Chapter 16. Where to Go for More Information
FileMaker
Special Edition Using FileMaker 8 (ISBN: 0-7897-3512-1) is our companion book and covers in-depth topics on the FileMaker 8 suite of products. While not dependent on each other, our intent was that these two books work well in concert. Turn to Special Edition Using FileMaker 8 for explanations of concepts, in-depth examples, and a comprehensive overview of features.
General Information on Relational Databases
“A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks,” by E. F. Codd shows that the relational model was first conceived by E. F. Codd. This is the paper that started the entire relational database industry. Originally published in 1970 in CACM 13, No. 6, this paper is now available online as a PDF file through the ACM Digital Library:
http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/362384.362685
If you’d like to read up on the roots of the relational model (set theory and predicate logic), a pretty readable math book is Discrete Mathematics by Richard Johnsonbaugh (ISBN: 0-13-089008-1). We have found it to be succinct on the topics of set theory and predicate logic.
An Introduction to Database Systems by C.J. Date (ISBN: 0-32-119784-4) is a classic overview of database systems with an emphasis on relational database systems. You should consider it essential reading if you want to know your craft well.
Data Modeling and Database Design
Data Modeling for Information Professionals by Bob Schmidt (ISBN: 0-13-080450-9) gets into much more than just data modeling, but the content is great.
The Data Modeling Handbook by Michael Reingruber and William Gregory (ISBN: 0-471-05290-6) gets a lot more into the data modeling design process.
Handbook of Relational Database Design by Candace Fleming and Barbara von Halle (ISBN: 0-201-11434-8) has full coverage of design methodologies .
Project Management, Programming, and Software Development
Software Project Survival Guide by Steve McConnell (ISBN: 1-57231-621-7) is a great place to start with project management methodologies if your work still has a bit of the Wild West flavor to it. McConnell’s work is all-around excellent...you can’t go wrong with anything he writes.
The Rational Unified Process, An Introduction by Philippe Kruchten (ISBN: 0-201-70710-1) or The Unified Modeling Language User Guide by Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, and Ivar Jacobson (ISBN: 0-201-57168-4) talks about the Rational Unified Process, or RUP, an end-to-end methodology for software design. It’s overkill for most FileMaker projects, but it can be mined for many useful insights that apply to smaller projects.
Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck (ISBN: 0-201-61641-6) and Extreme Programming in Practice by James Newkirk and Robert C. Martin (ISBN: 0-201-70937-6) contain many useful ideas to be had here, especially in the area of estimating time required to complete tasks, although FileMaker Pro database development isn’t completely compatible with extreme programming.
Code Complete by Steve McConnell (second edition) (ISBN: 0-73561-967-0), while the original book is over 10 years old, still is an extremely solid, fundamental book on good programming practices. This new edition is thoroughly updated. It’s oriented toward structured languages like C and Java, but includes plenty of useful information for developers in any language. You might also try his more recent Rapid Development (ISBN: 1-55615-900-5) or Professional Software Development (ISBN: 0-32119-367-9).
Practical Software Requirements by Benjamin L. Kovitz (ISBN: 1-884777-59-7) is an extremely useful and readable book about developing requirements for software, including plenty of information useful to database developers. It contains some nice discussions of data modeling, among many other topics.
The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master by Andrew Hunt (ISBN: 0-20161-622-X) is a masterful selection of compact, easy-to-digest precepts about the craft of programming, and will benefit any software developer, regardless of the tools he uses.
Joel on Software by Joel Spolsky (ISBN: 1-59059-389-8) is a very assorted collection of incisive and often irreverent essays on various topics in software development. If you don’t feel like buying the book, the essays can be read from the archives of Spolsky’s website, www.joelonsoftware.com .
Running a FileMaker Consulting Practice
Managing the Professional Service Firm by David H. Maister (ISBN: 0-684-83431-6) is an essential book that will open your eyes, if you run or work in a consulting company. It explores every aspect of the running of a service firm.
The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford (ISBN: 0-743-21234-7) offers plenty of food for thought for database consultants, but is more conceptual than the other book.
General Resources for Tips and Tricks
Soliant Consulting: http://www.soliantconsulting.com/
Soliant Consulting, the company the authors founded and manage, offers some materials on its site.
FileMaker Pro Advisor: http://filemakeradvisor.com/
For years, FileMaker Advisor has been the place to look for product announcements, news about upcoming FileMaker conferences, product reviews, and tips and tricks.
ISO FileMaker Magazine: http://www.filemakermagazine.com/
ISO Productions has been publishing tips and tricks longer than just about anyone. This site has two levels of content: one for the general public and one for subscribers only.
Database Pros: http://www.databasepros.com/index.html
Database Pros has the largest collection of FileMaker templates and technique examples on the Internet. Especially if you’re still learning FileMaker Pro, you should bookmark this site.
FileMaker TechInfo database: http://www.filemaker.com/support/techinfo.html
FileMaker, Inc. publishes its own technical support database online. It contains thousands of articles to help you troubleshoot problems and to help you learn the important details about seldom-visited corners of FileMaker Pro’s feature set.
Data Concepts Tips: http://www.dwdataconcepts.com/dwdctips.htm
Don Wieland has created dozens of tips in the form of free downloadable example files. He has separate versions for Windows and Mac.
FileMaker World Web Ring: http://l.webring.com/hub?ring=fmpring
This web ring links together more than 150 websites with FileMaker-themed content.
FileMaker Developers: http://www.filemaker.com/solutions/find/consultants.html
Trying to find a FileMaker developer or trainer in your part of the world? This site has a list of consultants and trainers in more than 20 different countries.
Hosting FileMaker Databases on the Web
FileMaker ISPs: http://www.filemaker.com/support/isp.html
After you’ve created a FileMaker-based web solution, you need to host it on a server that’s connected to the Internet. If you or your client don’t have such a server, you can find a FileMaker Pro Web Hosting provider at this link.
FileMaker News Sources
FileMaker Now: http://www.filemaker.com/news/newsletter.html
FileMaker Now is a web-based newsletter published by FileMaker, Inc. It contains news about product announcements and upcoming events, as well as a tech support Q&A.
FM NewsWire: http://www.fmnewswire.com/
Another service provided by ISO Productions, the FM Newswire is exactly what it sounds like. It lists training announcements, product update announcements, and other FileMaker-related news stories.
FMPro.org;FMPro.org: http://www.fmpro.org/
The Hot FileMaker Pro News section lists FileMaker-related product announcements and user group meetings.
Plug-ins
FileMaker Plug-in Directory: http://solutions.filemaker.com/solutions/index.jsp
or
http://solutions.filemaker.com/solutions/search_results.jsp?developer=plug-in&status=Plug-In
FileMaker’s own site has the most complete listing of available plug-ins. If you need to find out whether a specialized plug-in even exists, this is the place to start. Although there are many plug-in developers, the following publishers have some of the largest selections. Note that some may or may not be compatible with the latest version of FileMaker.
New Millenium Communications: http://www.nmci.com
Some of New Millenium’s more popular plug-ins include
DialogMagic: Allows for enhanced control of standard FileMaker Pro dialogs.
ExportFM: Enables developers to export images, sound, and movie files in their native formats. (This tool is due to be replaced by a new product known as Media Manager.)
SecureFM: This tool allows extensive customization of the FileMaker menu and command system.
Troi Automatisering: http://www.troi.com/
Troi Activator Plug-in: Controls scripts on different computers; includes scheduling capabilities.
Troi Coding Plug-in: Adds capability to use DES encryption to encrypt and decrypt fields.
Troi Dialog Plug-in: Allows use of dynamic dialogs, including calculation-based progress bars and up to nine input fields.
Troi File Plug-in: Works with files from within a database. Enables saving and reading of files and the capability to use file and folder information.
Troi Serial Plug-in: Adds the capability to read and write to serial ports.
Troi Text Plug-in: Includes XML parsing and a variety of powerful text manipulation tools.
Troi URL Plug-in: Fills in web forms and retrieves raw data from any HTTP URL.
Troi ClipSave Plug-in: Saves and restores the clipboard.
Troi Grabber Plug-in: Records images and video from a video camera and puts them in container fields.
Troi Graphic Plug-in: Adds color container creation, screenshot capture, and thumbnail creation.
Troi Number Plug-in: Adds Dynamic Balance Functions.
Troi Ranges Plug-in: Generates date and number ranges between endpoints.
Waves in Motion: http://www.wmotion.com
eAuthorize: Allows users to authorize credit cards securely from within FileMaker. The current version supports U.S. protocols; the FMNext version will support credit card processing in England and Australia as well.
Events: Triggers scripts based on specified scheduling. Re-engineering for FMNext will ensure additional reliability.
24U Software: www.24usoftware.com
24U SimpleTalk Plug-in: SimpleTalk enables FileMaker to communicate with other FileMaker Pro clients and other applications across TCP/IP. The range of uses for this is quite impressive: trigger scripts or evaluate calculations in remote FileMaker Pro clients, or seamlessly integrate FileMaker Pro with other TCP/IP-capable applications, such as those created with Real Basic. You can also control a FileMaker solution via Telnet.
24U SimpleFile Plug-in: From within FileMaker Pro, control folder and file structures on your operating system by creating, deleting, copying, and moving files.
24U FM Template: This template file assists in developing plug-ins for FileMaker and is a great starting point for learning how to build plug-ins.
24U SimpleHighlight Plug-in: SimpleHighlight is a sample plug-in based on 24U’s FM Template. It implements two functions for highlighting text and rectangular areas with a user-defined color.
24U Plug-in AutoInstaller: 24U Plug-in AutoInstaller is a utility for simplifying the installation, registration, and update of plug-ins in multiuser FileMaker solutions.
Developer Tools
Chaparral Software: http://www.chapsoft.com/
Chaparral Software publishes two tools that assist developers with the analysis of existing database solutions as well as the migration of data:
Brushfire: Creates an easy-to-read HTML document illustrating script relationships, designed to aid in refactoring. Aids in migration from FileMaker 6 to FileMaker 7.
EZxslt: Produces perfectly formatted Microsoft Word documents by generating XSLT stylesheets based on templates. Allows for a better way to do mail merges, contracts, and more.
ERwin: http://www3.ca.com/Solutions/Product.asp?ID=260
ERWIN is a Windows-only data modeling tool published by Computer Associates.
Visio: http://www.microsoft.com/office/visio/prodinfo/default.mspx
Visio, published by Microsoft, is a Windows-only technical diagramming tool that does a great job on entity-relationship (ER) diagrams.
OmniGraffle: http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/
OmniGraffle, published by The Omni Group, is a Mac OS X–based diagramming and charting tool that also does a great job on ER diagrams.
WinA&D & MacA&D: http://www.excelsoftware.com
WinA&D and MacA&D, published by Excel Software, are CASE tools, useful for generating ER diagrams.
MetadataMagic: http://www.nmci.com/
MetadataMagic, published by New Millenium, is an outstanding database analysis tool. The File Reference Fixer feature is an essential tool for assisting with migration of pre-FileMaker 7 databases to the FileMaker 7 format.
FMrobot, also published by New Millennium, this tool allows the easy moving of tables, fields, custom functions, value lists, and privilege sets among files.
Conversion Log Analysis Tool, published by New Millenium, this imports the conversion log that is generated when files are converted. It presents the important issues to the user, with appropriate ranking of significance, and provides an interface so that they can be grouped by category of problem, rather than only by file, as is the default.
Web Programming
If you’re going to venture into web deployments of FileMaker, you’ll find it beneficial to be well read on web programming technologies. Even if you’re using only Instant Web Publishing, it helps to be very familiar with how the Web works. A good—though very exact and technical—discussion is HTTP: The Definitive Guide by David Gourley, Brian Totty, et al. (ISBN: 1-56592-509-2). You can also consult the HTTP Developer’s Handbook by Chris Shiflett (ISBN: 0-672-32454-7).
If you’re getting into Custom Web Publishing, you’ll likely be well served by a solid reference library on the fundamental web technologies: HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. In general, we’ve found the books from O’Reilly Press (http://www.oreilly.com) to be impeccable. Sams also has a strong lineup in this area. You can also sign up for a nifty e-book subscription service, Safari (http://safari.informit.com) to take these and other hefty volumes for a test drive.
XML/XSL
FileMaker XSLT Library:
http://www.filemaker.com/products/technologies/xslt_library.html.
Here you’ll find a range of useful XSLT examples that interact with FileMaker data. Note that these files were primarily for import and export functions and are starting to show their age, but they’re a great place to start with XSLT and FileMaker.
XML.com: http://www.xml.com/. This site gives access to a wide range of XML resources.
Jeni Tennison’s site: http://www.jenitennison.com/xslt/. Jeni Tennison is a very sharp XML author and consultant, and her personal pages contain many useful links, documents, and references.
We find a lot of the books from (the now defunct, but purchased by Wiley) Wrox Press to be quite good. You might want to look into Beginning XML by David Hunter, et al. (ISBN: 0764543946) as well as Professional XML by Mark Birbeck, et al. (ISBN: 1861003110), and Beginning XSLT by Jeni Tennison (ISBN: 1861005946).
After you get further into XSLT you might also look at Professional XSL by Kurt Cagle, et al. (ISBN: 1861003579) or XSLT: Programmer’s Reference by Michael Kay (ISBN: 0764543814). These books, even the beginning ones, are meaty and do presume some hands-on experience with some form of web programming such as HTML, or similar experience and familiarity with web technology. Out of all of these, Jeni Tennison’s XSLT book may be the best starting point. She’s extremely knowledgeable about the subject and a very effective writer. A number of the Wrox books are out of print, but widely available on the used market. The other Wrox books, especially the multi-author ones, tend to mingle generally useful chapters with more specialized ones. As a reference work, though not a tutorial, you might consult The XML Companion by Neil Bradley (ISBN: 0-20177-059-8). The same goes for Definitive XSLT and Xpath by G. Ken Holman (ISBN: 0-13065-196-6). For a tour of the esoteric power of XSLT, check out XSLT and XPath on the Edge by Jeni Tennison (ISBN: 0-76454-776-3).
PHP
For complex web development, we make heavy use of PHP. There’s an embarrassment of riches as far as PHP books and resources go.
This is the official PHP project website, home to tutorials, to the annotated online manual (a great resource), the PHP software itself, and links to many other useful sites and resources.
Zend is a commercial entity, founded by some of the core authors and developers of PHP, that sells a number of tools for working with and enhancing PHP.
For books, you might look at Learning PHP 5 by David Sklar (ISBN: 0-59600-560-1). As your learning progresses, you’ll definitely want to look at Advanced PHP Programming by George Schlossnagle (ISBN: 0-67232-561-6).
ODBC/JDBC
If you don’t already have the appropriate drivers, OpenLink Software is the place to go for ODBC drivers for both Windows and Mac platforms. They have 30-day trial downloads so you can try before you buy.
http://java.sun.com/products/jdbc/index.jsp
JDBC is Sun’s Java-based cross-platform database access technology. Sun’s main JDBC page gives a nice overview of the technology. You’ll also find a link to Sun’s driver database. It lists available drivers for dozens of different databases.