WebDirect: things to watch for

This is a wiki, please edit if you have more accurate information.

Check for:

  • No client-side plugins

  • card windows are supported since 19

  • Theme 'Classic' is not being used

  • interaction will be different with container fields (download vs save to user defined folder)

  • Screen size could be anything. Review anchoring to either stretch to the right + bottom or float at the center (instead of top left)

  • menu bar / custom menus

  • 'Copy' is not listed as not supported, but I would be careful about things relying on the clipboard.

  • Displaying / Printing anything with specific fonts can be problematic.

  • overlapping layout objects are problematic

  • Using the same field twice on the same layout is problematic for edits (locked/unlocked for instance)

  • some triggers can be problematic

  • attempting to read from the user's drive (get documents path, inserting or importing from a file having a known location)

  • expect limitations or failure if using send mail with an email client local to the device

Not supported:

  • step Scroll Window

  • Enter Preview Mode

  • Perform Find/Replace

  • Get(TriggerKeystroke)

  • Get(ActiveModifierKeys)

  • Get(ActiveSelectionStart)

  • Get(TextRulerVisible)

  • Get(WindowZoomLevel)

  • Layout animations are supported only on FMGo

  • Get(TriggerModifierKeys)

  • Get(DocumentsPath)

  • Get(TemporaryPath)

  • Get(DocumentsPathListing)

  • TextColor

  • Get(CustomMenuSetName)

  • Get(TriggerGestureInfo)

  • Get ( SystemAppearance )

  • Get(ActiveSelectionSize)

  • Get(AllowFormattingBarState)

  • Get(HighContrastState)

  • Get(HostIPAddress) supported on WebDirect, but not FMCloud

  • Get(NetworkType)

  • Get(PageNumber)

  • Get(PrinterName)

  • Get(ScreenDepth)

  • Get(SystemNICAddress)

  • Get(UseSystemFormatsState)

  • Get(CacheFileName)

  • Get(CacheFilePath)

Partial support:

  • Import recordsThis script step is not supported in mobile browsers. The Specify data source option is not supported. Users must specify a file accessible by the web browser. Importing only from FileMaker Pro, comma-separated values, tab-separated values, DBF, merge, and Excel file formats is supported.

  • Go To Related Record probably depends on the window options for the step itself

  • On object enter & exit (trigger) In FileMaker WebDirect, this script trigger will not activate when assigned to a web viewer

  • goToPortalRowIn FileMaker WebDirect, the cursor moves next to the specified row, but the row is not selected.

  • New windowthis script step opens a new virtual window. Inactive virtual windows remain open, but in FileMaker WebDirect, they are not visible. To change the current (active) virtual window, use the Select Window script step. Supports the Document and Card window style options. At most, one document window combined with one card window can be displayed in a single FileMaker WebDirect session

  • Set selection data selected out of visual range is not scrolled into view

  • Select window: this script step displays the specified virtual window in the web browser window. The previous virtual window remains open when it is not displayed. This script step is not supported for cards.

  • Save record as PDF: This script step is not supported on mobile devices; Saved files download to the web browser’s default download location; The Create folders option is not supported

  • Replace field contents: WebDirect runs this script step as if the With dialog option is set to Off

  • Show/Hide Menubar

  • Insert PDF: WebDirect does not support the Store only as reference or Specify source file options

  • OnObject modify FileMaker WebDirect does not support using the OnObjectModify script trigger to monitor keystrokes in a field (such as when a web user enters text via a keyboard, an input method editor, or a predictive-text suggestion). Monitoring keystrokes with OnObjectModify may reduce performance or lead to unexpected results.

  • Print setup: WebDirect does not support the With dialog: On option

  • Copy/Cut: With FileMaker WebDirect, the Copy (and Cut) script steps does not place data onto the Clipboard

  • Clear & Paste: If you manually select field data before you run this script step in FileMaker WebDirect, the script step performs as if you did not make a selection. To select field data before you run this script step in FileMaker WebDirect, use the Set Selection script step

  • Export Field Contents: This script step is not supported in mobile browsers; The Specify output file and Create folders options are not supported. FileMaker WebDirect exports field contents to the web browser’s default download location - Same for Save as SnapshotLink.

  • Insert File: FileMaker WebDirect does not support the Dialog options or Specify source file options

  • Export records: This script step is not supported in mobile browsers; Exporting to FMP12, XML, XLS, or XLSX formats is not supported; The Create folders option is not supported; If Specify output file is selected, FileMaker WebDirect outputs exported records with the specified filename and file type but ignores the specified file path; FileMaker WebDirect outputs exported records to the web browser’s default download location; If field data or record data is too long for the export format, the Get(LastError) function returns 0 rather than 736

  • Set web viewer: FileMaker WebDirect does not support the GoForward and GoBack options

  • Insert Audio/Video (same for insert picture): WebDirect does not support the Store only as reference or Specify source file options

  • Card windows: make sure that a card’s size doesn’t exceed that of the browser window it will be displayed in. Any portion of a card that extends past the right or bottom edge of the browser window is clipped.

Miscellaneous:

  • Items drawn over a part with a thick border line will not show

  • Popover shadows are not drawn

  • Some SVG attribute that do not impact icon coloring prevent icon state color and icon conditional formatting to be drawn

10 Likes

Web Viewer is an IFRAME in HTML terms, a website embedded in another website as a frame.
A lot of websites dislike or prevent being used inside a frame.
Also JavaScript into the web viewer is usually restricted. If you need to interact, you may need to host your HTML files on the same domain.

5 Likes

This can really mess with the behaviour of many of the cool add-ons that use javaScript powered web viewers.

Field "auto complete using existing values" is not supported? Can anyone find info on this, it's not working for me.

Answered my own question - on WebDirect in order for auto-complete using existing values to work, you must attach a value list to the field (this is not the case on pro)

1 Like