Database Publishing with Filemaker Pro on the Web [Paperback]

Maria Langer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201696657 | ISBN-13: 978-0201696653 | Publication Date: January 15, 1998 | Edition: 1

Whether you are using FileMaker 3 with third-party helper applications such as Tango, Lasso, or Web FM, or FileMaker 4 with its integrated Web publishing features, this book is designed to help you get your database online quickly and effectively. Maria Langer guides you step-by-step through the various ways of connecting your FileMaker database to the World Wide Web or corporate intranet. Chock-full of practical tips and juicy tricks, as well as valuable, everyday advice for any database publisher, Database Publishing with FileMaker on the Web is the indispensible guide to putting your database online. You'll find out all about:

* Static vs. Dynamic publishing--which one is appropriate for your specific needs?
* CDML--Claris Dynamic Markup Language, the "glue" that allows FileMaker to interact with Web pages.
* The variety of security options available to FileMaker Web publishers.
* Effective ways of using third-party Web publishing add-ons in FileMaker 3 and FileMaker 4.
* Including graphics in your published data.
* Making your database interactive without using CGI.
* Handling transactions over the Web, including shopping carts, credit card authorizations, and creating packing slips and invoices.

Get the inside scoop on FileMaker 4's new Web publishing features:

* Export to HTML Table--Automatically creates an HTML table based on database information.
* Instant Web Publishing--The fastest, easiest way to get your database online.
* Custom Web Publishing--Create custom Web pages that automatically display your database info exactly how you want it.
* Web Companion--Learn how to configure FileMaker to suit your publishing and security needs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

FileMaker Pro is a relational database popular in Windows and Mac environments. It is the best database available on the Mac side and rates just behind Access for Windows. Langer offers a well-written book explaining how to use FileMaker Pro for dynamic data publishing on the Internet?that is, serving up pages of data that look different depending on what sorts of information the user requested. Langer covers FileMaker's generic web-publishing features, customized web publishing, configuration and security, and third-party tie-ins, such as Lasso, Tango and Web-FM. This is not a book for beginners who don't understand relational data design, but it is an excellent book for webmasters looking to expand beyond static web pages.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

Whether you are using FileMaker 3 with third-party helper applications such as Tango, Lasso, or Web FM, or FileMaker 4 with its integrated Web publishing features, this book is designed to help you get your database online quickly and effectively. Maria Langer guides you step-by-step through the various ways of connecting your FileMaker database to the World Wide Web or corporate intranet. Chock-full of practical tips and juicy tricks, as well as valuable, everyday advice for any database publisher, Database Publishing with FileMaker on the Web is the indispensible guide to putting your database online. You'll find out all about:

* Static vs. Dynamic publishing--which one is appropriate for your specific needs?
* CDML--Claris Dynamic Markup Language, the "glue" that allows FileMaker to interact with Web pages.
* The variety of security options available to FileMaker Web publishers.
* Effective ways of using third-party Web publishing add-ons in FileMaker 3 and FileMaker 4.
* Including graphics in your published data.
* Making your database interactive without using CGI.
* Handling transactions over the Web, including shopping carts, credit card authorizations, and creating packing slips and invoices.

Get the inside scoop on FileMaker 4's new Web publishing features:

* Export to HTML Table--Automatically creates an HTML table based on database information.
* Instant Web Publishing--The fastest, easiest way to get your database online.
* Custom Web Publishing--Create custom Web pages that automatically display your database info exactly how you want it.
* Web Companion--Learn how to configure FileMaker to suit your publishing and security needs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 419 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1 edition (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201696657
• ISBN-13: 978-0201696653
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,241,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maria Langer has been a freelance writer since 1990. She has written more than 75 books and hundreds of articles about using computers, software, and online services. She provides support for her work, as well as new content, on the Maria's Guides website. These days, she also writes about aviation and travel for a variety of print and online publications.

Maria is also a commercial helicopter pilot and owner of Flying M Air, a helicopter tour and charter company based in Arizona. Her company offers tours, day trips, multi-day excursions, and aerial photography services throughout the southwest.

And if that's not enough to keep her busy and out of trouble, she's also a serious amateur photographer. She shows off her best work on her photo gallery, Flying M Photos.

Maria blogs at Eclectic Mind, her personal journal of thoughts and experiences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start for database publishing on the web, June 23, 2000

By 

Howard Bell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Database Publishing with Filemaker Pro on the Web (Paperback)

I disagree with many of the comments made by others on this book. True, there isn't much competition available on CDML, however, I found this to be an excellent way to get to grips with publishing FileMaker to the web. I didn't find any typos that prevented me getting the examples up and running immediately plus all the html code and databases can be downloaded from Peachpits web site anyway.

Similarly, the fact that it assumes that all databases include images wasn't a problem as all examples are gone through step by step with comments on points of interest. With even the most basic understanding of html it is easy to see where the image code is located. Likewise I'm not sure why the CDML section being smaller than the Filemaker Pro manual is a problem as if you buy this book you'll already have the manual anyway.

I used this book in getting a Lasso served database on the web and found enough commonality between Lasso and FileMaker to get lots of useful info. There were many things that I simply couldn't have figured out without it otherwise.

My only complaints would be that it's a bit short and there is too much emphasis on the Instant web publishing - this space would be better served for more detail on custom web publishing which is what most people would do. Also, it should be updated using Dreamweaver as an example instead of Claris HomePage (a sample software CD would be nice to)

If you want a good easy to understand book that takes you through the set-up step-by-step there is nothing better that I've seen. Even if you only get a few tips out of it, it will have paid for itself.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Cookie cutter of a book, April 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Database Publishing with Filemaker Pro on the Web (Paperback)

Unfortunatly, If you want to publish filemaker databases on the web you almost have to buy this book. There is not much competition.

The CDML reference in the apendix is less detailed than the CDML reference that comes with Filemaker.

The examples are not bad, as far as they go. An example of what I dislike about in this book: "This example assumes that all the records have images", but nothing on what to do if they don't.

The troubleshooting sections are useless, and there is far too much space devoted to "instant web publishing" in the example chapers. Instant web publishing is easy and doesn't need the space devoted to it.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of money, October 19, 2000

By 

Marcus Anear (Melbourne VIC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Database Publishing with Filemaker Pro on the Web (Paperback)

If you are looking for a way to get your database online and looking professional this book will do nothing for you. It is too old to be of any use, the techniques are aimed at people who would think that animated gifs are pretty groovy, and I wonder if the author actually knows anything about Lasso at all. (excuse me if I am wrong there) To have a whole chapter on what is the top Filemaker publishing tool (Lasso) on the market and to give less info than what is already in the manual is just terrible. What would be nice is the list of tags and then explanations of what each tag does and where it could be used, and examples that did something more complex than adding a file would be nice. But then I believe it shows the age of this book, anybody in the year 2000 who is making web pages using Homepage, Pagemill or Frontpage should have their computer taken off them. Maybe this book rocked in 1998, though I doubt that too. If you need to get a database online and need to do it with minimum fuss buy Dreamweaver and Lasso Studio, the manual with Lasso Studio will have you running in very little time. If you want to waste money on something that can be found off Blueworld's website for free then buy this book.