Dave's FileMaker® Pro Newsletter
FileMaker Data Parsing:
Separation, Commonality, and Distinction
by Dave Dowling, FileMaker database consultant

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Preface

Note: This article was written in May 2004. Since then FileMaker, Inc. has released new versions of their software which include and support new technologies. Even if you're using a newer version of FileMaker than v6, the concepts in this article may be of help to you, as many of the basic concepts still apply. However, the latest versions of FileMaker's software and associated web technologies are not covered here.
- Dave Dowling, FileMaker Pro trainer & author of this article

I'm often asked for information about "getting a FileMaker database on the web". FileMaker now offers numerous web technologies, some of which are on the way in, and others which are on the way out. Java, JavaScript, JDBC, XML, CDML, IWP, LDML, Web Security Databases -- all of these options can be confusing and daunting for the first-time FileMaker web enabler.

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This installment of Dave's FileMaker Newsletter will address only those FileMaker web technologies which are currently widely accepted and utilized, and which will deliver reliable web content for access from just about any web browser. In this article we'll try out Instant Web Publishing (a.k.a. IWP), we'll briefly touch on Lasso, and we'll cover a bit of CDML for those interested in creating full-featured custom FileMaker-driven web pages and sites. We'll just barely talk about the other web techs here, just long enough to explain why we're not really covering them.

What I recommend for those who wish to complete this tutorial:

1. An interest in publishing FileMaker data on the web
2. FileMaker Pro version 5, 5.5, or 6 (You may be able to get by with versions 3 and 4, but I don't recommend them)
3. A web browser, such as Netscape, Internet Explorer, or Safari
4. A plain text editor like TextEdit, BBEdit, WordPad, NotePad, SimpleText, etc.
5. If you're running Mac OSX, don't try this in Classic mode. If you don't have an OSX version of FileMaker, re-boot in OS9 before attempting the examples below. If you do have an OSX version of FileMaker, use it instead.

Those "Other" FileMaker Web Technologies

"FileMaker on the web" is a vast topic, at least where this forum is concerned. I simply don't have the time, and you probably don't have the patience, for a discourse on FileMaker's web capabilities. The purpose of this installment of Dave's FileMaker Newsletter is to help you get a small database web-enabled. We won't be discussing security, as that's a large and complicated topic that would eat up too much time and space here. We won't be talking about XML here, either. It's too confusing to present to the first-time FMPro web developer, and it's not supported by enough web browsers yet. Lasso is another huge topic that would fritter away a week of all of our time, and it's overkill for most developers, even for most professional FileMaker developers. What should be mentioned about Lasso is that it's the basis for the most complicated technology we'll discuss here, which is CDML. First, though, let's look at IWP. After you see what it can do, you may decide not to bother with CDML at all. IWP is quite powerful, and may suit your needs just fine.

Instant Web Publishing (IWP) -- It really is!

Some products claim to be "instant", like Instant Grits. Well, they're not instant. It takes a minute or so to make them, even after you get your bowl and spoon out and pour the grits and water in the bowl. To me, instant is right now! True Instant Grits would be piping hot and ready to eat as soon as you combined the ingredients in the bowl. Well, that's ludicrous to expect, of course; but they're the ones who claimed their grits were instant, right?! The good news is that FileMaker's Instant Web Publishing (IWP) really lives up to the "instant" part of its name. As soon as you complete the necessary steps to enable IWP, your data is available. You can't get to your web browser before your FileMaker data is available via the web. This is a very cool and powerful technology, although limited in functionality. Some things that can be done in a FileMaker database, like most script steps in ScriptMaker, can't be accomplished using IWP, at least in pre-7 versions. FMPro 7's IWP is more powerful than any of its predecessors, as one might expect. Still, you can do quite a bit with any version of IWP.

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Copyright 2003, Dave Dowling. All rights reserved.