User manual

14-6 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
1 To prevent a published database from displaying on the built-in
home page, do one of the following:
1 Rename the database to include an underscore character at the
end of the filename, before any filename extension (for example,
Orders_ or Orders_.fp5). If you change the filename, you may need
to change references to the file in relationships and scripts.
1 In the File Sharing dialog box, select Multi-User (Hidden). This
option also makes the file available via TCP/IP. See “Opening
files as the host” on page 13-3.
1 If you specify a layout for web publishing, web users can only
access the fields on the specified layout. However, knowledgeable
users can use features available with FileMaker Developer software
to change the layouts that they access. See “Choosing layouts for
web publishing” on page 14-12.
1 If you publish a layout with related fields, they appear when a web
user opens the master file. The related file opens with the privileges
associated with the master file’s password. See “Choosing layouts
for web publishing” on page 14-12 and “About relational databases”
on page 8-2.
1 If you have an open database on a host computer, but you don’t
want to publish it, be sure Web Companion Sharing isn’t enabled for
that database. See “Enabling Web Companion sharing” on
page 14-10.
Creating a custom home page
You can use a custom home page instead of the FileMaker Pro Web
Companion built-in home page. (See “How users work with
databases on the Web” on page 14-3.) For example, you can include
these items on your custom home page:
1 a link to your published database
1 a description of your database
1 your email address, or an automated email link, so users can
contact you
1 a company logo, or other graphics
To create a custom home page, you need software for editing HTML,
like a text editor or web page authoring application. When you name
the home page file, you must include the .htm or .html extension (for
example, company.htm or company.html).
After creating the home page, move it into the top level of the Web
folder in the FileMaker Pro 5 folder. Then, configure the Web
Companion to use your home page. See “Choosing a home page for
web publishing” on page 14-8.
Publishing databases on the Web:
an overview
After setting up your Internet or intranet connection, you can publish
your database.
Important Before publishing your database, be sure your data is
secure. See “Protecting published databases” on page 14-5.
Perform the following steps on a computer connected to the Internet
or an intranet via TCP/IP:
You only need to perform these steps once:
1. If you created a custom home page, move it into the top level of
the Web folder in the FileMaker Pro 5 folder. (See the previous
section, “Creating a custom home page.”)
2. Enable FileMaker Pro Web Companion plug-in. (See “Enabling
FileMaker Pro Web Companion” on page 14-7.)
3. Verify that Instant Web Publishing is enabled, (See “Enabling
Instant Web Publishing” on page 14-8.)
4. Verify the remaining Web Companion options, and make changes
if needed. (See “Configuring FileMaker Pro Web Companion” on
page 14-7.)