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 1
Introducing FileMaker Pro Advanced
Welcome to FileMaker
®
Pro Advanced. This product includes
advanced development and customization tools designed especially
for database developers. You can use either FileMaker
Pro or
FileMaker Pro Advanced to create and test your database solutions.
In addition to all of the features that are available with FileMaker Pro,
FileMaker Pro Advanced includes:
1 Developer Utilities, for creating, customizing, and deploying
runtime database solutions
1 Database Design Report feature, for publishing comprehensive
documentation on structures or schemas of databases
1 Script Debugger, for systematic testing and debugging of
FileMaker scripts
1 Data Viewer, for monitoring fields, variables, and calculations
1 Copy feature, for copying fields or tables. You can also import
table schema for use within the same file or across different files.
1 Tooltip feature, for creating custom tooltips on layouts
1 Custom Menus feature, for creating customized menus for the
solution
1 File Maintenance feature, for compacting the size of database files
and improving their performance
1 Custom Functions feature, for creating custom functions for use
anywhere within the solution
About this guide
This Development Guide includes information about features that are
available with FileMaker Pro Advanced.
In addition, this guide gives an overview of how to create custom
layout themes and external function plug-ins.
See FileMaker Pro Help for detailed information on product features.
Using the FileMaker Pro Advanced
documentation
This Development Guide is one component in a comprehensive
documentation suite provided with FileMaker
Pro Advanced. Some
of the documents are provided in print and in portable document
format (PDF), while others are available in PDF only. FileMaker Pro
Advanced also includes an online Help system to provide details on
FileMaker Pro features.
This guide assumes that you are familiar with FileMaker Pro or
FileMaker
Pro Advanced, and that you have created a database
solution that you want to work on using the FileMaker
Pro Advanced
features. If you are new to the FileMaker family, start with the
FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.