FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited and HTML

[netizen]

I work for a web development company and we have a customer who would like to use FileMaker Pro 5 Unlimited for their database.

We noticed that FM Pro 5 Unlimited creates the necessary web pages for you.

Does this mean that FM automatically creates the web pages HTML and ASP code?

Also, if it does do all the code for you, does it support previous browsers like IE3 etc?

If not, how much does the ASP code vary when compared to ASP code for an MS Access '97 database?

If anyone could help us it would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Kingston]

Yes, you can use Instant Web Publishing to have FileMaker create Web pages for you. However, the results can be disappointing and it gives you little control over the look of the pages. This has improved with version 5's use of Cascading Style Sheets, but as you suspect this creates problems with older browsers (in the case of FMP 5's Instant Web Publishing style sheets there are problems with anything other than IE 4 and 5). Usually older browsers will just revert to a default look that may not look anything like you intended. If want more control over the look of your pages, the use of CDML or, with version 5, XML is required.

[netizen]

Thanks Kingston.

Could I let FM 5 make the web page for me and then take the required code out of that page and place it into my own personal page? Would this work or are there complications?

Thanks again.

Ben.

[Kingston]

Ben,

I haven't been able to get at the code that Instant Web Publishing actually creates. You can copy the source from your browser, but this is after it has been processed by FileMaker and parsed by your Web browser. IWP creates the HTML, etc. code on the fly and I don't think that it uses actual format files that you can edit in order to do this.

If you use Home Page 3.0 you can use the FileMaker Connection Assistant which will create HTML/CDML format files for your databases that you can then modify. Also, versions 4.0 and 4.1 of FMP included some excellent format files for example web databases that you can use as starting points for creating your own. Unfortunately these examples are not included with version 5.

--Brian

[netizen]

Thanks Brian - you've been a great help in answering my questions.

Don't suppose you know anything about on-line stores using FM?

Cheers, Ben.