Back when I was learning about the FileMaker Data API, I had trouble finding any information on how container data was handled. Oddly, the upload information in the Help documentation seemed far more complete than the download information, especially considering the download information isn’t even it’s own section. It’s a note in the URL And Data Format notes section. In essence, the note is: You will get a URL referencing the location of the container data, which is somewhere on the internet. You’re welcome. I ended up utilizing the Base64 Encode And Decode functions in a way that I’ll forever keep as a tool in my developer’s toolbox. If you’re not familiar with these functions, they easily convert images into text and vice versa.
With FileMaker 16, Claris introduced the FileMaker Data API into the FileMaker development environment, giving us a powerful new tool for pushing and pulling data in and out of the FileMaker database engine.