User manual

Chapter 14
Publishing databases on the Web
With FileMaker Pro, you can make your data available on the Web.
For example, you can publish an events calendar, so that customers
can access the information using a web browser.
This chapter explains:
1 how web users can access and work with your data on the Internet
or an intranet
1 what web users need to access databases
1 what you need to publish databases
1 how to publish your databases using FileMaker Pro Instant Web
Publishing
About publishing databases on the Web
With FileMaker Pro, you can publish your databases on the World
Wide Web (or an intranet) using FileMaker Pro Web Companion.
You don’t need any additional software—anyone with web browser
software and access to the Internet or an intranet can view, edit, sort,
or search your database, if you give them access privileges.
Note FileMaker Pro documentation uses the term publishing on the
Web to refer to databases that users can access on the Internet or on
an intranet.
You can publish a database on the Web to:
1 make your data available to many people, using almost any kind of
computer, anywhere in the world. (You can, however, restrict access
to the file.)
1 access your data from many locations, for example, while traveling
or working at home.
Web terminology
Before publishing your database, you should understand the
following concepts.
This term Means
Internet A network of computers joined by data lines that
communicate using common software standards. The
World Wide Web is part of the Internet.
Intranet A network of computers used to share information within
one company or workgroup. For example, a corporate
intranet can connect world-wide sales offices. Intranets
can be linked to the Internet.
World Wide Web A large collection of documents, or pages, stored on
computers called web servers.
Web server A computer that is connected to the Internet or an intranet,
and has a web server application installed on it. Web
server applications deliver web pages and associated files
to web browsers. The FileMaker Pro Web Companion is
a web server application.
Web page A document that resides on a web server. Web pages
contain HTML.
Hypertext Markup
Language (HTML)
A system of codes or tags that define how a web browser
displays information in a web page.
Web site A group of web pages that are linked together on a web
server.
Home page The first web page that users see when they connect to a
web site.
Web browser A software application that displays web pages. Internet
Explorer and Netscape Navigator are browsers.