Enabling plug-ins

Server-side plug-ins can provide external functions used in FileMaker scripts that are scheduled to run on FileMaker Server (see Running FileMaker scripts).

The FileMaker Server component that runs plug-ins is the FileMaker Script Engine (FMSE).

The FileMaker Server component that runs FileMaker WebDirect and Custom Web Publishing is the Web Publishing Engine.

To enable plug-ins to run in the FileMaker Script Engine:

  1. Place plug-ins in the proper folders so that FileMaker Script Engine can use them. See Folders for plug-in files.

  2. In Admin Console, click the Connectors > Plug-ins tab.

  3. Set FileMaker Script Engine Plug-ins to Enabled.

To enable plug-ins to run in the Web Publishing Engine:

  1. Place plug-ins in the proper folders so that web publishing solutions can use them. See Folders for plug-in files.

    If a web publishing solution uses a plug-in, you must place a copy of the same plug-in in a folder on every machine in the deployment running a Web Publishing Engine (including the machine running the Database Server).

  2. In Admin Console, click the Connectors > Plug-ins tab.

  3. Set Web Publishing Plug-ins to Enabled.

  4. In a single-machine deployment, restart the Web Publishing Engine to apply this change. In a multiple-machine deployment, restart the Web Publishing Engine first on the primary machine, then on the secondary machines, to apply this change from the primary machine to the secondary machines.

Notes 

  • Stored calculations or server-side queries cannot use plug-ins.

  • Some plug-ins (and the libraries they reference) load only when the process is executed by a user who is logged in to the system; FileMaker Script Engine executes as a background process, not as a user process. Consequently, developers need to write plug-ins differently to work with FileMaker Server. Users will need to see their operating system documentation to find which libraries are typically available.