need suggestion between choose webdirect or CWP

May 5, 20178 yr

Hi,

We are currently using File-maker server 14 along with Pro(250 License) and Pro advanced( 1 license). In this we are also using webdirect for few reports and data entry and no. of users are less than 25.

But i am thinking to replace Webdirect to CWP by PHP. So i need suggestion on it as my business scenario. Also we are not good in PHP, for CWP definitly we would be require PHP expertise resource.

So 1 side webdirect with 25 License cost and 2nd side implement CWP using PH resource by requiring all related technical specification of it.

Please suggest.

May 5, 20178 yr

CWP does not need to be through PHP. If your company has other technologies they prefer (.NET, Ruby, Python,...) then those can be used to create custom web sites too and communicate with FMS through ODBC, JDBC, the XML API (and all the wrappers for the XML api that people have built like fmDotNet, Rfm PyMaker,...)

As to the choice: WebD requires very beefy servers and has some real upper limits to the # of users. And the solution has to be optimized a lot to make it work good. But the upside is that those are all just FM skills and it keeps your code in FM.

CWP is infinitely more scalable but requires a different skill set.

May 5, 20178 yr

Author

Thanks Wim, Quite interesting that we have fmDotNet kind of .net platform by which we can implement CWP. I am eager to learn this. DO we have any stuff related to fmDotNet to learn? as on google , i just found 2 line of detail only.

Thanks,

May 5, 20178 yr

The most recent branch is on GitHub: https://github.com/fuzzzerd/fmDotNet

from the original website (www.fmdotnet.org) you can download a sample application. It's pretty old but nothing much has changed in the XML API so it still works.

Nothing much to learn really; everything you need is in that sample app. It basically lets a .NET developer be comfortable talking to and exchanging data with FM; what gets back from his calls are native .NET DataSets.

Obvously a .NET developer could also choose to just use ODBC connections to FMS, as always there are many considerations to choose one over the other (speed, ease of deployment, ease of maintenance, client platform,...)