Quick Start
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1 Welcome to FileMaker Pro
- Chapter 2 Installing FileMaker Pro in Windows
- Chapter 3 Installing FileMaker Pro in the Mac OS
- Chapter 4 New features in FileMaker Pro
- New features in FileMaker Pro 5.5
- Windows 2000 Professional
- Ease-of-use improvements
- Record-by-record access privileges
- Scripting improvements
- New logical, design, and status functions
- Extended ODBC and SQL functionality
- Import named ranges of Microsoft Excel data
- Search only the relative path for FileMaker Pro files
- Relaxed rules for mapping fields and relationships when importing scripts
- Dynamic field name matching in data import scripts
- Import more graphics file formats
- Increased productivity with FileMaker Server
- Prevent users from changing passwords
- Prevent users from creating databases
- Validation of the number of characters in a field
- Open a FileMaker Pro database via a URL (Mac OS)
- Web publishing enhancements
- Backward compatibility
- New features in FileMaker Pro 5
- Hands-on, task-oriented tutorial
- New features in FileMaker Pro 5.5
- Lesson 1 FileMaker Pro basics
- Lesson 2 Browsing information
- Lesson 3 Finding and sorting records
- Lesson 4 Creating a database and entering records
- Lesson 5 Customizing what you see
- Lesson 6 Creating lists, mailing labels, and form letters
- Lesson 7 Simplifying data entry
- Lesson 8 Automating tasks with buttons and scripts
- Lesson 9 Creating and running reports
- Lesson 10 Making databases relational
- Lesson 11 Keeping your data safe
New features in FileMaker Pro 33
Prevent users from creating databases
FileMaker Pro 5.5 now lets network administrators set an option
during installation that prevents users from creating FileMaker Pro
databases. If you set the option during installation, FileMaker Pro
displays an alert message when users try to create a new database.
For more information, see www.filemaker.com, click the Support
button, and search the TechInfo Knowledge Base for personalization
file.
Validation of the number of characters in a field
FileMaker Pro 5.5 has an option to validate the number of characters
a user can enter in a Text, Number, Date, or Time field. A database
designer can use this feature to optimize data entry by ensuring that
data is correctly entered. Users receive an alert if they attempt to
enter a value outside the allowed value for the field type.
Open a FileMaker Pro database via a URL (Mac OS)
FileMaker Pro 5.5 provides you with the Get Remote URL Apple
event. This Apple event opens the Hosts dialog box. When a hosted
database is opened, its URL is returned, which can then be used with
the getURL Apple event to reopen the database as required.
Web publishing enhancements
Faster processing
The processing capability of the FileMaker Pro Web Companion has
increased for Instant Web Publishing. You should see significant
improvements in response time, for example, in the display of static
data and images.
In addition, the Web Companion now supports the HTTP 1.1
standard as well as HTTP 1.0.
Improvements to Table View
Improvements to Table View in Instant Web Publishing include
support for buttons in headers and footers, sorting by clicking
column headers, and uniform row heights despite differences in
container and text field sizes.
Using access privileges for record-by-record security on the Web
Web Companion security utilizes new features in FileMaker Pro 5.5,
including record-by-record access privileges.
Note See the Web Security.pdf document in the Web Security folder
for more information on protecting databases on the Web.
Scripts and Instant Web Publishing
FileMaker Pro 5.5 improves your ability to publish database
solutions on the Web by supporting more script steps and supporting
multiple step scripts. In a web browser, users can execute scripts
activated by a button on a layout. Over 20 script steps can now be
implemented in Instant Web Publishing, including New Record/
Request, Delete Record/Request, Perform Find, Sort, View as [View
as Table/Form/List], Open URL, and Go to Related Record.
FileMaker Pro 5.5 supports startup scripts that run the first time a
user accesses a database through Instant Web Publishing.