By Brendan McBride Posted on May 10th, 2016 in Web, Claris FileMaker

FileMaker WebDirect Phone Support

FileMaker WebDirect Phone Compatible

WebDirect has been redesigned to be compatible with mobile phones. In the previous release, FileMaker added support for tablet browsers. FileMaker 15 takes it a step further by providing support for mobile phones. Although you could access WebDirect with a phone before, it was not officially supported, mainly due to dialogs being too small for user interaction. With this release, FileMaker really focused on ensuring that all dialog messages and drop downs are easier to use on smaller screens. This is great news for the FileMaker community as it allows us to build solutions for even more users.

Setting Up a FileMaker Application for Phones

In order to enable WebDirect, you will need FileMaker Server 15. Follow the steps on the FileMaker Knowledge Base to deploy WebDirect. Please also keep in mind the technical specifications required for FileMaker Server 15 and WebDirect. Once the database has been enabled, pull out your phone and go to https://<host>/fmi/webd, where <host> is the IP address or domain name of the FileMaker Server.

New to WebDirect in 15

Mobile compatibility was the main focus for WebDirect in FileMaker 15. Here are a few of the changes implemented to improve the mobile experience:

Redesigned login screen to use field placeholders.
Redesigned Menubar drop down button.
Redesigned sort dialog flow.
Redesigned calendar drop down calendar to be larger.
Redesigned dialog fonts to be larger and to no longer be able to be resized.
Redesigned drop down and popup lists to use larger fonts.
Redesigned Custom Dialogs to fit to screen.
Rotation of device will not need to have visible dialogs redrawn.
Redesigned insert and export dialog screens to use larger buttons.

Conclusion

WebDirect is a great way to build a solution and have it instantly accessible on the web. With FileMaker 15, mobile phones are now supported. This allows you to give access to your database to virtually anyone. Need help with WebDirect? Contact us today and we'd be happy to help.

Are you ready to deploy a custom Claris FileMaker solution using WebDirect?
Contact us to discuss building your Claris FileMaker application today.

Brendan McBride

Brendan is a certified FileMaker and web developer and is a very friendly, hard-working, and technically-astute engineer ready to solve any problem you throw at him. Brendan went to Purdue, receiving a Bachelors in Computer Science and minored in Economics.

"We were actually able to add more features than we thought would be possible within our budget. We always experienced a ‘can do’ attitude and DB Services was incredibly patient and easy to work with."

Courtney Hartman

Art Director

"The new FileMaker custom website interface is very user-friendly and easy to follow for our clients. In addition, it is much faster than the old Instant Web Publishing (IWP) interface. Thank you and all the others who have helped us out at DB Services. I am very grateful for the excellent service you provide us. Its nice to know we can call you for help if we have an issue."

Wayne Capek

President

"We needed a solution that would simplify the administration of our responsibilities under our contract with the State of Indiana. We have seen a dramatic increase across the state in the number of potential foster and adoptive parents that have begun the preparation and training process. This increase has resulted in a significant opportunity for children available for adoption. That’s a big win for everyone! And it’s all because we can refer potential parents to the proper state contacts efficiently and quickly."

Chris Morrison

Executive Director

"Thank you for all of your expertise and valuable help. I am so grateful to have found DB Services."

Linda Findlay

Owner

"Thank you for our new database system. We transitioned from a carbon copy paper based system to a digital database. The software has saved us time and money. We used to archive all our jobs in cabinets, now we can look up a job in seconds from anywhere. The software allows us to easily email estimates to our customers in pdf format. In a year there was a return on investment just from eliminating the purchasing of our carbon forms."

Todd Cartmel

Owner

"The new system allows us to create and track jobs for customers along with inventory, something we had been doing with separate word and spreadsheet files. Because it’s now so intuitive, new staff members are able to begin using the database immediately without our usual training session and ‘cheat sheets’ for getting around within the file."

Tom Andrews

President