Establishing Connection to Filemaker Pro database

Report · Aug 03, 2010

I am a novice with dynamic content and very new to the Mac platform, so please bear with me.

I am running FileMaker Pro 11 (database software) and Dreamweaver CS5 ("DW") on a Mac Snow Leopard 10.6. I have read some

aged Knowledge Base articles that suggest it is not possible to establish a database connection between FileMaker Pro and Dreamweaver *except* with ASP. Which for now is all I'm trying to do.

I installed the FileMaker ODBC driver. Then in a shareware app called "Open Link ODBC Administrator," I set up dsn files. I don't know how successful this attempt was. I created the files but I'm prompted for login info, which I was not permitted to select in the first place. Then I followed the DW instructions to connect to the FileMaker Pro recordset:

1 - Set up a site (the database is on my machine, not on the web as of yet)

2 - Chose a document type (ASP VBScript).

3 - Set up a testing server (also on my machine)

4 - Chose a recordset. Here's the problem: DW does not see my dsn file, and because there is no browse option, I cannot point it to it (not that at present I know where it is, anyway). Without a dsn file, DW cannot find and will not connect to my FileMaker Pro recordset. I tried the custom connection string associated with the KnowledgeBase article. It does not work either.

I have FileMaker Pro open. Is the problem that I don't have the database file hosted remotely? I remember this last step of the process being a b*tch when I was using MS Access with DW as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

And let's say this isn't possible to do with FM Pro. Can you suggest some database software for Mac platforms that will talk to DW nicely? I have never used MySql or SqlServer. I suspect the learning curve would be pretty steep.

Report · Aug 03, 2010

No matter what the sales literature says, FM Pro is not a good platform for the web. An intranet? Maybe, but the web... Uh... No.

So where's that leave you? On Mac,your best choice is MySQL. Yes, there is some learning curve, but if you are already proficient with FMP and with database basics then the only hurdle is the initial set up and having a tool to use to administer MySQL. There are a bunch of free options available, but I HIGHLY recommend Navicat MySQL, it's a hundred bucks very well spent. With it the database admin part is as easy as anything out there.

Go with MySQL... trust me, it will be worth the initial learning curve.

--
Lawrence   *Adobe Community Professional*
www.Cartweaver.com
Complete Shopping   Cart Application for
Dreamweaver, available in PHP and CF

Stay updated - http://blog.cartweaver.com

Report · Aug 03, 2010

Oh, as an added note - choosing ASP if you are developing on the Mac is not a good choice. The Mac doesn't support ASP - also ASP VB is a depreciated language. Microsoft ceased all development, updates, and support for it years ago. It's only still around because of the huge legacy installed base and the fact that Windows servers still run it.

If you are on the Mac, the MySQL and PHP, or ColdFusion are the correct choices.

Hope this helps.

--
Lawrence   *Adobe Community Professional*
www.Cartweaver.com
Complete Shopping   Cart Application for
Dreamweaver, available in PHP and CF

Stay updated - http://blog.cartweaver.com

Report · Aug 03, 2010

Thanks for your response, Lawrence. My current site is actually in PHP, but I was trying ASP on the theory that only ASP pages will work with FileMaker Pro (per the KnowledgeBase article). If Filemaker is a bad choice, then no need to keep exploring that idea, and it's $300 saved.

I actually had a trial version of Navicat MySql (and MySql Workbench) downloaded but they weren't operating correctly because I stupidly didn't realize they were GUI programs, and so... I didn't download MySql separately. lol. I'll do that now.

Thanks again for the help!

Elizabeth

Report · Aug 04, 2010

WIth respect to Lawrence_Cramer, there are hundreds of thousands of people successfully publishing to the web using FileMaker in far more complex scenarios than you are describing. Your application sounds like a perfectly match for FileMaker's PHP and XML capabilities. For advice on how to setup the kind of integration you are considering, I'd recommend checking out the FileMaker forum at http://forums.filemaker.com

Report · Aug 05, 2010

I appreciate your comments.

I do not work in the IT industry. I taught myself to use Access inside and out, and developed a very complex database with scripting, with it. By comparison, FileMaker is a breath of fresh air. Forms are very easy to design and that instant web publishing feature (where users touch the database forms directly) is very attractive, although I doubt I will actually use it. I really would like webpage front-ends for my stuff, and I don't know how to write PHP; that's what I bought Dreamweaver for. FM allows you to integrate Apple Scripts, which are a hundred times easier to write and manipulate than vB ever was.

At the same time, there are things I see that it cannot do (e.g., where is the native query capability in it? it's not jumping out at me, anyway). And I'm rather bugged that it won't talk to Dreamweaver. I went to the forums you suggested, and located this query:

http://forums.filemaker.com/posts/f9992d17f9

The OP posed the same question I did, and she got crickets in response. Adobe support could not help me; they do not provide any support for anything beyond application crashes and simple HTML. I can't find anything on those forums about Dreamweaver other than the fact that it doesn't work with FileMaker very well. Having paid serious dollar for Dreamweaver, this does not please me.

On the other hand, from where i'm sitting, learning MySql looks to be the same chore (or worse) than teaching myself to use Access was. Yes, I can make a table (well, not quite yet - Navicat is erroring out on the scripting for that, lol). I can probably learn to write basic queries and forms. It will take me several weeks to learn, though. And then integrating scripting, will I be able to teach myself that? I don't know. I will not be happy if I start development in MySql and then find i can't finish it. At least with FileMaker I know that if I plop the data in, somebody ELSE will be able to see it later. Heh!

Report · Aug 05, 2010

bronzino1,

I see what you mean about the crickets, but I noticed that that other post was entered very early in the life of the FM forum when there was almost no one their yet. I suspect if you entered a well structured description of what you're trying to do, someone would probably help you out now that the FM forum has thousands of members.

Good luck!

Report · Aug 05, 2010

just because you use mac, does not limit your ability to create websites for any platform. with that said, don't waste your time with asp vbscript and dreamweaver is not the right tool for asp.net development... but rather visual studio which requires a pc. in summary, your best and easiest route is php/mysql, but if you have a windows server, you can use any language and any database and use dreamweaver to build your sites. you would simply set up your testing server as the remote location and use the appropriate database credentials.

Report · Oct 09, 2012

I would enjoy it if the page:

http://helpx.adobe.com/dreamweaver/kb/creating-asp-pages-using-filemaker.html

...was updated to depict current software builds.

My company is currently using FMP as an internal database for manufacturing.

Our intranet already uses ASP pages to share manufacturing methods internally.

It would be tremendous if we could access the FMP database from the intranet.

All we need now is some advice and support.

Thanks!