Development Guide

Chapter 2
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Creating database solutions 11
About creating runtime solutions
Use the Developer Utilities to produce a stand-alone runtime database solution that users can access without
running FileMaker
Pro or FileMaker Pro Advanced. The Developer Utilities create a copy of your files, and
bind the database file or files to a runtime application with a name that you specify.
Runtime applications do not have all the functionality and features of FileMaker Pro. For a complete list of
the differences between the runtime application and FileMaker
Pro, see appendix A, “Feature comparison
of the runtime application with FileMaker Pro.”
You may need to bind your database files several times before you prepare them for delivery to your users.
When you have completed development and the final version is bound and ready to distribute, you should
thoroughly test your runtime solution to ensure that it behaves as expected.
Note FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Pro Advanced allow you to include as many database tables as you
need in a database file. This capability eliminates one of the main reasons for using multiple files. However,
other elements, like scripts and access privileges, are stored at the file level and so some complex solutions
will still benefit from using multiple files.
Before you begin to build your database solution, you need to decide how users will interact with it. Your
database solution might have any of the following components:
1 a primary database file that connects all of the auxiliary files
1 scripts and buttons to open and close auxiliary files, return to the primary file, display a splash screen
layout at startup, or quit a runtime application
1 common elements and a consistent appearance for cross-platform solutions
1 tooltips and custom menus
1 a custom layout theme used for every file in the solution
1 an About layout to introduce your solution (required)
1 a custom Help system that provides usage tips for your solution
1 multiple privilege sets that can specify levels of access to layouts, menus, specific tables, record, fields,
and so on
1 password-protected accounts assigned to privilege sets that determine the level of access of account users
For information about what users need in order to use your runtime database solution, see “Distributing
runtime solutions” on page 13.
Converting and upgrading previous solutions
If you have developed a FileMaker Pro runtime database solution using the Solutions Development Kit
(SDK) for FileMaker
Pro 3.0 or earlier, the Binder utility in the FileMaker Pro 4.0 Developer Edition, or the
Developer Tool in FileMaker Developer 5.x and 6.0, you can upgrade your solution and provide your users
with the converted files. Files bound to a runtime application using the earlier tools must be rebound using
the Developer Utilities.
You must convert FileMaker Pro files created in version 6.0 or earlier to the new file format. You can convert
a single file or convert multiple files at once. For more information about converting files, see Help.