FileMaker as giant Plugin

[bruceR]

The technique demonstrated here is quite cool:

http://www.macosxautomation.com/applescript/linktrigger/index.html

The idea is that you create a little applescript app, set it up with a special protocol, and then trigger the applescripts with special URLs.

The applescript app is an OSX package. Inside the resource folder are script files that get called by the main script file. All very cool, and you can have it talk to FileMaker if you write a bit of applescript.

Then I realized, well, the Resource folder is full of these little script thingies. Fine. How about I create a runtime FileMaker app and put THAT in the folder, and call it appropriately with scripts.

Works fine. So now from a web viewer or script in your standard copy of FileMaker, you can send commands and data and they will be executed by this monster "plugin".

Note that this is not a web server. Everything is local. It's just a big fat plugin that you can write with standard Filemaker commands.

Tested, works fine.

Bruce

Edited October 3, 2009 by Guest

[bruceR]

And for extra fun: make it a background-only process.

Yup, that works too. Gotta minimize the window with the startup script. Entire FileMaker runtime, operating in the background responding to commands, etc.

[K1200]

So now from a web viewer or script in your standard copy of FileMaker, you can send commands and data and they will be executed by this monster "plugin".

Would anyone have a suggestion of how this might be achieved on the Windows platform?

[bruceR]

And for extra fun: make it a background-only process.

Yup, that works too. Gotta minimize the window with the startup script. Entire FileMaker runtime, operating in the background responding to commands, etc.

After all - why should Google have all the fun with their background indexer when you can take control in a language you understand.