Script Steps Reference

FILEMAKER SCRIPT STEPS REFERENCE 153
Options
• Perform without dialog prevents the “Open URL” Options dialog box from displaying when
the script step executes.
• Click Specify to display the “Open URL” Options dialog box, where you can type the URL
directly in the text entry area or click Specify to create your URL from a calculation.
Compatibility
This script step is supported in web publishing but not in a FileMaker Server scheduled script.
Originated in
FileMaker Pro 6.0 or earlier
Description
Windows:
Open URL supports http, https, ldap, ldaps, ftp, file, and mailto URL types. For example, if the
URL starts with http, FileMaker
Pro opens the user's web browser and processes the URL.
Note FileMaker Pro uses the preferences stored in the Windows system file URL.DLL to determine
the application to handle the URL. The URL is then passed to ShellExecute for execution.
Mac OS:
If the user has configured the internet system preferences, this script step allows the user to open a
URL. Open URL supports http, https, ldap, ldaps, ftp, file, and mailto URL types, using the
applications specified in either the control panel or system preferences. For example, if the URL
starts with http, FileMaker
Pro opens the user's web browser and processes the URL.
Examples
The following example opens the user's web browser and displays the FileMaker, Inc. homepage
(the URL specified when the Open URL script step was defined).
Open URL [No dialog; "http://www.filemaker.com/"]
The following example opens Windows Notepad and opens the file My_File.txt on the root level of
the user's hard disk.
Open URL [No dialog; "file://c:/My_File.txt"]
The following example launches the preferred email application, opens a new email message, and
uses the value in the Email Address field to address the message. The email address must start
with mailto:.
Open URL [No dialog; "mailto:email address"]
You can also use the Open URL script step to open a shared FileMaker Pro file running on another
system, as follows:
Open URL [No dialog; "fmp7://system:user@testlab-mac/testdb"]
where `system' is the FileMaker Pro account name, `user' is the password, `testlab-mac' is a DNS
entry for the machine where the file resides (you can also use an IPv4 or IPv6 address for this
parameter), and `testdb' is the FileMaker Pro filename.
Important Account name and password information entered in an Open URL script step is visible
to users with script editing access privileges, and is therefore not secure.