FAQ
Q. Is SmartPill compatible with FileMaker 11?
A. Yes, we've tested the current version 2.0.1 with FileMaker 11 and have found no issues. If you're using the internal SQL functions (fm_sql_execute or fm_sql_select), please check to make sure your queries work as expected. FileMaker has implemented a new SQL engine that is more strict regarding the SQL syntax it accepts.
Q. The plug-in works for a while and then I get error 100 Plug-in is not registered?
A. The plug-in will run without registration for 30 minutes after which time it must be registered. If you’d like to remove this restriction during your evaluation, you can request a free 30-day trial license.
Q. Do I have to create a PHP Support folder and if so, where does it go?
A. Creating a PHP Support folder is only required if you choose to use a license file for registration. The PHP Support folder goes inside the Extensions folder (the same folder where the plug-in is installed). We also recommend creating the PHP Support folder as a place to store PHP include files. The plug-in will automatically register the location of the PHP Support folder in PHP’s include_path setting.
Q. I’ve installed the plug-in on my Windows machine but it doesn’t show up in the FileMaker plug-in preferences.
A. Installation on Windows requires 2 files. The PHP.fmx file goes in the Extensions folder like any other plug-in. The second file, which is included with our distribution, is named php5ts.dll and it must be placed in the FileMaker application folder. The typical location is here (assuming FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced):
C:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced\
UPDATE: The php5ts.dll IS NOT REQUIRED when using the new 1.5 version.
Q. Do I need to install FileMaker’s API for PHP?
A. No, SmartPill is completely self-contained and is used for a different purpose. FileMaker’s API for PHP is used to provide access via the web publishing engine while SmartPill runs on the “inside” of FileMaker as a plug-in. As mentioed below, SmartPill can be used with the web publishing engine but it does so as a plug-in, not an API.
Q. Which PHP extensions do you support?
A. One way to get the list is with this line of PHP code:
print_r(get_loaded_extensions());
Here’s the current list: FileMaker, PDO, Reflection, SPL, SQLite, SimpleXML, ctype, curl, date, dom, exif, filter, ftp, gd, hash, iconv, imap, json, ldap, libxml, mbstring, mcrypt, mysql, odbc, openssl, pcre, pdo_sqlite, posix, session, soap, sockets, standard, tokenizer, xml, xmlreader, xmlwriter, xsl, zip, zlib.
Q. How can I learn more about PHP?
A. There are a tremendous number of resources available online as well as a wealth of books. Here are just a few links:
http://www.php.net (the online manual is indispensable and includes great example code)
http://www.zend.com and http://www.zend.com/publishers (for book listing)
http://www.phparch.com
Q. Does SmartPill work with FileMaker’s web publishing engine?
A. Yes, but there’s an issue with FileMaker Server Advanced 8.0v4 on OSX (which isn’t isolated just to SmartPill). We’re working with FileMaker on this and will update our site as we find out more. We’ve successfully tested SmartPill on Windows for both custom and instant web publishing.
Q. How smart is SmartPill?
A. With over 3,000 functions, it’s pretty smart. Take a look at the PHP function reference here: http://www.php.net/manual/en/funcref.php.
Q. Is SmartPill compatible with Max OS X Snow Leopard (10.6)?
A. Yes, we've tested SmartPill versions 1, 1.5 and 2 with Snow Leopard and have found no issues.
