Custom Web Publishing with XML and XSLT

Table Of Contents
Chapter 1
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Introducing Custom Web Publishing 13
Custom Web Publishing with PHP
The FileMaker API for PHP provides an object-oriented PHP interface to FileMaker databases. The
FileMaker API for PHP enables both data and logic stored in a FileMaker Pro database to be accessed and
published on the web, or exported to other applications. The API also supports complex and compound find
commands for extracting and filtering data stored in FileMaker Pro databases.
Originally designed as a procedural programming language, PHP has been enhanced as an object-oriented
web development language. PHP provides programming language functionality for constructing virtually
any type of logic within a site page. For example, you can use conditional logic constructs to control page
generation, data routing, or workflow. PHP also provides for site administration and security.
In addition, you can use FileMaker PHP Site Assistant to create PHP code that contains all of the necessary
prerequisites and functions for properly accessing data in a FileMaker Pro database. PHP Site Assistant
generates a multiple-page website that enables web users to search a database, view a list of records, browse
records, sort records, add records, edit records, duplicate records, delete records, and view a summary
report. FileMaker developers who have little PHP experience can use PHP Site Assistant to generate a
complete PHP website. PHP developers who have little experience with FileMaker can use PHP Site
Assistant to understand the FileMaker API for PHP objects and methods.
Custom Web Publishing with XML and XSLT
FileMaker Custom Web Publishing with XML enables you to send query requests to a FileMaker Pro
database hosted by FileMaker Server, and display, modify, or manipulate the resulting data. Using an HTTP
request with the appropriate query commands and parameters, you can retrieve FileMaker data as an XML
document. You can then export the XML data to other applications, or apply an XSLT stylesheet to the XML
data.
FileMaker Custom Web Publishing with XSLT lets you transform, filter, or format XML data for web
browsers or other applications. You can:
1 use an XSLT stylesheet to transform the data between a FileMaker XML grammar and another XML
grammar in other applications or databases.
1 filter the data by controlling which database fields are published by the stylesheet.
1 format how the data is presented in a web page, and control how the web user interacts with the data.
The Web Publishing Engine uses your stylesheets to obtain data from a FileMaker database whenever a web
user sends an HTTP request and a URL that references one of your XSLT stylesheets. The Web Publishing
Engine uses a stylesheet to transform and format the XML data, and generates the resulting HTML page
that the web user can work with.
In addition, you can use FileMaker XSLT Site Assistant to create basic XSLT stylesheets as a starting point
for Custom Web Publishing with XSLT. XSLT Site Assistant generates stylesheets for pages that search the
database, browse one record at a time, list the records in the database, sort records, add records, edit records,
duplicate records, delete records, and display a summary report.