Instant Publishing is a great way to get your database on the web with a minimum of fuss, and works especially good for internal work groups and other situations where "ad hoc" sharing can be of benefit.

Before you upload your database, make sure "Web Companion" is checked in the "Sharing" section of the "File" menu in FileMaker Pro. Then, upload and open your database using the Alder instructions below.

Go to:

...where "servername" is replaced by the name of your own server. You'll see a list of all databases on the server, including yours. It's best to copy the link to that database to the clipboard and incorporate it into a web page on the main web server to "link over".

It's very important to have a password on your file so that unauthorized users may not access your instant published solution over the web. Pull down "File" in FileMaker, go to "Access Privileges" and "Passwords". You'll want to delete the entry for (no password) if it exists, or create a password if one doesn't exist. You may want to also adjust other security settings in the "Access Privileges" section of FileMaker security to further limit web access to your database.

You have a great deal of customization options for your instant publishing solution. Within FileMaker, pull down the "File" menu and select "Sharing". Highlight "Web Companion" and click "Configure Views" to change many aspects of the user experience.

We highly recommend using Internet Explorer 5 (for either Mac or Windows) or above with Instant Web Publishing — Internet Explorer 5 can make use of some advanced web publishing features that allow users to see a near mock up of the database, while older Internet Explorer and Netscape users see a simple table view that isn't quite as dynamic.