This might be too stupid a question to ask but bascially I want to know the process of getting a built Filemaker Pro 5 db onto the web so that people can browse and enter data into it. I'm doing this for my college to create a Jobshop and have so far been unable to test the database online b/c I'm working from my computer at home. Do I need to wait until we have our server running with Filemaker installed on it to web-enable the database? Is there any way I can test it from my machine at home using regular ISP-access?

Home is no problem for testing, but it is for long-term use because the connection is slow and it probably won't have a static IP number. Without a permanent IP number (or address) people won't be able to find the machine.

What to do: connect in to the Internet. Determine what TCP/IP number your machine has been allocated (note that this will probably change each time you connect to your ISP).

Start FMP with Web Companion enabled *and* web companion selected in the sharing options for all the databases you want to share one the web.

Now go and tell people what the TCP/IP number is and wait for them to connct into the machine and test your setup.

The bummer is that if you connect to the ISP and determine the TCP/IP number you cannot phone your mates and tell them what it is (unless you've got a second phone of course).