Good Reference Book

[tapededitions]

Is there a good scripting reference book I could get?

Mindy

[danjacoby]

Since you're [apparently] in a large city, I suggest making a trip to your local "Barnes & Noble Library" and browsing through the books until you find the one that works best for you.

[SteveB]

The best book on scripting is Scriptology by Matt Petrowsky and John Mark Osborne. Go to www.scriptology.com. You won't find it in any bookstore.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Scriptoloy is very good, although somewhat dated. The best FileMaker Pro book is by Rich Coulombre, "Special Edition Using FileMAker Pro 5" available from Amazon.

HTH

Old Advance Man

[RussBaker]

Yes - totally agree with Old Advance Man. I have a much-used copy of "Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro 5" on my bookshelf.

Also, last time I looked at Amazon, they had a special package deal of "Scriptology" and "Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro 5"

Russ Baker

Canberra, Australia

[d94dsj]

I agree that "Scriptology" and "Special Edition: Using FileMaker Pro 5" are the best books out there. However, they have different focus.

Scriptology is more of a "technique" book and is perhaps easier to start with for newcomers (also it also discusses some pretty advanced techniques).

The "Special Edition..." book is focused on designing robust relational systems and thus also includes the entire design process (this is the only book that talks about this that I've found and I find it great!).

If you plan on doing much work in FileMaker, and especially if you design bigger systems, I would definitely go for both of them.

There is also a product called "Scriptology: Developer's Toolkit" (from ISO Productions/Matt Petrowsky) which contains instructional videos for medium- to advanced techniques as well as templates for solutions/techniques and graphics libraries. It comes on 4 CD-ROMs and it's quite pricey, but worth it I would say.

Good luck!

Daniel

[Steven H. Blackwell]

Take a look at the files on the CD in the back of the Coulombre book. They are packed with techniques.

Rich Coulombre and John Mark Osborne have very different approaches to FileMaker Pro. It is fun to get them both in the same room as we will do later this year.

Old Advance Man

[trevorg]

Do both of those books cover CDML in depth as well?

[falkaholic]

Beware of the "FileMaker 5.0 Bible"

it looks big enough that it would have stuff about everything, but it doesn't. I don't know how they managed to get so little information into such a large book.

An ok book in the "FileMaker Advanced Visual QuickStart" from Peach Pit Press. Even though it claims to be advanced 2/3 of the book is going over the basics (did you know how to define new fieds?!). Since i cost 1/3 the price of the FileMaker Bible, its a good deal.

[d94dsj]

quote:

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Originally posted by Trevor Gildersleeve:

Do both of those books cover CDML in depth as well?

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No, they don't. Although there is some references to CDML in the "Special Edition..." book that says that you could use Lasso to overcome the limitations of CDML.I don't know of any good CDML books/references since I haven't used it, sorry.

[danjacoby]

quote:

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Originally posted by DanielS:

I don't know of any good CDML books/references...

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Ain't that the sad truth! I've asked about CDML references before, to no avail.

If anyone has found a good one, I'd appreciate the info.

[Fitch]

The only CDML reference of much use that I've seen is Database Publishing with Filemaker Pro on the Web by M. Langer. It doesn't have a great deal of depth, though. I checked it out from my local library, but never bought it, how's that for a recommendation?

[danjacoby]

quote:

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Originally posted by Fitch:

... how's that for a recommendation?

---

To quote a southern friend, "That's about as hot as a Yankee's barbecue sauce."

[Keith M. Davie]

FileMaker, ScriptMaker and cdml.

Perhaps the best source for cdml information is the Internet Forums section here at FM Forums. Go there today and spend a half-hour just reading the latest posts. Get in a habit.

There are issues with FileMaker and web security which are discussed there.

There are threads dealing with cdml.

There are discussions about the advantages of Lasso.

There are discussions about scripts.

There are issues with naming files and fields so that you don't have www code problems with spaces. That alone could change your whole approach to what you are doing now.

Anyone who is thinking about learning cdml or Lasso would be well advised to spend a weekend or two in these forums reading as much as possible.

As anyone who has dealt with scripts in a multi-user LAN knows, there can be conflcts when one person is running a script and another tries to run a script. What many don't know is that this is because ScriptMaker is single-threaded. Compound this with the multi-user environment of the www and some real problems can (and at sometime will) arise. I believe that at this time the folks at Lasso recommend against using the -script tag (and thus against running scripts over the web).

When one begins to learn to put FMPro on the web (custom publshing), there are a couple of learning curves which must be overcome. This takes time. The examples from FMI don't always work if you strip out the JavaScript. If all you know is html, this presents problems. I once spent six weeks tracking down an answer to a question because of this.

Some sources/tutorials even offer script examples which you can plug into your solutions. This does not mean they will work all the time. None of the traditional sources of which I am aware deal with the issue of the single-threaded engine of ScriptMaker existing in a multi-user environment. Thus, none of those sources provide cautions (aside from Lasso) against running scripts over the www.

As a FileMaker developer I have developed a workaround to the problems which exist, and I allow you, the FileMaker developer, the opportunity to challenge my solution by making multiple requests from several browsers in a near-simultaneous fashion so you can see that my solution works. Of course, if you don't understand the problem, you won't know the workaround is working.

You will also find discussion about the script problem on the cdml forum and I believe some is also on the web companion forum. On the cdml forum I have posted four threads (in the past six months, look for "entertaining loops") which provide some code for constructing your own way of seeing what some of the problems are concerning the running of scripts without the workaround.

Then when you understand the problem and have seen it for yourself so you know what it is, please visit my site:

http://www.simplifyfm.com:591/

It will take some time to go through all that is there, but you are welcome, even encouraged, to challenge the script workaround. How to do so is all fully explained.

Finally this site is a blatant promotion for my work, which works includes among other things a transparent demonstration of the application of many of the cdml tags, the basis of the workaround to the script problems and the workaround as put into use and found at the web site.

No matter what source or sources you use to learn custom web publsihing, please understand that it is going to take a certain amount of time to learn. But once you see the possibilities you may never want to develop a LAN hosted solution again.

[d94dsj]

>>Keith

Good info!

quote:

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As anyone who has dealt with scripts in a multi-user LAN knows, there can be conflcts when one person is running a script and another tries to run a script. What many don't know is that this is because ScriptMaker is single-threaded. Compound this with the multi-user environment of the www and some real problems can (and at sometime will) arise. I believe that at this time the folks at Lasso recommend against using the -script tag (and thus against running scripts over the web).

---

Are you saying that Scriptmaker is single-threaded or that FileMaker is single-threaded? (I would guess you mean that FileMaker is single-threaded). I've never had any problems with running scripts in a multi-user environment - but that's of course when hosted by FM Server, which is multi-threaded.

Is FileMaker Pro Unlimited single-threaded? If that's the case, then it doesn't seems that FMU is that scalable, even with the RAIC option...unless you implement a solution like yours of course - but how much does performance suffer then?

Daniel

[Keith M. Davie]

It is ScriptMaker which is single-threaded. It can handle only one request at a time. It does not queue requests.

It is my understanding that Unlimited does not solve the problem of ScriptMaker.

My workaround does not make ScriptMaker multi-threaded. It works around the prolbems of one script not being run (data is therefore "lost") if a near-simultaneous request is made upon scripts and of both clients being informed that their transactions were successful, when in fact one of those two transactions was not successful.

[Keith M. Davie]

On Jan 30, 2001, FMI was made fully aware of the problem (case# 2235305). On Jan 31, 2001, I was advised that the documentation which I sent FMI had been sent to their Development Department. To this date that is, as far as I know, all that has occurred at FMI.

I would imagine that FMI is working on this problem and will resolve it in a future version which will be more costly. They do not consult with me however.

[Steven H. Blackwell]

This issue--part of a larger one--was covered extensively at the last Developer Conference, and it will be again addressed this year. Both record locking issues and process locking issues are involved here.

Refer to the Coulombre book, and it is also pissible that some more information can be posted to a site somewhere.

This is all part of multiuser architecture for FMP solutions.

Old Advance Man

[danjacoby]

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Advance Man:

...and it is also pissible ...

Old Advance Man

---

It's also what?

Recovering from the weekend, are we?

[Steven H. Blackwell]

No, just not spell checking.

It is possible that some of the DEVCON info on multiuser architecture, record locking, and process locking could be made available.

Old Advance Man

[Keith M. Davie]

While DEVCON sounds attractive, I do not believe that I will be there. They appear to not want my input on the issues.

I will suggest that I have developed a workaround to the problems; that I have provided code elsewhere on the cdml forum such that anyone truly interested can use that code to construct a solution with which to see the problems; that I have provided a site where the interested developer can see that the workaround works by challenging the site with multiple, near-simultaneous requests on one or two scripts; and that for a reasonable price you can get all of this knowledge and more.

Of course, if you think that my product (which is knowledge) is priced too high you can reinvent the wheel at a far greater cost than the price of my product. Or you can attempt to engage my services for your solutions. Or you could avoid using scripts in browser solutions. Or you can run unprotected scripts along with the risks of losing data and mis-informing your clients.

[ March 11, 2002, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: Keith M. Davie ]

[falkaholic]

If CDML is your game, I did buy (but didn't read all of) "FileMaker 4 on the Web" (or something really close to that. It by the same publisher that does teh "bible" series.

As you can tell, its for FM 4 but it could be useful still. Its weightt in at about 500 pages so it'd make a good reference.

[Keith M. Davie]

OAM, you seem to be a man in the know. You wrote, "This issue--part of a larger one--was covered extensively at the last Developer Conference, and it will be again addressed this year."

When you say it (the issue) "will be again addressed this year', are we to assume that Devcon will be addressing only the issue and not a solution or workaround to the issue?

[Steven H. Blackwell]

I can't speak to the details of the presentation, but last year there was extensive discussion both of how to avoid record locking and related issues as well as when and how to cause it.

Process locking, OTOH, is something a bit different. It is my understanding that one of the FSA Partners will cover that issue in one of his presentations.

HTH

Old Advance Man

iPassword_2_v008_3.zip

iPassword_2_v008_3.zip

[Keith M. Davie]

Ah, speaking to the issue but not to a solution.

Well I suppose you are saying that the FSA folks don't have a solution.

And I guess if you ain't in that club (a bought situation) you ain't an expert, even if you do have a solution.

[ March 12, 2002, 06:55 PM: Message edited by: Keith M. Davie ]

[pbucc]

i had looked high and low for info on CDML. it was all over the place. non of them said this is how you do it!!! i spent $1200.00 and in the first 10 minutes of the 2 day course. bam!!! right in the kisser. i knew what i was doing. once you know how to call the program, the rest is easy. HTML plays a good part of it.

i didn't use any books, well just he reference that comes with fm5. it shows you what tags you can use to gather info.

you would figue some one that wors with CDML would make a small book with the basics. the rest is trial and error!! best of luck.

[Keith M. Davie]

pbucc you wrote, "you would figue some one that wors with CDML would make a small book with the basics. the rest is trial and error!!

Well I did not write a book. Instead I wrote an interactive demonstration of format files and FileMaker db's to present a fairly transparent browser demonstration. It covers the basics. It also deals with problems which you would not normally think about. And it deals with the problems of ScriptMaker scripts. While it costs only $100, it will probably take you longer to go through than the 2 day course for $1200. But did that course provide any information about the problems with ScriptMaker scripts and the www? Did that course provide any solution to the ScriptMaker problem? My demonstrations (there are three parts offering different insights) cover that and more.

http://www.simplifyfm.com:591/

At that address you can find out more AND you can challenge the workaround to the script problem if you so desire.

Even though you now know how to write the basics, you may be interested in the information at the site.