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
Contents
Chapter 1
Welcome to FileMaker Developer
About the Developer edition of FileMaker Pro
1-1
About this guide
1-1
Registration and customer support
1-1
About the installation code
1-2
Hardware and software requirements
1-2
Networking requirements
1-3
Web publishing requirements
1-3
Requirements for advanced features (Windows)
1-3
Requirements for advanced features (Mac OS)
1-3
Features not supported In Mac OS X
1-4
Opening files from previous versions
1-4
Updating your User Dictionary
1-5
Read Me file
1-5
Electronic documentation
1-5
Abiding by the license agreement
1-6
About the TechInfo database
1-6
Chapter 2
Installing FileMaker Developer in Windows
Installation notes
2-1
Installing FileMaker Developer
2-1
Installing FileMaker Developer from the command line
2-2
Where files are stored on your hard disk
2-2
Uninstalling, modifying, or repairing FileMaker Developer
2-2
Adjusting network software
2-3
Changing the network protocol
2-3
Changing the IPX/SPX frame type
2-3
Changing the FileMaker Pro cache size
2-4
Where to go from here
2-4
Chapter 3
Installing FileMaker Developer in the Mac OS
Installation notes
3-1
Installing FileMaker Developer
3-1
Installing ODBC drivers in Mac OS X
3-2
Where files are stored on your hard disk
3-2
Accessing files from other user accounts (Mac OS X)
3-2
Choosing a network protocol (Mac OS 9.x or earlier)
3-3
Adjusting memory
3-3
Adjusting the FileMaker Pro cache (Mac OS X)
3-3
Adjusting memory requirements (Mac OS 9.x or earlier)
3-4
Enabling the FileMaker Pro Web Companion (Mac OS X)
3-5
Configuring the Web Companion for use with ports
1024 and higher
3-6
Accessing databases that are published to the Web
3-7
Where to go from here
3-7
Chapter 4
Creating a database solution
Overview of preparing your solution files
4-2
Considerations for a runtime database solution
4-2
Considerations for Kiosk mode
4-3
Displaying a database in Kiosk mode
4-3
Navigating in Kiosk mode
4-4
Closing a Kiosk mode solution
4-4
Example Kiosk solution
4-4
Using scripts to control your solution
4-5
Creating startup scripts
4-5
Centering a database window in the Kiosk screen
4-6
Emulating menu commands and window controls
4-6
Creating dynamic buttons
4-6