WebDirect Guide
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1 Introducing FileMaker WebDirect
- Chapter 2 Designing a FileMaker WebDirect solution
- Step 1: Plan your FileMaker WebDirect solution
- Step 2: Understand the capabilities of FileMaker WebDirect
- Step 3: Optimize performance
- Step 4: Design layouts for mobile browsers
- Step 5: Set the solution icon and options for layouts, views, and tools
- Step 6: Set up tasks for web users
- Step 7: Enable users to log out of the solution
- Step 8: Review the functions, scripts, and script triggers in your solution
- Step 9: Set up external data sources
- Step 10: Document your solution
- Chapter 3 Publishing a FileMaker WebDirect solution
- Chapter 4 Testing, monitoring, and securing a solution
- Appendix A Design considerations
- Index
Chapter 2 | Designing a FileMaker WebDirect solution 13
How much of the solution FileMaker WebDirect will access
Based on the solution’s purpose, the maximum number of concurrent web users, and the devices that
will access the solution, decide which layouts and features will be accessed by FileMaker
WebDirect.
Plug-ins
When using third-party plug-ins with a FileMaker WebDirect solution, only use plug-ins that have
been enabled for the WPE. (In general, a plug-in designed for use only with FileMaker
Pro will not
be compatible with the WPE.) For information on installing plug-ins on FileMaker
Server, see
FileMaker
Server Help.
Step 2: Understand the capabilities of FileMaker WebDirect
FileMaker WebDirect brings many FileMaker Pro features to your solutions on the web, including:
1 implicit record commits
1 data entry validation
1 conditional formatting
1 modern layout themes
1 script triggers
1 quick find
For information about how web users interact with FileMaker WebDirect solutions, see “Implicit
interaction model” on page 8.
Although FileMaker WebDirect is very similar to FileMaker Pro, it does not have all the features of
a FileMaker
Pro network client.
1 Web users can choose layouts and different layout views, but they cannot add, delete, or modify
fields, layouts, scripts, relationships, value lists, or other database schema.
1 FileMaker WebDirect does not support Table View. Script steps or script step options that
change the view to Table View are not supported. If a layout’s default view is Table View, the
layout displays in a different view. If no other views are enabled, the layout displays in List View.
1 FileMaker WebDirect does not allow users to click objects that are located behind other layout
objects, even if the front-most objects are transparent or if users click empty space in an object
group. Rather than stacking multiple objects:
1 use calculated values for tab labels
1 add icons to buttons instead of stacking images in front of buttons
1 group multiple objects and apply button settings to the group
1 FileMaker WebDirect offers limited text styles: rich text, highlighting, paragraph text styles, and
tab stops are not supported.
1 FileMaker Pro Advanced custom menus have no effect in FileMaker WebDirect solutions.