Development Guide
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1 Getting started
- Chapter 2 Customizing database solutions
- Chapter 3 Customizing menus
- Chapter 4 Creating custom layout themes
- Chapter 5 Developing third-party FileMaker plug-ins
- About external functions
- About the example plug-in
- Installing, enabling, and configuring the example plug-in
- Description of the FMExample plug-in’s external functions
- Using the example plug-in
- Customizing the plug-in example
- Requirements for writing external function plug-ins
- FileMaker messages sent to the plug-in
- Avoiding potential Mac OS X resource conflicts
- Providing documentation for your plug-in
- Registering your plug-in
- Chapter 6 Debugging, analyzing, and optimizing files
- Chapter 7 Using the Developer Utilities
- Overview of preparing your solution files
- Modifying database solution files
- Considerations for a runtime database solution
- Binding databases into runtime database solutions
- Saving and reusing Developer Utilities settings
- Converting and upgrading solution files
- Removing full access privileges from databases
- Chapter 8 Distributing runtime database solutions
- Appendix A Feature comparison of the runtime application with FileMaker Pro
- Index
80 FileMaker Pro Advanced Development Guide
To create an About layout:
1. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.
2. Choose Layouts menu > New Layout/Report.
3. Type About <your solution> in the Layout Name box.
Note For runtime database solutions, you must include the word
“About” in the layout name. You must also include certain specific
information in the layout. See
“Your responsibilities as a developer”
on page 82.
4. Select Blank Layout.
5. Click Finish.
6. Include in the layout your logo, other graphics, and your company
information.
7. Include text that notifies users if the solution files are protected
with passwords or if full access privileges have been removed.
See “Your responsibilities as a developer” on page 82 for the exact
legal wording.
8. Create a button that lets your users return to the main layout of the
primary file.
9. Choose Scripts menu > ScriptMaker and create a script that goes to
the About layout.
1 Include the word “About” in the script’s name.
10. Use the Custom Menus feature to create a menu command that
displays the About layout.
To display the About layout when the runtime application is started:
1. Open the primary file for the database solution.
2. Choose File menu > File Options > Open/Close.
3. Select Switch to layout and choose the About layout from the drop-
down list.
Creating a custom Help layout
Create a Help layout that provides instructions for how to use your
custom solution and add data to it. Then create a script in the primary
file of your solution to display the Help system. Use the Custom
Menus feature to make the script available as a command in the Help
menu. In order for your custom Help menu to display on Mac
OS, you
must start with an empty menu. See
“Creating and editing custom
menus” on page 23.
Example of an About layout