WebDirect Guide

Chapter 1 
Introducing FileMaker WebDirect
FileMaker WebDirect™ is a FileMaker
®
client that enables users to interact with your solutions on
the web. You create solutions using FileMaker
Pro and then host, manage, and configure your
solutions on FileMaker
Server.
Web users don’t need to install additional software—anyone with a compatible web browser and
access to the Internet or an intranet can connect to your FileMaker
WebDirect solution to view,
edit, sort, or search records if you give them access privileges. With FileMaker
WebDirect, edits
made in the web browser are automatically saved on the server, and the server automatically
pushes updates to the web browser.
Important Security is important when you publish data on the web. Review the security
guidelines in FileMaker
Pro User’s Guide and FileMaker Pro Help.
About this guide
This guide provides the following information:
1 Chapter 1, “Introducing FileMaker WebDirect,” describes FileMaker WebDirect and explains
how it works.
1 Chapter 2, “Designing a FileMaker WebDirect solution,” steps through the process of creating
or extending a solution for FileMaker WebDirect.
1 Chapter 3, “Publishing a FileMaker WebDirect solution,” explains how to publish a database on
the web as a FileMaker WebDirect solution.
1 Chapter 4, “Testing, monitoring, and securing a solution,” summarizes areas of your solution to
test and secure.
1 Appendix A, “Design considerations,” lists aspects of FileMaker Pro solutions that behave
differently in FileMaker WebDirect.
FileMaker documentation uses “publishing on the web” to refer to solutions that users can access
on the Internet or on an intranet using a web browser. In this guide, the term “web user” refers to
someone accessing a FileMaker
Pro database published on the web using FileMaker WebDirect.
“Solution” and “database” are terms for what FileMaker
Pro creates and what web users access
via FileMaker
WebDirect.
This guide uses “FileMaker Pro” to refer to both FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Pro Advanced.
Important You can download PDFs of FileMaker documentation from
http://www.filemaker.com/documentation. Any updates to this document are also available from
the website.