)