FileMaker limitations and bugs on web.

[Anatoli]

As everybody recognizes by now, scripts are not made for web. That is pity especially with FM 5 Unlimited price tag.

Here are other things to consider. Some will affect only international users; some will affect all.

When FM is starting with Web Companion On, following may happen:

Web user will request data from database, but Web Security database is not yet open. FileMaker Unlimited will display warning window not only on visitor Machine, but also on Host Machine!

What is problematic with this warning window? It will stall the loading script, which IS actually trying to load WebSecurity databases. Furthermore, Remote administration of NT server is cut off by this FM behavior. Everyone, who knows NT and 2000, is horrified. No application should do this! The responsible person must go/drive/fly to the server and click on OK.

Best will be to start FM without WebPlugin, then open all databases and then start WebPlugin. Lets assume that starting WebSecurity databases as first will also help.

Everybody like the New INLINE tags. However, if you are using -Edit, be careful to include Edit Permissions in WebSecurity for "All Users". With Normal CDML tags WebCompanion will show User/Password dialog, if "All Users" cannot Edit. Then you can select another user/password level to Edit record(s). Not with INLINE.

The following is affecting international users.

Inline is using strictly US Date format, which is impossible to paste/edit into Date fields in Europe. Even if the field is formatted on CGI layout with US format, nothing is pasted or edited.

The most common web language standard for 8 bit pages CE (Central European), the Windows 1250 and ISO 8859-2 are completely ignored by FileMaker.

What does that mean?

CE (Central European) languages are not working through Instant Web Publishing. Furthermore, the custom or export HTML and also ODBC are also completely off the correct coding. The only known solution is to duplicate fields to have in field "Name" the name for FileMaker and second "NameWeb" the name translated for web custom publishing and ODBC. Even with this solution the Instant Web Publishing is not working with CE coding. I believe other languages e.g. Russian and Turkish have the same problem.

Anatoli Kohout

[DykstrL]

I have a suggestion to remedy your remote administration problem - Use Timbuktu by Netopia to administer your server. It loads as a service and is accessible even at the log on screen. It would make clicking that OK button a lot easier and faster. You can even do a reboot (but not a cold boot). We use it to administer both our MAC and NT FileMaker servers. It is a godsend.

Another suggestion to resolve the WebSecurity issue would be to create a FileMaker 'open' file placed in the Startup folder that would open all the files - starting with the web security databases first - in the order you want, then close itself. Problem solved.

[Anatoli]

Well, we are using Remote administrator program, which is running as Service. We can also reboot, even cold reboot. The problem is that this part of FM is so badly written that is disabling services, maybe also Timbuktu.

To open all files via "opener" file is exactly what we are doing.

But as I've written, Files cannot be open alphabetically, the Web Security must go first.

I've started this topic just let people know about built-in limitations.

[abkaplan]

Anatoli yes you are right . We have the same problem in Turkish characters with instant publishing. But that is not a deadly problem for us. Instead of using that "easy-to-create a web db solution" I create my programs by preparing the web pages myself. But still there are problems in characters while sending from web to db and from db to web. Web companion changes the caracters as specified inside somewhere. But We have already found solutions for both while sending form db and sending from web. Web companion changes my charactes but I , too, change it's changes by using 2 different jawa codes. It works. So I can use fmpro web application. But before finding those solutions it was impossible to use web side of fmpro in Turkish language. I can send the codes if somebody asks as an example to use for his / her language.

Using another field also works but it makes the field count almost double.

Any solution from file maker admin site ?

Abkaplan

[ March 31, 2001: Message edited by: abkaplan ]

[Anatoli]

Abkaplan,

we should probably communicate over the e-mail issues involved. My best address is [email protected]

I think our problems with 8-bit web will bore to death other US users.

Anatoli