Custom Web Publishing Guide

Table Of Contents
Chapter 2
Preparing databases for Custom Web Publishing
Before you can use Custom Web Publishing with a database, there are some steps you must take to prepare the
database and protect it from unauthorized access.
Enabling Custom Web Publishing in a database
You must enable Custom Web Publishing in each database you want to publish. You can individually enable
either Custom Web Publishing with XML or Custom Web Publishing with XSLT, or you can enable both
technologies in each database. If you don’t enable one or both of these technologies in the database, web users
won’t be able to use Custom Web Publishing to access the database even if it is hosted by FileMaker Server
that is configured to support a Web Publishing Engine.
To enable Custom Web Publishing for a database:
1. In FileMaker Pro, open the database you want to publish using an account that has the Full Access privilege
set. Alternatively, you can open the database using an account that has the Manage Extended Privileges
access privileges.
2. Create a new extended privilege using one of the following keywords for the type of Custom Web
Publishing technology you want to allow for the database:
1 To allow Custom Web Publishing with XML, enter this keyword: fmxml
1 To allow Custom Web Publishing with XSLT, enter this keyword: fmxslt
For information on how to create a new extended privilege, see FileMaker Pro Help.
3. Assign the new extended privilege to one or more privilege sets.
4. Assign the privilege set(s) that include the Custom Web Publishing extended privilege to one or more
accounts, or to the Admin or Guest account.
Note When defining account names and passwords for Custom Web Publishing solutions, use printable ASCII
characters, for example a-z, A-Z, and 0-9. For more secure account names and passwords, include punctuation
characters such as “!” and “%,” but do not include colons. For information on setting up accounts, see
FileMaker Pro Help.
When web users use Custom Web Publishing to access a protected database
When using a Custom Web Publishing solution to access a database, web users may be prompted for their
account information. If the Guest account for the database is disabled or does not have a privilege set enabled
that includes a Custom Web Publishing extended privilege, the Web Publishing Engine uses HTTP Basic
Authentication to request authentication from web users. The web user’s browser displays the HTTP Basic
Authentication dialog box for the user to enter a user name and password for an account that has a Custom
Web Publishing extended privilege.
Here is a summary of what happens when a web user uses a Custom Web Publishing solution to access a
database:
1 If you have not assigned a password for an account, web users only specify the account name.
1 If the Guest account is disabled, then users will be prompted for account name and password when they
access the database. The account must have a Custom Web Publishing extended privilege enabled.