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This guide will demonstrate how to create a database that can be searched and added to via the internet using FileMaker Pro 4.1.

NOTE: FileMaker Pro 5.0 will only allow 10 IP addresses to access the database per day. You will need to upgrade to the much more expensive FileMaker Pro 5.0 Unlimited to allow more people to access the database.

Step 1: Setting FileMaker up so we can view from the web.

We'll assume that you already have a database with fields defined. The first step is to enable this database to accessed from the web. Go to the Edit menu, then go to the bottom and open up the Preferences submenu. Now choose "Application" from the available choices. Click on the tab titled "Plug-Ins" and check the box next to "Web Companion" if it isn't already. Now, highlight "Web Companion" and click on the configure button. As a basic configuration we will change the settings to match the image below.

Click image to enlarge

Now you can look at your database on the web. To do this, you will have to find out your IP address or server name (eg. 128.151.123.123 or www.rochester.edu) and open the address in your web browser with ":8080" (or whatever number appears in the "TCP/IP Port Number" box) appended to the end (eg 128.151.123.123:8080 or www.rochester.edu:8080). You can use the TCP/IP control panel on a Mac or winipcfg on a Windows machine to determine your IP address.

Step 2: Securing the database.

Now that the database is online, you will want to secure it so that other people won't be able to view or change anything you don't want them to.

First, open the File Menu, then the Access Privileges submenu, and select "Define Passwords." In the window that pops up, you will need to type a password into the "Password" textbox. Remember this password, as you will need it to get into the database later! Now, with your new password highlighted in the large scrollbox, click on "Access the entire file" under the "Privileges" section.

Click image to enlarge

Now we will set the kind of access that people on the web are allowed to have. Highlight "(no password)" in the large scrollbox. Under the "Privileges" section, check all the things you want to be able to allow the user to do. Most likely, you will only want users to have access to 3 features: "Browse records," "Create records," and "Print records." "Browse records" will let people look at any information you make available and "Create records" will let people create new records.

Now open the File Menu, then Access Privileges submenu, and select "Overview." Highlight the group in the new window and look at the second column. There should be two entries, one with the password, the other will say "(no password)." If either of the little circles next to them are grayed out, hold your cursor over the circle until it turns into a checkmark and then click until the circle becomes all black or just an empty circle (an empty circle means "read-only"). Click "Save" to save the new settings and then "Done" to exit the dialog boxes.

Click image to enlarge

One last thing that needs to be taken care of is preventing people from being able to see the whole database if you only want them to see part of it. This is a fairly simple step. Create a webpage and put it into the Web directory in the FileMaker folder. Then open the File Menu and select "Sharing." Highlight the "Web Companion," click "Views," and then click the "Configure" button in the "Web Companion View Setup." In the "Web Companion Configuration" window, uncheck "Enable Instant Web Publishing" and select the webpage you just made in the "Home Page" selection list. You will now have to create a different web interface if you want to access the database from the web.