Tomorrow I’m presenting a Webinar for Xojo that will show how you can use Xojo, Aloe, and XFM to develop Web solutions that integrate with FileMaker databases.
To get a sense of what’s possible with this combination, visit the VCPE Web site (https://www.vcpe.org/schools/) and do a search for “Henrico” as the county. All of the data displayed is pulled live from a hosted FileMaker database. During the Webinar, I’ll show how this type of solution can be created.
Aloe (https://aloe.zone), which was released in late September, extends Xojo’s Web framework so that developers can easily create Web solutions that are powerful, scalable, fast, and secure.
XFM (https://fm-integrator.com/xfm/) is a new Xojo module that makes it easy to integrate with hosted FileMaker databases. With XFM, you can read, create, update, and delete records, access value lists, run scripts, and more. I’m releasing XFM free of charge, and it will be available starting tomorrow.
Whether you’re a FileMaker developer that’s interested in Xojo, or a Xojo developer that wants to tap into the lucrative FileMaker integration market, I think you’ll find the webinar to be helpful and informative.
Just a quick note that XFM, the Xojo / FileMaker integration module that I demoed this week on the Xojo webinar, is now available.
XFM is designed to make it easy for Xojo developers to integrate with hosted FileMaker databases. Details, including documentation and downloads, are available here: https://fm-integrator.com/xfm/
I have a few questions about XFM that I didn’t see in the FAQ or docs:
Is XFM open source? I downloaded the xfm-demo Xojo app (xfm-demo-app-20171118-0) but the XFM module contained within is encrypted.
Which FileMaker API does XFM use? I’m guessing it’s the FileMaker XML API, not the newer FileMaker REST API. Is that true?
Are there any port conflicts, for example if I want to run WebDirect as well as a Xojo web app using XFM on the same machine?
The XFM module is encrypted, but it is free to use.
XFM uses FileMaker’s API for XML, not the newer REST API. As a result, you can use XFM with databases hosted with FileMaker Server versions 12 thru 16. (Unfortunately, FileMaker Cloud is not compatible.) Also, because XFM uses the XML API, its connections do not count as “user connections.”
When you run a Xojo Web app, you can specify the port that it listens on. Therefore, you should be able to resolve / prevent port-related conflicts.
Can FileMaker Pro be the host, or does the database have to be running under FileMaker Server? I think this might have been possible back in the pre-web direct days, but I’m pretty sure modern versions of Pro won’t respond to the various APIs, right?
It would be super cool to be able to do development & tests using Xojo and FileMaker Pro without having to get a copy of Server in the mix.
XFM isn’t “open source” and if I described it that way, I apologize. It is “free” and being distributed under an MIT License ( https://www.tldrlegal.com/l/mit ), which is included as a note in the XFM demo app.
XFM does require that databases be hosted with FileMaker Server. It does not work with FileMaker Pro, because it does not support the FileMaker API for XML. You might want to check out this recent thread - https://forum.xojo.com/44278-best-way-to-interact-with-filemaker - for tips on how to integrate Xojo with databases running on FileMaker Pro.
Thanks, Tim - this page https://fm-integrator.com/xfm/faq.html it says “an open source license” so I was surprised to see the encrypted Xojo class. Thanks for clarifying.
