FileMaker 11 ® Instant Web Publishing Guide
© 2004–2010 FileMaker, Inc. All Rights Reserved. FileMaker, Inc. 5201 Patrick Henry Drive Santa Clara, California 95054 FileMaker is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. The file folder logo is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. FileMaker documentation is copyrighted. You are not authorized to make additional copies or distribute this documentation without written permission from FileMaker.
Contents Chapter 1 About publishing FileMaker Pro databases on the web About this guide Instant Web Publishing requirements Connecting to the internet or an intranet About hosting databases with FileMaker Pro About hosting databases with FileMaker Server Advanced Publishing files from previous versions of FileMaker Pro Chapter 2 Publishing your database on the web Sharing a database with Instant Web Publishing Choosing a language for Instant Web Publishing Specifying a port number for web publishing Checki
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Chapter 4 Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing Tips for designing layouts for Instant Web Publishing Tips for rendering layouts in Instant Web Publishing Design considerations for List View and Table View Tips for working with data in a web browser General database design considerations Working with graphics, sounds, and movies on the web Setting the initial layout and view Hiding the status area to customize the interface Specifying the sort order for w
Chapter 1 About publishing FileMaker Pro databases on the web With FileMaker® Pro, you can display your databases on the web in a variety of ways. This makes your data: 1 available to many people using a compatible web browser, anywhere in the world. (You can, however, restrict access to files.) 1 accessible from many locations, for example, while traveling or working remotely. There are three ways to publish your data using FileMaker Pro.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Data from a FileMaker layout displayed in a web browser with Instant Web Publishing About this guide This guide provides information about the Instant Web Publishing and static web publishing features in FileMaker Pro.
Chapter 1 | About publishing FileMaker Pro databases on the web 7 1 a web browser for testing database access (see “Requirements for accessing FileMaker databases on the web” on page 17) Important You cannot enable Instant Web Publishing in FileMaker Pro if FileMaker Server or FileMaker Server Advanced is also running on the same computer.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Publishing files from previous versions of FileMaker Pro Because versions 9, 10, and 11 of FileMaker Pro share the same format, FileMaker Pro 11 can open FileMaker Pro 9 and 10 files without converting them. You can even use FileMaker Pro 11 files with FileMaker Pro 9 and 10. However, any layout that contains new features will not be supported in Instant Web Publishing when you open the file in FileMaker Pro 9 or 10.
Chapter 2 Publishing your database on the web With FileMaker Pro, it is easy to share your database on the web dynamically with Instant Web Publishing, or statically, by exporting data as HTML or XML. If you are connected to a LAN or WAN, you can share your file without requiring additional software. To share files over the internet, contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for internet access and information about hosting a database.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide 4. Choose which users can access the file. Choose this To provide access to these users All users Anyone who has the IP address or domain name of your computer hosting the database. Specify users by privilege set Allows select users access to the database. Users must enter their account name and password defined in the Manage Security dialog box. No users This default setting prevents any user from accessing the database with Instant Web Publishing.
Chapter 2 | Publishing your database on the web 11 Choosing a language for Instant Web Publishing You can choose a language for the Instant Web Publishing interface, tooltips, and onscreen Help. Choosing or changing the language has no effect on your actual data. To specify the language, open the Instant Web Publishing dialog box, select the language to display in the status area, then click OK.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Changing the port number on Mac OS X The first time you enable Instant Web Publishing, Mac OS X requests permission to make a one-time change to your computer’s setting to facilitate web publishing on a port number below 1024. For security reasons, Mac OS X restricts access to ports below 1024. To configure FileMaker Pro to use ports below 1024, you must provide an administrator password, such as the passphrase created when you first set up Mac OS X.
Chapter 2 | Publishing your database on the web 13 Disconnecting inactive web accounts You can specify the amount of time web users remain connected to the database when their session, or connection to the web server, is idle. Sessions are considered idle when web users do not submit requests from the web browser, such as finding, creating, or submitting changes, changing layouts, and so on.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Using a custom home page To replace the default Database Homepage, place an HTML file named iwp_home.html in the Web folder inside the FileMaker Pro folder. Web users are returned to this page when they log out of a session or the session times out.
Chapter 2 | Publishing your database on the web 15 General steps for publishing static data With static publishing, you export data to a web page, then add the web page to your existing web site. Web users connect to your web site, not to your database. To publish static data from FileMaker Pro: 1. Find the appropriate records, then choose File menu > Export Records, and choose HTML Table or XML. 1 Choose HTML Table to generate a table of data that can be viewed by supported web browsers.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide
Chapter 3 Working with FileMaker databases on the web FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing automatically provides web pages and forms for interacting with your database. Web users click buttons in the status area to browse, find, sort, add, edit, and delete records. When you enable Instant Web Publishing and share files, anyone who has an account for a database and knows the IP address or domain name where it is hosted can access the file.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Accessing a FileMaker database on the web To access the Database Homepage, web users open the web browser, then type the IP address of the host computer. Type the IP address or domain name in the browser window 1 In some cases, web users can type the domain and host name of your computer instead of the IP address, for example http://accounts.yourcompany.com. Or, they can type the host name, like http://yourcompany.com.
Chapter 3 | Working with FileMaker databases on the web 19 Logging in to a file When opening a database, web users may be prompted for their account information. Forms-based login page 1 If the Guest account and at least one other account that requires authentication both have the Instant Web Publishing extended privilege enabled, web users have the option to log in with the Guest account or an account name and password.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Working with data in Instant Web Publishing Web users interact with databases on the web in Browse or Find mode. All the features that enable web users to interact with your database, for example, entering, editing, deleting, and finding records, are accessible from the status area.
Chapter 3 | Working with FileMaker databases on the web 21 Viewing and modifying records in Browse mode In Browse mode, web users perform tasks by clicking a button in the status area.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Finding records In Find mode, web users have most of the same searching capabilities as FileMaker Pro desktop users. They can: 1 1 1 1 1 create find requests duplicate find requests delete find requests show all records extend (broaden) or constrain (narrow) the found set Note Web users cannot save a found set of records (called a snapshot link in FileMaker Pro) and they cannot access saved find requests.
Chapter 3 | Working with FileMaker databases on the web 23 Logging out of a database and closing a web session When web users are finished working with a database, it is important that they click the Log Out button in the status area and quit the web browser application. If they close browser windows or quit the browser application before logging out, their session is still open.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Differences between FileMaker Pro and Instant Web Publishing The status area in Instant Web Publishing is very similar to the status toolbar in FileMaker Pro. Web users can switch between Browse and Find mode, choose layouts and views, and much more.
Chapter 3 | Working with FileMaker databases on the web 25 Benefits to accessing databases with FileMaker Pro Although accessing a database from the web is very similar to FileMaker Pro, it is not as responsive as accessing a database from a FileMaker Pro network client: 1 There are no customization features available on the web. Although web users can choose layouts and different layout views, they cannot add, delete, or modify fields, layouts, scripts, relationships, and so on.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide 5. For Authentication, select Specify user name and password (applies to all users) and enter the user name and password for the external ODBC data source. 6. Click OK. For more information on external ODBC data sources, see FileMaker Pro Help.
Chapter 4 Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing With FileMaker Pro, data displayed on a web form with Instant Web Publishing looks and behaves similarly to a FileMaker layout. When you design solutions that are accessed on the web, there are some limitations of the technologies that you should be aware of. For example, FileMaker Pro layouts are rendered on the web using Cascading Style Sheets, which doesn’t offer graphics support as robust as the FileMaker Pro application.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide 1 Complex or layered pictures are not rendered properly. It’s best to create composite pictures in a drawing program, then paste the image into the FileMaker Pro layout. 1 If your images have transparent components, use the GIF file format. 1 For forms and reports, make fields large enough to display and print the data. In the web browser, fields do not expand when they are active and the field contents do not wrap.
Chapter 4 | Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing 29 Design considerations for List View and Table View With Instant Web Publishing, users can dynamically choose a layout view to interact with data on the current layout (provided that you make the layout view available in the Layout Setup dialog box).
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide 1 If your layout contains a portal, related records also display in a web browser within a portal, provided that the related file or table is also shared with Instant Web Publishing. When you submit a record containing a portal you might be notified that another user has modified one of the records since you loaded the page. If this occurs, refresh your page and submit the data again. If this is a likely scenario, consider using portals as “read only” forms.
Chapter 4 | Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing 31 1 When hosting a database with FileMaker Server Advanced, only use plug-ins that have been enabled for the FileMaker Server Web Publishing Engine. (In general, a plug-in designed for use only with FileMaker Pro will not be compatible with the Web Publishing Engine.) For information on installing plug-ins on FileMaker Server Advanced, see the FileMaker Server Getting Started Guide, included with FileMaker Server Advanced.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Hiding the status area to customize the interface FileMaker Pro automatically generates interface controls in the status area for interacting with databases shared with Instant Web Publishing. These controls allow the user to create, alter, and delete records; switch views and modes when accessing databases via a web browser; find and sort records; open HTML Help; and so on.
Chapter 4 | Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing 33 Web viewer design considerations If your FileMaker Pro solution contains web viewers, consider the following points for Instant Web Publishing: 1 Content in a web viewer may have unintended effects on Instant Web Publishing. Therefore you must test the websites you want to display within a web viewer.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide FileMaker scripts and Instant Web Publishing The Manage Scripts feature in FileMaker Pro is useful for automating frequently performed tasks, or for combining several tasks. When used in Instant Web Publishing, it can allow web users to perform more tasks, or to easily perform a series of tasks simply by clicking a button. FileMaker Pro supports over 75 script steps with Instant Web Publishing.
Chapter 4 | Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing 35 1 If your scripts contain steps that are unsupported, for example, steps that are not web-compatible, use the Allow User Abort script step to determine how subsequent steps are handled. 1 If the Allow User Abort script step option is enabled (On), unsupported script steps will stop the script from continuing.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Script behavior in Instant Web Publishing The following script steps function differently on the web than in FileMaker Pro. For information on all script steps, see FileMaker Pro Help. Script step Behavior in Instant Web Publishing Perform Script Scripts cannot perform in other files, unless the files are open and shared with Instant Web Publishing on the host or server machine. Allow User Abort Determines how unsupported script steps are handled.
Chapter 4 | Designing a database for Instant Web Publishing 37 Creating a script to log out of a database and close the session It is important that web users properly close their session by clicking the Log Out button in the status area. If they close browser windows or quit the browser before clicking the Log Out button, their session is still open. This might prevent others from accessing the database and could make data vulnerable to hackers until the specified time out occurs.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Documenting your solution Instant Web Publishing cannot cover the nuances of how web users should interact with your particular databases. It’s helpful if you can provide your own documentation, especially if you’re presenting a lot of layouts and automating tasks with scripted buttons. You should include the following information in your documentation: 1 Browsing and finding records: Let web users know that they work with data in Browse mode or Find mode.
Chapter 5 Testing, monitoring, and securing your site Before notifying users that your published database is available, it is important to verify that it looks and functions as you expect. 1 Test features like finding, adding, deleting, and sorting records with different accounts and privilege sets. 1 Verify that various privilege sets are performing as expected by logging in with different accounts. Make sure unauthorized users can’t access or modify your data.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide 2. For Advanced Options, click Specify, then enable the log files you want to create. Select To track In this file Script errors Information about errors generated when web users execute scripts (for example, Instant Web Publishing documents script steps that are skipped if they’re not web-compatible) application.log Web publishing errors General information about errors generated when accessing or interacting with web-shared databases application.
Chapter 5 | Testing, monitoring, and securing your site 41 1 If an account limits record-by-record browse privileges but does not limit the privilege to delete records, it is possible for users to delete records they cannot view. 1 If the same account opens related files, the related data is displayed on layouts containing related fields. 1 Instant Web Publishing uses the accounts and privilege sets defined in FileMaker Pro for the best security.
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide
Index A access privileges See Accounts and Privileges account names and passwords, character set restrictions 30 Accounts and Privileges extended privileges 10 Guest account 19 limiting layouts 27 scripts 34 setting 10 testing 39 ActiveX 25 Allow User Abort script step 35, 36 Apache, hosting Instant Web Publishing databases 37 Apple events 25 authentication external FileMaker data sources 26 external SQL data sources 25 forms-based in IWP 19 B Browse mode capabilities 21 Instant Web Publishing 21 browser,
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide F FileMaker data sources, external 26 FileMaker Pro differences with Instant Web Publishing 24 hosting databases 7 Instant Web Publishing 9 maximum number of web connections 12 preventing opening databases with earlier versions 8 publishing files from previous versions 8 publishing static web pages 14 setting starting layout 31 web access requirements 18 FileMaker Pro Advanced custom menus 31 FileMaker Pro databases, accessing from the web 17 FileMaker Pro layouts
| Index 45 List View designing for 29 differences with FileMaker 25, 29 log files archiving 40 creating 39 folder locations 39 logging options 40 monitoring web activity 39 securing 40 Log Out button 23, 35 importance 23 script 37 login page 19 port number appending to IP address 18 changing 11 configuring 18 Mac OS X 12 specifying for web publishing 11 portals, restrictions 30 preventing opening databases with earlier versions 8 protected related files, unauthorized 30 publishing databases connecting t
FileMaker Instant Web Publishing Guide Select Window script step 36 session, logging out 23 Set Error Capture script step 36 Set Web Viewer script step 33, 36 Show/Hide Status Area script step 32 Slider 21 snapshot link 22 sort order, specifying 32 Sort Records script step 36 SQL data sources, external 25 SSL encryption 7, 23 static IP address 13 static publishing 14 status area changing language in 11 hiding 23, 32 Submit button 21, 30 T tab order 29 tab panels 29, 31 Table View designing for 29 diff
