FileMaker Pro 6 Developers Guide to XML/XSL (Wordware Library for FileMaker)

Beverly Voth

Wordware Publishing, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Voth, Beverly.FileMaker Pro 6 developer's guide to XML/XSL / Beverly Voth.p. cm.ISBN 1-55622-043-X (paperback)1. FileMaker pro. 2. Database management. 3. XML (Document markup language)4. XSL (Document markup language). 1. Title.QA76.9.D3V685 2003005.75'65--dc21 2003002416CIP

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Acknowledgments

First, I must thank Rich Coulombre for recommending that I write this book. Yes, I thank him even though he knows the time and effort needed for such an undertaking! Mostly, I thank Rich for reminding me to put everything in perspective, as life seems to happen while you're writing a book.

The Friday night FileMaker chat group chimed in with so much support to get me going and to keep me going. Among them I found my first technical editor, Chad Gard. Our initial focus was XML in web publishing and Chad's help was invaluable! When XML became another format for import and export in FileMaker Pro, my current technical editor, Doug Rowe, another chat buddy, took on the challenge. Both of these wonderful people are great at taking the "technical" and making it "human." They are busy being great FileMaker Pro developers and you'll find examples from both of them on the companion web sites. Another great FileMaker Pro developer, Jon Rosen, has been helpful in my quest for a publisher.

I could not have written this book without some terrific people at FileMaker, Inc. I have been working with web publishing and databases for a very long time. When FileMaker, Inc. moved in the same direction, I was extremely delighted. They also saw the oncoming freight train, XML, and integrated that technology in many ways. Now you have the chance to understand why we all think this is exciting.

Kevin Mallon has been my main contact and extremely helpful by getting information for me on the products. I think he's more than a public relations person at FileMaker, Inc. I think he's a "believer"! Jimmy Jones, Dave McKee, Marcel De Maria, and Dave Dumas are among my heros at FileMaker, Inc. They give freely to the FileMaker community, through the mail lists, and support the developers' quest for the ultimate database.

Rick Kalman, technical liaison at FileMaker, Inc., is an "XML devotee," too. Rick and Jay Welshofer have been instrumental in pushing the rest of us into preparing for the journey. You'll find them on the XML-talk list at http://www.filemaker.com/xml/xml_talk.html, and in some of the XSLT examples, http://www.filemaker.com/xml/xslt_library.html.

Wordware Publishing has been so wonderful at taking a chance on me. I could not have finished without Jim Hill, Wes Beck with, Beth Kohler, and Paula Price! I just knew that this book would fit in with their other FileMaker Pro titles.

The most understanding bunch of people, my coworkers, family, and friends, have supported me in more ways than one! The Moondudes Extraordinaire, Fred Smith and Herman Adams, let me work on this project when my talents were needed elsewhere at Moonbow Software. But I hear the pride in their voices when they tell clients that "we are writing a book!" It's definitely "we," because I couldn't have done it without their support.

My parents, Duane and Lynne Rabbitt, and sister, Kathy Branch, always knew I could do something like this! They wouldn't let me give up when I had the rest of my life to contend with. My fiance, Jesse Lockard, and his parents, TJ and Carole, also supported me, even though I should have been spending time getting a new life!

Finally, I thank you for taking the time to read FileMaker Pro 6 Developer's Guide to XML/XSL. That tells me that you are as interested as I am about XML and how we can achieve something wonderful with it and FileMaker Pro.

About the Companion Files

The companion files can be downloaded from http://www.wordware.com/fmxml and http://www.moonbow.com/xml. These files include examples discussed in the book, as well as demo plug-ins from Troi Automatisering, information on networking FileMaker Pro solutions, and examples provided by third parties.

The examples are organized into folders according to chapters. Simply copy the folders to your hard drive to work with them.

For more information about the contents of the companion files, see the CD index.rtf file included with the downloads.