Can you use an FMP Web site without FMP

[wingwalker]

I just want to make sure I understand all of this Filemaker and the Web. This is my first time using the Web and i'm trying to understand what is needed.

First, can our customers access a Web hosted Filemaker solution if you do not have a copy of Filemaker?

I'm trying to get all of this straight in my head. We're going to have a fairly high number of customers going to our Web site to read information and then make a purchase. These people do not have Filemaker on their computers.

What i've been planning is to use a Filemaker Web hosting company that has Filemaker Server Advanced to host my solution and I read something giving me the idea that you had to have a copy of FileMaker to access the Web site. If that is the case FileMaker will not work for me at all.

I understand you can only have a specific number of users at your site at one time. Does this mean if 500 people log onto the Web site, most of them will not be able to do so? Or does it mean that all 500 can log on and read information and navigate around the web site. But only a set number can access the database with an order, or a question at one time?

I know I should understand this better than I do, so I could really use your help,

James

[Søren Dyhr]

These people do not have Filemaker on their computers

What all the customers need is a webbrowser, either Safari, Firefox 2 or internet explorer.

However must considerable more development time be thrown into such a project than a server-client solution.

--sd

[wingwalker]

Hi Soren,

Soren Said: What all the customers need is a webbrowser, either Safari, Firefox 2 or internet explorer.

What happens if they try to log onto the site with a web browser other than Safari, Firefox 2 or Internet explorer.?

Soren Said: However must considerable more development time be thrown into such a project than a server-client solution.

Whoa, now that’s and open ended sentence. I’ve read the information that came with Filemaker about putting it on the web and understood most of it. Other parts just brought up more questions. Is there maybe a “Top 5” Do’s and Don’ts” you could give me as kind of a guide?

I just thought of one other question.

I'm confused by the amount of simultaneous users! The hosting company we selected has FileMaker 9 Advanced Server allowing us the greatest amount of users. If the max number of simultaneous users is 100 and 500 try to log into the web site. Dose that mean 400 of them will not be able to log onto the site? Or does it mean that any number can log onto the site, read the information and go from page to page. But only 100 can make a query at one time? A query meaning like click the Order button, or the Send a Message button at the same time?

Thanks Soren, I appreciate your help,

James

Edited September 5, 2007 by Guest
Added last paragraph about users

[Søren Dyhr]

Well some of the javascripting and the CSS'ing gives unexpected layout build-ups. Where you can't expect to enter in every field the way as the solution was designed to.

Then you ask for some guidence; a lot of it is covered here:

http://podcast.adatasol.com/media/Filemaker_PodCast_05162006.mp3

If the max number of simultaneous users is 100 and 500 try to log into the web site. Dose that mean 400 of them will not be able to log onto the site?

Some sort of mechanism can be developed into making several servers act as one, something with redirecting the calls ...I do not know much about it, but back under fm5 was something called serverconnector.

--sd

Edited September 5, 2007 by Guest

[John May - Point In Space]

FileMaker Server Advanced is limited to 100 sessions for Instant Web Publishing connections. A session starts when a user first hits your database, and ends either when they explicity log out via an Exit Application script step or their session times out (15 minutes by default after their last action).

If you go with a shared FileMaker hosting service such as ours (www.pointinspace.com), you will not be allowed to use all 100 sessions, but rather are usually limited to around 20.

Now, if you use a custom web publishing method (XML/XSLT, PHP or Lasso), then FMSA is limited to 100 CONNECTIONS, which are VERY different than sessions. A connection is made for a query then immediately closed after the query is completed. This can handle MUCH more traffic, and is what we recommend clients use if they're expecting a large amount of traffic to their sites.

- John

[Søren Dyhr]

Thanks for chipping in, John. How often is a filemaker solution backbone, when so many hit's simultaniously - I would think it's not the core deployment area for filemaker solutions, when it comes to it? FM9's SQL might have change that a bit ...but what's your take at it??

--sd

[John May - Point In Space]

We rarely see anyone using a large number of Instant Web Publishing sessions here.

Usually if a client is going to use the web as a large part of their FileMaker deployment, they go with some custom web publishing route instead of instant web publishing.

- John

[Genx]

Now, if you use a custom web publishing method (XML/XSLT, PHP or Lasso), then FMSA is limited to 100 CONNECTIONS, which are VERY different than sessions.

I don't know if I'd go using non FM definitions lol. Just to clarify to the OP, CWP is limited to 100 "Sessions". They are just very short lived ones that are created at the start of the command and destroyed anywhere b/w 1-30 seconds later when the command completes execution (depends on number of records, and more importantly sorting - average command usually takes less than 2 secs to execute).

IWP Sessions as John mentions will typically last 15 minutes - IWP is kind of bad though so if you want you're site to be half decent, I'd probably look at CWP (XML, XSLT, PHP, Ruby).

Anywho, good luck.

[John May - Point In Space]

Actually, CWP "sessions" are different than CWP "connections". CWP can use "sessions" as IWP does, which do last the same duration as IWP sessions, and can be used to preserve persistent data across queries/pages. However, one has to explicitly enable CWP sessions.

- John

[Genx]

Hmmmm, really - got any reading doco on that? Righto, I take all that back then.

Cheers.

[John May - Point In Space]

I know it's all in the FileMaker Server Advanced documentation. I've given numerous seminars covering this topic, including one in front of a FileMaker Systems Engineer, and have never been told I am using the incorrect terminology.

Thinking about it though, the pool of CWP connections draws from the same pool of 100 CWP and IWP sessions, which obviously can lead to some confusion as far as the terminology goes.

- John

[Genx]

Sorry I wasn't asking for doco to question you, it was more just a curiosity thing.

Anywho, all good, i get the idea :

[John May - Point In Space]

No offense taken at all. I know all the terminology can be confusing sometimes. I think FMI should make a better effort to explain this stuff to folks more clearly, as it seems that these questions come up too often.

- John