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
7-4 Developer’s Guide
FileMaker Extensions
folder and files Description
Ukenglsh.mpr- Primary British English dictionary of over 100,000
words that the runtime application uses to check the
spelling
User.upr- Spelling dictionary that stores your customized list
of spelling exceptions and additions to the User
dictionary
Usenglsh.mpr- Primary US English dictionary of over 100,000
words that the runtime application uses to check the
spelling
Choosing the distribution method
After you have organized the files that comprise your solution, you
need to decide how your users will install them. You can distribute
compressed files on multiple floppy disks, or distribute your bundled
solution on a CD, over a network, or using other media, such as LS-
120 or Zip disks.
Requirements for distributing on floppy disks
The FileMaker Pro runtime application is too big to fit on a single
floppy disk. If you plan to distribute your runtime database solution
on floppy disks, you’ll need to use a compression utility or custom
installation program, which compresses and stores the runtime
application and bound solution files on several disks. Your users will
need the instructions and software to decompress the runtime
database solution on their hard disk.
Using a custom installation program
If your runtime database solution is large, or if you plan to distribute
the files on floppy disks, consider using a custom installation
program. Configuring a custom installation application to
automatically install runtime database solution files may require
more engineering than using a compression utility, but usually offers
more professional results.
Here are some custom installation applications that you might want
to use:
• MindVision Installer VISE (Windows and Mac OS) by
MindVision, Inc. (www.mindvision.com)
• InstallShield (Windows) or InstallShield Java Edition by
InstallShield Software Corporation (www.installshield.com)
• StuffIt InstallerMaker (Mac OS) by Aladdin Systems
(www.aladdinsys.com)
Using a compression utility program
If your runtime database solution is small, you might consider a
compression utility application rather than a custom installation
application. To compress files, use a utility such as:
• WinZip for Windows (Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows
2000, Windows ME) by WinZip Computing, Inc.
(www.winzip.com)
• StuffIt Deluxe for Mac OS (the StuffIt Expander decompression
utility is available for Windows and Mac OS) by Aladdin Systems
(www.aladdinsys.com)
What your users need
In order to run your FileMaker Pro runtime database solution, your
users will need the same minimum equipment and software required
by the FileMaker Pro application (see
“Hardware and software
requirements” on page 1-2). In addition, your users will need
instructions for installing and starting your solution, and information
about how to recover damaged files.