Developer’s Guide

Chapter 5
Customizing database solutions
You can use FileMaker Developer to further customize your
solutions:
1 Use the Developer Utilities to create a solution that displays your
database in Kiosk mode. When users without administrative
accounts open a Kiosk solution, it displays on a full screen and
without toolbars, menus, or other window controls.
1 Use ScriptMaker to create scripts that can then be attached to
buttons. The runtime application does not have menu commands or
toolbar buttons to open or close other files. Scripts attached to
buttons must be used in runtime solutions and Kiosk solutions to
open or close other files. Scripts and buttons can be used for other
controls in database solutions.
1 Use the Developer Utilities to customize the About, Help, and
Scripts menus in database solutions and runtime database solutions.
About Kiosk mode
Kiosk mode is a way of displaying your database solution or your
runtime database solution on a full screen, without any toolbars or
menus. As the name suggests, Kiosk mode can be used to present
your database to users as an information kiosk. You can design your
database to run through a touch screen.
Database files that open in FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Developer,
or in the runtime application can both be transformed into files that
accounts with specific privilege sets must open in Kiosk mode.
When you create a solution to run in Kiosk mode, you need to
consider how users will navigate your solution and how they will
quit your solution. For more information about accounts and
privileges, see Help.
Navigating in Kiosk mode
The primary file is the main database that users see first in your
Kiosk solution. Because Kiosk mode does not contain any menus or
window controls, the primary file must contain buttons that users can
click to navigate through the solution, close the files, and to quit
FileMaker
Pro, FileMaker Developer, or the runtime application.
To decide how users will navigate your Kiosk solution, start by
planning your navigation design on paper. Decide what will happen
when each button is clicked, and give users a way to get back to the
beginning of your solution from each layout. To further control what
users see, create startup scripts that display a specific layout when a
file is opened.
1 If your Kiosk solution will be run with a touch screen, use large
buttons and allow space between buttons.
1 Try to limit the number of options available on one screen.
1 Because Preview mode disables buttons, make sure that any Enter
Preview Mode script step is followed by a Pause/Resume Script
script step and specify an amount of time the script should remain in
Preview mode. Place an Enter Browse Mode script step after the
Pause/Resume Script script step.
Note When a Kiosk solution is open, access to the operating system
is limited. On Windows machines, you can press Alt+Tab to go to
another application from your Kiosk database solution.
Closing Kiosk solutions
If there is no Quit or Exit button available in your Kiosk solution,
users must force-quit the application by pressing Alt+F4 (Windows).
Force quitting is not recommended because it can cause data
corruption or damage open files.