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 (FileMaker Server only) 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 (FileMaker Server only), 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.

To enable plug-ins to run in the FileMaker Data API:

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

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

  3. Set FileMaker Data API Plug-ins to Enabled.

  4. Restart FileMaker Server on the primary machine to apply this change.

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.