As FileMaker developers, we tend to rely on Claris-based offerings when building solutions for clients. However, when it comes to web-based applications – creating a FileMaker web app – there are additional options.
FileMaker WebDirect allows us to create layouts within FileMaker for the specific purpose of presenting and interacting with data in the FileMaker database. This method is the simplest, but comes with some downsides. Another option is Delfs’ Engineering’s FM BetterForms, a web framework for building forms that send data to and retrieve data from FileMaker databases. Lastly, full-stack development uses various technologies, such as Python, PHP, JavaScript, and other open-source frameworks for presenting and retrieving data.
Determining which method to use for your project depends on several factors, including development time, cost, and performance.
WebDirect is a feature built into FileMaker. It allows developers to create web-based applications without needing to learn alternative web development skills, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. FileMaker handles the translation of layouts into web-based components. For users, the WebDirect interface provides a familiar experience which is similar to the FileMaker client application.
Creating WebDirect-optimized layouts can add some overhead to development time, but it’s relatively minimal when compared to other solutions. The primary downsides to WebDirect are cost and performance. It’s a cost-effective solution for controlled groups of 15-100 users, where all users are known and already have FileMaker licenses. Additional licenses aren’t needed for those users to access the web application. However, when anonymous or high-volume simultaneous connections are needed, FileMaker WebDirect is less effective.
Developed by Delf’s Engineering, FM BetterForms is a hosting and front-end development tool for FileMaker databases. While some basic HTML and CSS knowledge is needed, developing a web interface with FM BetterForms is relatively easy. The resulting layouts provide a more standard, polished web experience for users, compared to WebDirect.
Additionally, FM BetterForms can reduce development complexity by handling the back-end integration, deployment, and maintenance tasks that would normally be required in a full-stack web app approach. It also includes common front-end libraries, such as Tailwind, Bootstrap, and Lodash, which are kept up-to-date.
FM BetterForms has a solid integration with FileMaker, allowing developers to employ their existing FileMaker skills and connect directly to the FileMaker data. FM BetterForms also provides a layer of security because it does not directly access the database as WebDirect does.
On the downside, FM BetterForms is not currently compatible with FileMaker Cloud, since Cloud does not yet support XML web publishing. It is also a third-party product with its own licensing costs.
Full-stack development involves creating both the front end (the part of a website users interact with) and the back end (the server-side logic and database management) of web applications. Where and how the data is stored is relatively unimportant, so using FileMaker is not a requirement.
Developing full-stack applications requires significant knowledge of a variety of web-based programming languages. Keeping code and security measures up-to-date is a critical albeit manual undertaking and can lead to serious system failures if not properly maintained. Still, there are instances when full-stack development needs to be considered.
There are a few key situations where a full-stack web application should be considered instead of using FileMaker WebDirect or FM BetterForms:
Deciding whether to use FileMaker WebDirect, FM BetterForms, or full-stack development to develop and deploy your web applications requires considering several factors.
For FileMaker developers, WebDirect is the simplest solution, but licensing requirements, performance, and user limits can present some challenges.
FM BetterForms is a front-end solution that makes it easy to connect web-based users to FileMaker data without additional licenses; however, since it still relies on FileMaker Server for performance, high-volume access could present issues.
For the ultimate control over design and performance, full-stack development is the way to go and doesn’t require the use of FileMaker at all. However, there is a steep learning curve for FileMaker developers, and maintaining updates and security for open-source programming libraries can be significant downsides.
Listen to our developers discuss the topic of web app development options in episode 20 of our FileMaker DevCast.
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