Many FileMaker developers use FMP URL links in order to get FileMaker scripts to run from actions taken in a web viewer. For example, this is how DayBack calendar runs your FileMaker scripts when you edit an event in the calendar.

When FMP URL links are functioning properly, these scripts can update records flawlessly. When they don’t work correctly, they may try to open another copy of FileMaker, or just fail silently. And things that fail silently can be really hard to hunt down.

When we were trying to come up with a way to verify that a client’s FMP URL links were working properly, we first came up with the idea to run a script upon opening the file that uses the “Open URL” function. This URL sets a global variable in the file to “true”, which is then checked further in the script to verify that FMP URL links are functioning. If the variable is not set, then the script throws an error.

Here’s our first attempt at seeing if the URL was firing:

Unfortunately, we found that the “Open URL” script step sometimes resulted in the test passing, even when FMP URLs were not functioning properly.

It turns out the “Open URL” script step works just a bit differently than FMP URLs started in the web viewer: the script step almost always targeted the correct version of FileMaker, while the same URL called from the web viewer would not.

It seems the only way to definitively test the functionality of FMP URL links is to start the test from a web viewer or a browser: we opted make a web page available that the user can browse to and click a link to run a script in the file.

You can see our test in DayBack’s documentation here: FMP URLs

One caveat to this method is that the user’s file name must match the filename in the link. This is why we’ve included instructions on copying and pasting the link into their browser’s address bar, customizing the link to their own file name.

FMP URL link issues can be tricky to diagnose. Hopefully, this can be helpful for those of you running into the same issues in your environment.

FileMaker Cloud lets developers host their solutions on Amazon AWS and looks to be the future of FileMaker Server. While Cloud is pretty different from the Server we all use now, all current SeedCode apps work in the new FileMaker Cloud. That includes DayBack Calendar, GoZync, ProMaps, and SeedCode Complete.

And for most apps, you don’t need to do anything to get them working. FileMaker Cloud does require that the databases you upload be encrypted and that can be a little strange with GoZync but it works great and you’ll find a note about the easiest way to upload and encrypt GoZync here.

If you’re using FMChat, offline notifications won’t work from FileMaker Server as Cloud does not (yet?) support scheduled scripts on the server. Online notifications will still work, but you’ll need to set up a robot machine to run offline notifications.

FileMaker Cloud – what it means for developers

FileMaker Cloud is very new. And this first incarnation still has quite a few gaps between its capabilities and those of regular FileMaker Server. (For details, compare the two here.)

So for now, what it really means is that FileMaker, Inc. (FMI) is building the right product, focussing on the deployment problem, and building toward a server that requires a lot less babysitting. These are very good things. And it shows that FMI is leveraging existing tech when it can (using Amazon Simple Email Service ‘SES’, Elastic Cloud Compute ‘EC2’, etc.) and inventing where it has clear differentiators.

And we’re very optimistic about where they could take this new product.

For now, the biggest issues around Cloud are that it requires FM15, doesn’t support CWP, scheduled server scripts, or external authentication, doesn’t support a custom FileMaker WebDirect homepage, and only supports plugins if they have been designed to run in Linux.

Admittedly, that is a pretty personal list. Check out the links below for more.

The backup options are also a little strange to folks used to the flexibility of FileMaker Server. For some, that will mean they can’t move critical databases to Cloud…not that you’d want to move critical apps to a first-gen platform anyway. =) But Cloud is perfect–right now–for all that less-than-critical stuff and I’d encourage folks to try it out and get familiar with what is undoubtedly the future of FileMaker Server.

Some FileMaker Cloud References

FileMaker’s Overview

Backup Strategies (FileMaker Help)

Comparing Cloud and FMS

Backup Strategies (Soliant’s Overview & Workarounds)

Amazon Instance Calculator (pricing aid by Richard Carlton Consulting)

Some more arcane limitations are in the help under, “FileMaker Cloud Considerations“.

SeedCode is looking for a couple of new people to join the team. We’re building things in FileMaker, JavaScript, and Salesforce. And we’re helping our customers rethink their schedules and take their day back. If you can get behind that, SeedCode is hiring.