Administrator’s Guide

Table Of Contents
3-2 FileMaker Pro 5.5 Unlimited Administrator’s Guide
For information, see chapter 6, “Using Java and JDBC to deliver
your data.”
For a list of JDBC resources, see the product support pages on the
FileMaker, Inc. web site at www.filemaker.com. As a shortcut,
double-click FileMaker on the Web (included on the Filemaker Pro
CD).
Custom web publishing with CDML
The FileMaker Pro Web Companion lets you publish your database
with custom web pages using a proprietary markup language called
CDML. Included with FileMaker Pro 5.5 Unlimited are all the tools,
templates, and examples you need to create your own custom web
pages using CDML. For information, see chapter 4, “Custom web
publishing using CDML.”
Instant Web Publishing
When you use FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing, the Web
Companion generates predesigned HTML forms with HREF links to
your database. For general information on web publishing and using
the Instant Web Publishing feature, see chapter 14, “Publishing
databases on the Web,” in the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide or see
FileMaker Pro Help.
Note Instant Web Publishing is not supported under the Web Server
Connector in FileMaker Pro 5.5 Unlimited.
Other ways to create custom web sites for your data
If you want, you can create a custom home page to go with your
instant web pages instead of using the built-in FileMaker Pro Instant
Web Publishing home page. See “Creating a custom home page” on
page 3-5, “Creating a custom home page for Instant Web
Publishing” on page 3-6, and “Creating a custom web site using a
database layout” on page 3-8.
Static web publishing with HTML
You can also publish your data on static web pages if you don’t need
dynamic web access to your database. See “Exporting data to a static
HTML page” on page 3-16.
Using the FileMaker Pro Web Companion
The Web Companion is a plug-in that acts as a Common Gateway
Interface (CGI) application for handling interactions between
FileMaker Pro and your web browser. The Web Companion also
functions as a web server by providing static files (such as HTML
pages and images) to the web browser.
Web users access your database either by accessing the IP address of
the computer running FileMaker Pro Unlimited with their browser
(which takes them to the home page) or by clicking an HREF link
that contains a specific CGI request for FileMaker Pro. The Web
Companion then sends via HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
either the default home page or the web page specified in the
FileMaker CGI request.
The Web Companion in FileMaker Pro Unlimited can serve your
databases to an unlimited number of IP addresses at any time. (The
Web Companion in FileMaker Pro can only serve to a maximum of
ten IP addresses in a 12-hour period, as indicated by the IP Guest
Limit of 10 in the Web Companion Configuration dialog box.)
If desired, you can set up your computer for testing without a
constant connection to the Internet or an intranet. For information,
see “Testing your site without a network connection” on page 3-18.
For general information on the Web Companion and about
connecting to the Internet or an intranet, see chapter 14, “Publishing
databases on the Web” in the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.