Filemaker Pro Lesson

Instant Web Publishing:

Creating A Web-enabled Database

This exercise requires the file club_spc.fp7.

Formatting a Database for the Web

First, limit the number of fields included in each layout in order to speed up data processing. If you have a large number of fields, the viewer will still have to wait for all the data in all the fields to load before viewing the information even if only a few of the fields are actually pertinent to the viewer.

Second, conform to Web standards when naming files, fields, and layouts.

• Use underscores instead of spaces. Filenames with spaces in them cannot be read by browsers and servers, so using an underscore between words allows your file to be accessed.
• Use lowercase letters. Many servers are case sensitive and will not recognize a name if it is not typed exactly as it had been saved. By using all lowercase letters, you can avoid having to worry about capitalization everytime you use the file
• Follow the 8.3 naming convention. Some operating systems will truncate a file name if the body of it is longer than 8 letters, and not read the intended file, because the name has been changed. To avoid this, make the body of your filenames no longer than 8 characters, and the extension (if any) no more than 3.

Serving Files - Any workstation running Filemaker Pro can publish open files to the web. A standard Filemaker Pro 7 client will permit up to 5 concurrent web connections at a time. To serve a higher number of concurrent web browsers, you will need to purchase Filemaker Pro Advanced Server. It will enable up to 100 concurrent web connections. With the importance place on security these days, however, your workstation or server may be protected by a firewall application. To enable communication to and from your Filemaker application, you will need to remove communication blocking from the port Filemaker pro uses to send and receive data.

Potential hackers often attempt to co-opt the default web port 80, so I recommend configuring Filemaker to use some other TCP/IP port for web sharing.

1. To configure your Windows XP Service Pack 2 firewall, select Start -> Control Panel and double click on the Windows Firewall icon.

2. On the Exceptions tab, look for Filemaker Web Publishing in the list of applications and check the checkbox next to it and click OK.

3. If you do not see Filemaker Web Publishing on the list, click the Add Port button. Enter Filemaker Web Publishing as the program name and 591 as the port number.

We now have our workstation firewall configured to allow Filemaker Pro web sharing. Now we need to configure our Filemaker application to serve open files.

4. Choose File -> Open. Select the "club_spc.fp7 and click "OK".

5. Select Edit -> Sharing -> Instant Web Publishing

6. Select the "On" radio button then click the Advanced Options: Specify button.

7. Type 591 in the TCP/IP Port Number box and set your Disconnect inactive accounts to an appropriate number. I recommend 5.

Notice that you can also restrict database access to specific IP addresses. Click OK. In the Instant Web Publishing dialog box, note the URL for your web publishing instant menu.

8. Launch your web browser and type the URL into your location box and press Enter. You should now see the Instant Web Publishing menu with a link to your open file club_spc.

Although the menu says Filemaker web publishing is designed to work with Internet Explorer 6, there is a new FM7 v.3 updater that makes Filemaker web publishing compatible with Mozilla Firefox and Opera as well. It is also compatible with the MacIntosh browser Safari.

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Last updated: 12/28/2004