Developer’s Guide
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1 Getting started
- Chapter 2 Using FileMaker Developer features
- Chapter 3 Using the Developer Utilities
- Overview of preparing your solution files
- Modifying database solution files
- Considerations for a runtime database solution
- Binding databases into runtime database solutions
- Saving and reusing Developer Utilities settings
- Converting and upgrading solution files
- Removing full access privileges from databases
- Chapter 4 Distributing runtime database solutions
- Chapter 5 Customizing database solutions
- Chapter 6 Creating custom layout themes
- Chapter 7 Developing third-party FileMaker plug-ins
- About external functions
- About the example plug-in
- 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 external function plug-ins
- FileMaker messages sent to the plug-in
- Avoiding potential Mac OS X resource conflicts
- Providing documentation for your plug-in
- Registering your plug-in
- Appendix A Feature comparison of the runtime application with FileMaker Pro
- Index
22 FileMaker Developer’s Guide
Binding files for both platforms
If your solution will be used in Windows, bind it using the Developer
Utilities for Windows. If your solution will be used on Mac OS X,
bind it using the Developer Utilities for Mac
OS X. If you’re creating
a solution to be used on both Windows and the Mac
OS X, create two
separate runtime solutions by binding the original solution files
twice: first using FileMaker Developer Utilities for Windows, and
then using FileMaker Developer Utilities for Mac
OS X. Use the
same binding key on both platforms. Also, remember that binding
keys are case-sensitive.
Binding databases into runtime
database solutions
Use the Developer Utilities to produce a stand-alone runtime
database solution that users can access without running
FileMaker
Pro or FileMaker Developer. The Developer Utilities
create a copy of your files, and bind the database file or files to a
runtime application with a name that you specify.
None of the commands on the Define submenu opened from the File
menu are available in the runtime application. See
“Feature
comparison of the runtime application with FileMaker Pro” on page
71. The FileMaker Developer features are also stripped from the
runtime application.
A runtime database can, however, be opened in either FileMaker Pro
or FileMaker Developer. The full functionality of these applications
will be enabled, except if full access privileges have been removed.
See
“Removing full access privileges from databases” on page 27.
Runtime database solutions cannot be published over a network, the
Internet, or an intranet unless you use FileMaker Pro or FileMaker
Developer instead of the runtime application. For a complete list of
the differences between the runtime application and FileMaker
Pro,
see
“Feature comparison of the runtime application
with FileMaker Pro” on page 71.
You may need to bind your database files several times before you
prepare them for delivery to your users. When you have completed
development and the final version is bound and ready to distribute,
you should thoroughly test your runtime solution to ensure that it
behaves as expected. See
“Considerations for a runtime
database solution” on page 20.
For information about what users need to use your runtime database
solution, see
Chapter 4, “Distributing runtime database solutions” on
page 29.
To bind database files into a runtime database solution:
1. Follow steps 1 to 9 in “Modifying database solution files” on
page 18.
2. In the Specify Solution Options dialog box, select Create Runtime
solution application(s).
3. For Runtime Name, type a name for your runtime application.
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