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
Appendix A
Feature comparison of the runtime application
with
FileMaker Pro
When you double-click the FileMaker Pro application icon to start the
application, the New Database dialog box opens and you can choose
a database file. When you start a FileMaker
Pro runtime application,
the primary bound database file opens automatically.
Other key differences between the runtime application and
FileMaker
Pro include the following:
1 All the database design features have been removed or hidden in
the runtime application.
These include the Define Database, Define Value Lists, Define File
References, and Define Accounts & Privileges dialog boxes, Layout
mode
, and ScriptMaker.
1 Custom functions and custom menus created with FileMaker Pro
Advanced will work in the runtime application, although users of the
runtime application cannot modify or create new custom functions or
custom menus.
1 Some other menu commands have been removed from the runtime
application.
For example, you can’t use the runtime application to create, open, or
close a database. (Bound runtime database files must contain a custom
button or script to close or open other files. There is no close
command on a runtime database window.)
1 FileMaker Pro Help is not available in the runtime application.
However, the Help menu and the Runtime menu can contain custom
Help and About menu commands.
1 Some tools are not available on the toolbars in Browse mode, Find
mode, and Preview mode in the runtime application.
1 External function plug-ins can be enabled in the Preferences dialog
box.
1 Although the XML Data filter appears as an option for the Convert
File script step, you can’t convert XML files using this script step in a
runtime application.
1 FileMaker Pro File Sharing, serving a database on the web, or
communicating with a Java applet requires FileMaker
Pro or
FileMaker
Pro Advanced. You can, however, use a compatible
version of FileMaker Server to serve runtime solution files.
1 Apple events are supported but OLE automation is not supported
in the runtime application on Windows machines.
Application and document preferences
In the runtime application, the following options are not available on
the General tab of the Preferences dialog box:
1 Show templates in New Database dialog checkbox
1 Show recently opened files checkbox