ISO FileMaker Magazine

Having recently consulted with a newer developer unfamiliar with the way FileMaker hosting/sharing works, I found that discussing the process would be a good primer for anyone just starting with FileMaker. If you've only ever worked or developed your file on your local machine, then learning how to host that file will be a big benefit. Especially if you need to collaborate with another developer.

One of the key benefits of developing with FileMaker is the fact that it allows for collaborative live development. This is a feature which makes it quite nice to create a system where multiple developers can provide input and development into a solution which can reach maturity faster than when developed solo on a local machine. Code sharing is also a great benefit.

In this video, I walk through the steps to be aware of when hosting your FileMaker file. We go through privilege set settings, encrypting the file for sharing and other settings you should be aware of when developing with FileMaker.

Keeping things private, so only those who need access can access them, has been a desirable situation for as long as people have wanted to keep things private.

The only difference between the invention of invisible ink and today is trying to keep ahead of those who have the knowledge on how to access what you're trying to keep private. It's the eternal game of cat and mouse between those who seek to access what they shouldn't and those who want to keep those people out.

Within FileMaker, we now have the option of using the FileMaker 16 added Crypt* functions. This functionality, formerly only accessible through plug-ins, can now be used to securely encrypt your data within regular text fields. There's some terminology and understanding that needs to be paired with using the provided functions in order to make sure you're staying truly as secure as you possibly can when using them.

This video provides the information needed to understand what that terminology is and how to securely encrypt private data within you own FileMaker solutions.

FileMaker 16 added a variety of new features designed to support its new ability to interact with web services using JSON. One of those supporting features was the addition of more cryptographic functionality.

Previously, the only native feature available was an MD5 hash. At the time of it being added, it was already out of fashion as a security based feature, but it could be used to compare two things against each other.

By adding new encryption and decryption capabilities, we are now able to encrypt and decrypt data directly within the database itself. This means we can, if desired (and your security policies allow it), store things like credit cards and other sensitive information. While the functions themselves are pretty straight-forward, it’s always nice to know the ins-and-outs of how to implement a feature properly.