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

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Configuring Instant Web Publishing (IWP)

It's important to note here that every computer is set up differently. All instructions in this document are general instructions, and I have to tell you that there's no guarantee they'll work on your machine. They should work on most machines, but they might not on yours. If they don't, be aware that I can't afford to offer free tech support. Also, we're going to be making changes to your FileMaker Pro preferences. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, or you're working on the company computer and changing preferences might make someone unhappy, don't do it. With that said, let's attempt to get IWP cranked up. Open any standalone (non-relational) FileMaker database. If you don't have a database in mind, use one of FileMaker's templates, or go to my downloads page and download my example file called "ascii.fp5".

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Note: For this example, make sure no other databases are open except the one you're using for this test. It's simpler that way. Once this database is configured, you can open all the databases you like.

Once you have opened a database in FileMaker, select the Edit menu ("FileMaker Pro" menu for Mac OSX users), and choose Preferences > Application from that menu. A new window will appear, called "Application Preferences". You'll see four tabs across the top of this window, the last of which is labeled "Plug-ins". Select this tab, and click on the Plug-in titled "Web Companion". If the box to the left of the title "Web Companion" is not checked, check it now. Then click the "Configure..." button near the bottom of the window. At the top left of this window, there's a checkbox labeled "Enable Instant Web Publishing". Make sure this checkbox is checked. In the "Remote Administration" block below that section, select "Requires no password". In the "Security" section to the right of that block, select "FileMaker Pro Access Privileges", and make sure the "Restrict access to IP address(es)" box is un-checked. Write down the number in the "TCP/IP Port Number" field at the bottom of this window. The default is 80, but yours may be different. Now hit the "OK" button at the bottom of this window.

Now we need to tell FileMaker to web-share the data in this database. Choose the menu item File > Sharing, and make sure "Web Companion" is checked in the "Companion Sharing" section. If you're using my ascii.fp5 file for this example, highlight "Web Companion" in the "Companion Sharing" section, and click the "Set Up Views" button. Choose the "Form View" tab in the resulting window, and select the layout "main" in the "Layout" drop-down menu. If you don't do this, you won't see much in the web version. Once that's done, click OK to exit this dialog box.

Testing Instant Web Publishing (IWP)

Whew -- did you get through all of that? If so, if you did it properly, and if someone hasn't altered your computer's stock settings, your FileMaker data is already web-shared. All you have to do now is open your web browser, and type one of the following links in your Location bar, where you'd normally enter a web address:

http://localhost:80
http://127.0.0.1:80

A few paragraphs ago I suggested that you write down your TCP/IP Port Number. If it's not 80, put the number you wrote down in place of the "80" at the end of either of these links. For example, if your TCP/IP Port Number were 555, you'd enter:

http://localhost:555
or
http:/127.0.0.1:555

You might ask why I've given you two addresses. Actually, they're basically the same; they're each looking for the machine you're using. The word "localhost" describes your computer, and is easier to remember for most people. If that address works, great. If not, try the numeric version.

If all goes well, when you type in one of the addresses above and hit Enter, you should see a screen with a listing of all the databases that are available via FileMaker. You can web-share multiple databases simultaneously, in which case they'd all be listed on this screen. If you're seeing this screen, click the link with the same name as the database you opened. When you do this, the database will open in your web browser, and should look quite similar to the FileMaker version. This is really a programming marvel, and is quite impressive. FileMaker's programmers should be congratulated for this feat. Anyway, go ahead and play around with the interface elements of the web version of the database. You'll probably notice that some elements respond the way they do in the standard version, and others don't. Even though IWP is really great, it's rather limited. Only very simple databases can be effectively shared using IWP. If you want real control, you have to use Custom Web Publishing, which starts with CDML. This is as far as we'll go in our discussion of IWP. The hardest part about it is setting it up the first time.

Note: If you can't get IWP going, you're probably not going to be able to publish CDML pages, either. In that case, you can read the rest of this article, but you probably won't be able to see the examples in action from here forward. I hope very much that you're able to use all of these technologies with no problem at all, and I've worked hard to try to explain them so you can see them in action. If you've followed my instructions so far without success, you might consider booking a training session with me or another trainer, or getting help from a friend you know who is familiar with FileMaker's web publishing technologies. It can be tricky, so don't get discouraged if you can't get the IWP example running. Once you've configured everything properly, even if you have to get some help to do so, IWP and CDML are extremely cool and powerful. Don't let a setback or two keep you from using this excellent technology. You'll be glad you persevered when you see what they can do. As a wise trainer once said regarding learning new technology, "This is hard, and you are not dumb." Get a little help if you need it, and keep at it; you'll get it.

CDML -- Just Another Egghead Acronym

Why do computer geeks love to spit out acronyms? I always feel so sorry for the "lay-person" who gets stuck at a table with all the computer nerds. There's a whole language of acronyms and abbreviations that never fail to produce glassy stares on the faces of everyone but the propeller-heads. Anyway, CDML is just another one of those acronyms. It stands for "Claris Dynamic Markup Language". I think a much better name would have been "FileMaker Web Language", which is really what CDML is. Still, the "ML" at the end of CDML does give us a hint as to its origin. As you probably know by now, HTML stands for "HyperText Markup Language", which is the language used in most web pages. Of course, HTML also ends in "ML", which is what it immediately has in common with CDML. They're both markup languages. "What the heck is a markup language?", you might ask, at which I'd answer: "Who cares?". It's just another term that gives some "codeworms" (kind of like digital bookworms) an excuse to go into great detail and prove how smart they are. All we need to know is that HTML is web language, and so is CDML. We'll use them together to publish FileMaker data in web pages on the web, or even on an internal network.

In the Beginning was Lasso...

Well, not really, but Lasso did come before CDML. A company called BlueWorld offers a product called Lasso, which offers database developers an excellent set of tools which they can use to get their data out of their databases and onto the web. FileMaker is just one of the database applications Lasso supports. Lasso is an extensive language, arguably more so than FileMaker itself. Lasso now has its own scripting language, and has many, many commands and functions that we won't even attempt to cover here. What should be noted is that CDML is a small portion, or subset, of LDML (Lasso Data Markup Language), which code FileMaker basically "rents" from BlueWorld. FileMaker, Inc. needed a way to get FileMaker data on the web, so they paid BlueWorld for some of their technology. Some FileMaker gurus might dispute that explanation, but that's the gist of it. The reason it's important to know that is to add value to learning CDML. If you learn CDML, you're also learning the basics of LDML, which gives you a leg up if you decide to move up to Lasso at some point.

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Copyright 2003, Dave Dowling. All rights reserved.