About This Site

The Basics

When FileMaker 14 was released we decided that it was time to rebuild this web site. We had three main objectives for the new site:

1. The content would be stored and managed in a FileMaker database
2. The site would be mobile friendly (responsive)
3. The new site should not be slower as a result of moving to a managed content solution

The FileMaker PHP API is used in conjunction with FMWebFrame to pull content from a FileMaker database hosted on one of our FileMaker servers and the site is coded using the Skeleton responsive framework.

FMWebFrame

FMWebFrame is an extension to the FileMaker API designed to make custom web publishing easier. Two functions are key to achieving two of our objectives - ExecuteSQL and Caching

ExecuteSQL

The FMWebFrame ExecuteSQL function provides access to the FileMaker ExecuteSQLfuntion and makes pulling information from the database really very easy. SeeImplementing FMWebFramein the sidebar to read more about how straightforward it is to do

Caching

With FMWebFrame's caching functions, we can cache the ExecuteSQL query results. This can dramatically improve the performance of the site for users, and reduce the load placed on the database server. What this means for this site is that all content is cached on the web server and a call to the database is only made when we trigger an update to a page. So effectively we have a static html/php based site that we can dynamically update at the click of a button.

Skeleton Responsive Framework

Skeleton is a responsive css framework based upon a 12 column fluid grid that allows us to produce a variety of page layouts that respond well to changes in screen size from desktop to mobile phone. Skeleton and FMWebFrame seem to work very well together