Comments for The FileMaker Collective http://fmcollective.com A gathering of FileMaker developers and thinkers Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:53:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 Comment on Google Mapping Part Deux (Multiple Addresses) by Mike Lee http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-1245 Mike Lee Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:22:06 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-1245 A tip of the hat to Jon Rosen for pointing out a flaw in my above PHP. It turns out that when your server's PHP configuration 'magic_quotes_gpc' directive is turned On (as it is by default), then googlemaparray.php won't work. Our server has this directive turned Off, so I didn't notice this issue while testing here. The solution is to use the <code>stripslashes()</code> function (<a href="http://www.php.net/stripslashes" rel="nofollow">http://www.php.net/stripslashes</a>) to convert the escaped characters. Immediately after the line which reads: <code>$addrarray = $_GET[’addr’];</code> Add the following: <code>$addrarray = stripslashes($addrarray);</code> Note: I've updated the original PHP to version 1.1 to reflect this change. A tip of the hat to Jon Rosen for pointing out a flaw in my above PHP. It turns out that when your server’s PHP configuration ‘magic_quotes_gpc’ directive is turned On (as it is by default), then googlemaparray.php won’t work. Our server has this directive turned Off, so I didn’t notice this issue while testing here.

The solution is to use the stripslashes() function (http://www.php.net/stripslashes) to convert the escaped characters.

Immediately after the line which reads:
$addrarray = $_GET[’addr’];

Add the following:
$addrarray = stripslashes($addrarray);

Note: I’ve updated the original PHP to version 1.1 to reflect this change.

]]> Comment on Google Mapping Part Deux (Multiple Addresses) by Mike Lee http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-998 Mike Lee Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:27:54 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-998 Regarding directions, I haven't investigated this, but have a couple comments. You can call the correctly-formatted directly URL within a Web Viewer: http://maps.google.com/maps?&saddr=STARTADDRESS&daddr=DESTINATIONADDRESS Of course, this doesn't utilize the API and you lose control over look and feel. The other option is to investigate the Google Maps API, which does have information on getting directions: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/services.html#Driving_Directions They have a sample page utilizing this: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/examples/directions-simple.html This sounds like an interesting addition. Perhaps I can address it via a future article. Regarding directions, I haven’t investigated this, but have a couple comments.

You can call the correctly-formatted directly URL within a Web Viewer:
http://maps.google.com/maps?&saddr=STARTADDRESS&daddr=DESTINATIONADDRESS

Of course, this doesn’t utilize the API and you lose control over look and feel.

The other option is to investigate the Google Maps API, which does have information on getting directions:
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/services.html#Driving_Directions

They have a sample page utilizing this:
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/examples/directions-simple.html

This sounds like an interesting addition. Perhaps I can address it via a future article.

]]> Comment on Google Mapping Part Deux (Multiple Addresses) by hotsoup http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-997 hotsoup Sun, 06 Jan 2008 06:47:22 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-997 I am trying to get FM to pull up a map of directions simply from "point a to point b" with the data in my database. Can someone help? I am trying to get FM to pull up a map of directions simply from “point a to point b” with the data in my database. Can someone help?

]]> Comment on Google Mapping in FileMaker by Mike Lee http://fmcollective.com/2007/05/23/google-mapping-in-filemaker/#comment-751 Mike Lee Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:12:19 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/?p=43#comment-751 Prior to FM9, the Web Viewer could only display URLs (not HTML directly). That's why I originally started looking at tools that could convert a structured URL (i.e. http://example/map.php?addr=ADDRESS) into a suitable page for Google Maps. I couldn't create the HTML locally and display it locally without resorting to other tricks (plug-ins to save a file locally, etc.) And those other tricks would make it brittle and add to the general complexity of making it work (although that's open for debate). I settled on PHP because I happened to find some tools to make the Google Mapping easier (the "Easy Google Map" PHP class) and I have the PHP knowledge to make it work. That said, there are downsides to a server-based approach, notably the URL length limits mentioned above which impedes the total number of addresses that can be mapped at once. With FM9, you can use the "data: URI scheme" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data:_URI_scheme) to hand-build the HTML and display it directly in a Web Viewer. This seems on the surface to be a much better choice, because the data don't have to be sent across the internet to another server just to be displayed. Here's a simplified example: "data:text/html,<html><body>Hello World!</body></html>" If you put that into a Web Viewer (>=FM9), it will show "Hello World!". Fairly boring, but the HTML can be as complex as required to get the job done. The last step would be to write a process by which the JavaScript-based page is created directly in FM. I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader. I'd be interested if anyone out there gets a prototype working. Cheers, Mike Prior to FM9, the Web Viewer could only display URLs (not HTML directly). That’s why I originally started looking at tools that could convert a structured URL (i.e. http://example/map.php?addr=ADDRESS) into a suitable page for Google Maps. I couldn’t create the HTML locally and display it locally without resorting to other tricks (plug-ins to save a file locally, etc.) And those other tricks would make it brittle and add to the general complexity of making it work (although that’s open for debate). I settled on PHP because I happened to find some tools to make the Google Mapping easier (the “Easy Google Map” PHP class) and I have the PHP knowledge to make it work. That said, there are downsides to a server-based approach, notably the URL length limits mentioned above which impedes the total number of addresses that can be mapped at once.

With FM9, you can use the “data: URI scheme” (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data:_URI_scheme) to hand-build the HTML and display it directly in a Web Viewer. This seems on the surface to be a much better choice, because the data don’t have to be sent across the internet to another server just to be displayed.

Here’s a simplified example:
“data:text/html,<html><body>Hello World!</body></html>”

If you put that into a Web Viewer (>=FM9), it will show “Hello World!”. Fairly boring, but the HTML can be as complex as required to get the job done.

The last step would be to write a process by which the JavaScript-based page is created directly in FM. I’ll leave that as an exercise for the reader. I’d be interested if anyone out there gets a prototype working.

Cheers,
Mike

]]> Comment on Google Mapping in FileMaker by dburnham http://fmcollective.com/2007/05/23/google-mapping-in-filemaker/#comment-748 dburnham Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:22:15 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/?p=43#comment-748 I would like to know if there is a solution to this same problem within FileMaker itself, without PHP serving anything. That is, how can I get the web viewer to simply display the full image of the map without the sidebar? I would like to know if there is a solution to this same problem within FileMaker itself, without PHP serving anything. That is, how can I get the web viewer to simply display the full image of the map without the sidebar?

]]> Comment on DevCon 2007 Closing Session by Sdyhr http://fmcollective.com/2007/08/09/devcon-2007-closing-session/#comment-559 Sdyhr Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:01:32 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/08/09/devcon-2007-closing-session/#comment-559 Unfortunately can't I get ends to meet, when attempting to participate each year in Devcon. But this session would have been beneficial to me at least. However, a lot of these observation or rules of thumb's ought to be availiable more publicly than bleeding out of corners and cracks when special occations arises. Let me give an example of where the ticks or clocking could be nice to know. If you have a many2many stucture and you wish to make an ANDSEARCH ... should you go ahead with a constrained search in the portal? Or should you work only stored fields: 1. In Actors, find Bogart OR Bacall (2 requests); 2. Go to Related Record [ from Appearances ; Match found set ]; 3. Find duplicates in TitleID [ Constrain found set ]; 4. Go to Related Record [ from Titles ; Match found set ] (Michael Horaks reply to a thread in fmforums) It's obvious if three actors are chosen, will this metod break! --sd Unfortunately can’t I get ends to meet, when attempting to participate each year in Devcon. But this session would have been beneficial to me at least. However, a lot of these observation or rules of thumb’s ought to be availiable more publicly than bleeding out of corners and cracks when special occations arises.

Let me give an example of where the ticks or clocking could be nice to know. If you have a many2many stucture and you wish to make an ANDSEARCH … should you go ahead with a constrained search in the portal? Or should you work only stored fields:

1. In Actors, find Bogart OR Bacall (2 requests);
2. Go to Related Record [ from Appearances ; Match found set ];
3. Find duplicates in TitleID [ Constrain found set ];
4. Go to Related Record [ from Titles ; Match found set ]

(Michael Horaks reply to a thread in fmforums)

It’s obvious if three actors are chosen, will this metod break!

–sd

]]> Comment on Google Mapping Part Deux (Multiple Addresses) by wstites http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-442 wstites Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:48:13 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-442 This is and extremely flexible and powerful tool that I was able to plug-in to my existing database. Solved some immediate needs. Thanks! This is and extremely flexible and powerful tool that I was able to plug-in to my existing database. Solved some immediate needs. Thanks!

]]> Comment on Google Mapping Part Deux (Multiple Addresses) by Mike Lee http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-207 Mike Lee Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:37:22 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-207 While investigating this, I found an interesting page on Maximum URL Length Limits, here: http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/misc/urllength.html While investigating this, I found an interesting page on Maximum URL Length Limits, here:
http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/misc/urllength.html

]]> Comment on Google Mapping Part Deux (Multiple Addresses) by Mike Lee http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-206 Mike Lee Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:34:43 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/09/05/google-mapping-part-deux-multiple-addresses/#comment-206 For Windows users... I have learned that there is an Internet Explorer limitation which restricts the length of the URLs for a GET request to 2048 characters. This is much smaller than the Apache limit and may prevent the map for working for found sets much larger than 25 records. If you've downloaded the example file and had trouble, that might explain why. More information can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/208427 Because the Web Viewer uses the IE engine, there's not much we can do about this limit within FileMaker. On a Mac, it uses the Safari engine which doesn't exhibit this limitation. For Windows users… I have learned that there is an Internet Explorer limitation which restricts the length of the URLs for a GET request to 2048 characters. This is much smaller than the Apache limit and may prevent the map for working for found sets much larger than 25 records. If you’ve downloaded the example file and had trouble, that might explain why.

More information can be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/208427

Because the Web Viewer uses the IE engine, there’s not much we can do about this limit within FileMaker. On a Mac, it uses the Safari engine which doesn’t exhibit this limitation.

]]> Comment on Tip of the hat by dandanthesushiman http://fmcollective.com/2007/08/22/tip-of-the-hat/#comment-97 dandanthesushiman Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:53:43 +0000 http://fmcollective.com/2007/08/22/tip-of-the-hat/#comment-97 I like the idea of the javascript to display the schedule. I am the FMP developer in an international school in London and this is something I have had to do. I used global fields as columns and then step through the students schedule to enter the course details and carriage returns and lines to display blocks of different lenghts. It actually works pretty well and is fast enough. Having said that I am always interested in finding a better way. Is there any chance you could post the code and an example. I would love to see what you have done. All the best I like the idea of the javascript to display the schedule. I am the FMP developer in an international school in London and this is something I have had to do. I used global fields as columns and then step through the students schedule to enter the course details and carriage returns and lines to display blocks of different lenghts. It actually works pretty well and is fast enough. Having said that I am always interested in finding a better way. Is there any chance you could post the code and an example. I would love to see what you have done.

All the best

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