Creating custom plug-ins
If you are a C or C++ programmer and familiar with calculations and scripts in FileMaker Pro, you can create FileMaker plug-ins. The plug-ins can take advantage of recursion and looping, or hook into other programming interfaces. To create a custom plug-in, you will need the FileMaker plug-in SDK.
To use plug-ins, FileMaker Pro users need to allow custom app files to install and enable plug-ins. For hosted files, the server administrator needs to allow the Install Plug-In File script step to update plug-ins installed on the server in Admin Console for FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud for AWS. FileMaker Cloud doesn’t support plug-ins.
To prepare your custom plug-ins:
- Using C or C++, create a plug-in file.
Windows: The plug-in extension must be .fmx64.
macOS: The plug-in extension must be .fmplugin.
- Compile and test the plug-in.
Though digitally signing your plug-in is optional, users will be asked whether to permit an unsigned plug-in to load. See Setting permitted hosts and plug-ins preferences.
- Install the compiled plug-in file in a container field in your FileMaker custom app. See Installing plug-ins.
- (optional) Set up the custom app to check the version of installed plug-ins and update them if needed. See Plug-in update example.
To make plug-ins available in a file, users need to:
- Enable and configure plug-ins in the Preferences dialog box in FileMaker Pro. See Setting plug-in preferences.
- (optional) Select Allow Solutions to Install Files in the plug-in preferences to have plug-in updates installed automatically. See Plug-in update example.
- Do one of the following:
- To use a function provided by the plug-in, sort the list of functions in the Specify Calculation dialog box by type. Under the name of the plug-in, choose a function.
- To use a script step provided by the plug-in, sort the list of script steps in the Script Workspace by category. Under the name of the plug-in, choose a script step.
Notes
- For security reasons, system administrators might require users to disable Allow Solutions to Install Files. Contact the system administrator at your customer site for more information.