Development Guide
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 1 Introducing FileMaker Pro Advanced
- Chapter 2 Creating database solutions
- Chapter 3 Customizing database solutions
- Chapter 4 Debugging, analyzing, and optimizing files
- 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
- Appendix A Feature comparison of the runtime application with FileMaker Pro
- Index
Chapter 2
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Creating database solutions 13
Distributing runtime solutions
The final steps in developing your runtime database solution are to
bundle all of the necessary files together, choose how you will distribute
your solution—for example, on a CD-ROM or over a network—and
provide your users with documentation for installing your solution. In
addition, your documentation should include instructions for starting
the runtime application and what to do if a file is damaged.
Organizing solution components
When you bind your database files into a runtime database solution,
the Developer Utilities create a new solution folder and place the
runtime application, the bound primary and auxiliary database files,
and an Extensions folder inside it. For Windows runtime solutions
there are also required Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files.
Note When you move multiple files into one folder to create a
runtime solution, be aware that your internal links are affected. For
this reason, every data source must include a path that is just the
filename of the file being referenced. Although the runtime
application will check other data sources, it will then be able to find
the file in the same folder in which it resides. You can still keep any
absolute or relative paths in the same data source reference in case the
files are also used in FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Pro Advanced.
Important These files and folders must not be renamed.
For details on the contents of the Mac OS X runtime application
package and the Windows Extensions folder and DLLs, see Help.
If your runtime database solution requires custom files, you should
provide the files with the runtime files. Plug-ins should be stored in
the Extensions folder. If a developer uses a font not found on a user’s
system, the runtime application will make a font substitution. If a font
is included with the runtime, provision should be made for its
installation through the installer program. See
“Using a custom
installation program” below.
In addition to the runtime files, you will need to provide installation
instructions for your users. For more information on documenting
developer solutions, see Help.
Windows solution folder Mac OS X solution folder
Runtime application
Runtime application
package
Bound primary and
auxiliary solution files
Bound primary and
auxiliary solution files
Extensions
Dictionaries
DLLs generated during
binding
Example of Windows and Mac OS X solution contents for distribution
Extensions
Dictionaries
language resource
folders