Open URL

Purpose

Format

Options

•	Perform without dialog prevents the “Open URL” Options dialog box from displaying when the script step executes.

•	Click Specify to display the “Open URL” Options dialog box, where you can type the URL directly in the text entry area or click Specify to create your URL from a calculation.

Compatibility


Where the script step runs	Supported
FileMaker Pro	Yes
FileMaker Server scheduled script	No
FileMaker Go	Yes
Custom Web Publishing	No
Instant Web Publishing	Partial
Runtime solution	Yes

Originated in

FileMaker Pro 6.0 or earlier

Description

Windows:

Open URL supports http, https, ldap, ldaps, ftp, file, and mailto URL types. For example, if the URL starts with http, FileMaker Pro opens the user's web browser and processes the URL.

Note FileMaker Pro uses the preferences stored in the Windows system file URL.DLL to determine the application to handle the URL. The URL is then passed to ShellExecute for execution.

Mac OS:

If the user has configured the internet system preferences, this script step allows the user to open a URL. Open URL supports http, https, ldap, ldaps, ftp, file, and mailto URL types, using the applications specified in either the control panel or system preferences. For example, if the URL starts with http, FileMaker Pro opens the user's web browser and processes the URL.

Examples

The following example opens the user's web browser and displays the FileMaker, Inc. homepage (the URL specified when the Open URL script step was defined).

Open URL [No dialog; "http://www.filemaker.com/"]

The following example opens Windows Notepad and opens the file My_File.txt on the root level of the user's hard disk.

Open URL [No dialog; "file://c:/My_File.txt"]

The following example launches the preferred email application, opens a new email message, and uses the value in the Email Address field to address the message. The email address must start with mailto:.

Open URL [No dialog; "mailto:email address"]

You can also use the Open URL script step to open a shared FileMaker Pro file running on another system, as follows:

Open URL [No dialog; "fmp://system:user@testlab-mac/testdb"]

where `system' is the FileMaker Pro account name, `user' is the password, `testlab-mac' is a DNS entry for the machine where the file resides (you can also use an IPv4 or IPv6 address for this parameter), and `testdb' is the FileMaker Pro filename.

Important Account name and password information entered in an Open URL script step is visible to users with script editing access privileges, and is therefore not secure.