Custom Web Publishing Guide

20 FileMaker Server Advanced Custom Web Publishing Guide
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.
1 If the Guest account is enabled and has a privilege set enabled that includes a Custom Web Publishing
extended privilege, all web users automatically open the database with the access privileges assigned to
the Guest account. If the Custom Web Publishing extended privilege is assigned to the Guest account:
1 Web users are not prompted for an account name and password when opening a file.
1 All web users will automatically log in with the Guest account and assume the Guest account
privileges. You can let users change their login accounts from a web browser with the Re-Login script
step (for example, to switch from the Guest account to an account with more privileges).
1 The default privilege set for Guest accounts provides “read-only” access. You can change the default
privileges, including Extended Privileges, for this account. See FileMaker Pro Help.
1 Web users generally cannot modify their account password from a web browser. It is possible, however,
to build this functionality into your database with the Change Password script step (to enable web users
to change their password). See FileMaker
Pro Help.
Protecting your published databases
When using Custom Web Publishing with XML or XSLT, you can limit who can access your published
databases.
1 Assign passwords to database accounts that are used for Custom Web Publishing.
1 Enable Custom Web Publishing with XML or XSLT only in the privilege sets for accounts that you want
to allow access to your published databases.
1 To enable or disable a type of Custom Web Publishing technology for an individual database, set the
extended privilege.
1 To enable or disable a type of Custom Web Publishing technology for all Custom Web Publishing
solutions in the Web Publishing Engine, use the Administration Console. See
FileMaker Server
Advanced Web Publishing Installation Guide
.
1 You can configure your web server to restrict the IP addresses that can access your databases via the Web
Publishing Engine. For example, you can specify that only web users from the IP address
192.168.100.101 can access your databases. For information on restricting IP addresses, see the
documentation for your web server.
1 You can use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption for communications between your web server and
web users’ browsers. SSL encryption converts information exchanged between servers and clients into
unintelligible information through the use of mathematical formulas known as ciphers. These ciphers are
then used to transform the information back into understandable data through encryption keys. For
information on enabling and configuring SSL, see the documentation for your web server.
For more information on securing your published databases, see FileMaker Security Guide.