Function Definition - Revision history

Kent at 21:36, 7 February 2010

2010-02-07T21:36:06Z

Admin: /* Step Eight - Cleaning up */

2007-08-01T09:36:19Z

‎Step Eight - Cleaning up

Admin: /* Step Three - New Do_GetString */

2007-07-11T22:36:36Z

‎Step Three - New Do_GetString

Admin at 22:30, 11 July 2007

2007-07-11T22:30:09Z

Admin at 22:18, 11 July 2007

2007-07-11T22:18:20Z

Admin: New page: By default, the FM 7 API requires you to define each Function Definition in multiple files. This means duplication on Mac & Windows. It is possible to modify the main FMExample_Plugin.cpp ...

2007-07-11T22:04:37Z

New page: By default, the FM 7 API requires you to define each Function Definition in multiple files. This means duplication on Mac & Windows. It is possible to modify the main FMExample_Plugin.cpp ...

New page

By default, the FM 7 API requires you to define each Function Definition in multiple files. This means duplication on Mac & Windows. It is possible to modify the main FMExample_Plugin.cpp file to include the definitions all in the one file, removing the duplication.

In this example, I have replaced the use of the 'FMExample.strings' file (Mac) and 'FMExamplePlugin.rc' file (Windows) to define each Function.

===Step One===
Define the Plugin Option String, Name and Description fields.

#define IDMA_Plugin_Name "IDMA Plugin"
#define IDMA_Plugin_Description "This plug-in provides additional functionality to FileMaker."

#define IDMA_Plugin_OptionString "IDMA1nnYYnn"
// ^--^ || | |---- // No Win32s support
// | || |------ // Want idle time
// | ||-------- // No old external functions
// | |--------- // Has preferences dialog
// |-------------- // 'IDMA' plug-in ID

Note : I just copied these from the .strings or .rc file, then appended the #define name to the start instead.

===Step Two===
Define each of our plugins details.

For each Function Definition, I have created a set of definitions as below. The 'ID' as far as I can tell can be any number, but once you have set it for a function, you cannot change or else it will no longer link for any FileMaker database which calls that function. I have used increments of 10 so that I can insert a function at a later date if wanted.

// Function IDs ====WARNING : ID Values are important. Do not change once used, or will affect FileMaker linkage !!! ===
#define IDMA_Version_Name "Version( \"Version\" )"
#define IDMA_Version_ID 201
#define IDMA_Version_Min 0
#define IDMA_Version_Max 1
#define IDMA_Version_Flags fmx::ExprEnv::kMayEvaluateOnServer | fmx::ExprEnv::kDisplayInAllDialogs

#define IDMA_DoScript_Name "idma_DoScript( Get(FileName) ; scriptname ; paramater )"
#define IDMA_DoScript_ID 211
#define IDMA_DoScript_Min 2
#define IDMA_DoScript_Max 3
#define IDMA_DoScript_Flags fmx::ExprEnv::kMayEvaluateOnServer | fmx::ExprEnv::kDisplayInAllDialogs

Repeat the above for each additional Function Definition.

===Step Three===
We need to create a couple of new functions to replicate the 'Do_GetString' function that comes with the API to read our define's instead.

static fmx::TextAutoPtr _n(char * S)
{ // return the function name only as a FMX::TextAutoPtr. eg. returns 'Version' from 'Version( \"Version\" )'

fmx::TextAutoPtr R;
R->Assign(S);

// The string for this whichStringID is a Function Prototype, but all the plug-in needs now is the Function Name by itself.
fmx::TextAutoPtr parenToken; parenToken->Assign("(");

unsigned long originalSize = R->GetSize();
unsigned long firstParenLocation;

firstParenLocation = R->Find(*parenToken, 0);
R->DeleteText(firstParenLocation, originalSize-firstParenLocation);

return R;

} // Do_GetString (TextAutoPtr version)

static fmx::TextAutoPtr _p(char * S)
{ // return the function definition as a FMX::TextAutoPtr. eg. returns 'Version( \"Version\" )'

fmx::TextAutoPtr R;
R->Assign(S);

return R;

} // Do_GetString (TextAutoPtr version)

===Step Four===
Modify the Do_Plugin_Inti() function as below

/* ::=- Do_PluginInit =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=:: */
static FMX_Long Do_PluginInit(FMX_Short version)
{
// Check the app API version
if ((version < k70ExtnVersion) || (version > kMaxExtnVersion))
{
// This version of FileMaker is not supported; let FileMaker disable this
// plug-in and report the problem to the user.
return (kBadExtnVersion);
}

// Initialise any variables as necessary.

// Register plug-in functions
fmx::QuadCharAutoPtr pluginID('I', 'D', 'M', 'A');
fmx::errcode err;

err = fmx::ExprEnv::RegisterExternalFunction(*pluginID, IDMA_Version_ID, *_n(IDMA_Version_Name), *_p(IDMA_Version_Name), IDMA_Version_Min, IDMA_Version_Max, IDMA_Version_Flags, Do_Version );
err = fmx::ExprEnv::RegisterExternalFunction(*pluginID, IDMA_DoScript_ID, *_n(IDMA_DoScript_Name), *_p(IDMA_DoScript_Name), IDMA_DoScript_Min, IDMA_DoScript_Max, IDMA_DoScript_Flags, Do_StartScript );

// Return kCurrentExtnVersion to enable the plug-in in FileMaker.
return (kCurrentExtnVersion);

} // Do_PluginInit

Notice that our actual Function Definition is now a single line per definition.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:36, 7 February 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
	By default, the FM 7 API requires you to define each Function Definition in multiple files. This means duplication on Mac & Windows. It is possible to modify the main FMExample_Plugin.cpp file to include the definitions all in the one file, removing the duplication.		By default, the FM 7 API requires you to define each Function Definition in multiple files. This means duplication on Mac & Windows. It is possible to modify the main FMExample_Plugin.cpp file to include the definitions all in the one file, removing the duplication.
		+
		+	NOTE : The disadvantage of this is you are limiting your plugin to a single language (English in my case)

@@ Line 173: / Line 173: @@
 All going to plan, we should now be able to compile and test.
-If all works,  then edit your  .strings  and  .rc  files,  and comment out (or delete if you want) and reference to the above items.
+If all works,  then edit your  .strings  and  .rc  files,  and comment out (or delete if you want) any reference to the above items.
 * .strings file  (Mac)

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 ===Step Three - New Do_GetString===
-We need to create a couple of new functions to replicate the  'Do_GetString'  function that comes with the API to read our define's instead.
+We need to create a couple of new functions to replicate the  'Do_GetString'  function that comes with the API to read our define's instead.  These will be used in Step Four for our modified Function Definition.
   static fmx::TextAutoPtr _n(char * S)
@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
   } // Do_GetString (TextAutoPtr version)
 ===Step Four - Modify Do_PluginInit===

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 In this example, I have replaced the use of the 'FMExample.strings' file (Mac) and 'FMExamplePlugin.rc' file (Windows) to define each Function.
-===Step One===
+===Step One - Plugin Name===
 Define the Plugin Option String, Name and Description fields.
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
-===Step Two===
+===Step Two - Function Definitions===
 Define each of our plugins details.
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
-===Step Three===
+===Step Three - New Do_GetString===
 We need to create a couple of new functions to replicate the  'Do_GetString'  function that comes with the API to read our define's instead.
@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
-===Step Four===
+===Step Four - Modify Do_PluginInit===
 Modify the  Do_Plugin_Inti() function as below
@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
-===Step Five===
+===Step Five - Modify DO_PluginShutdown===
 Update our Plugin Shutdown routine.   Check that we are using the same ID's
@@ Line 129: / Line 129: @@
-===Step Six===
+===Step Six - Plugin Name===
-I also wanted to move my Plugin Option String,  Name and Description out of the  .string or  .rc  files.   I added their  #define's earlier in step one.  Now, I need to get the plugin to use these instead.
+I also wanted to move my Plugin Option String,  Name and Description out of the  .strings  or  .rc  files.   I added their  #define's earlier in step one.  Now, I need to get the plugin to use these instead.
+To do this, we first need to add the following two new functions
   void copyCharToUnichar(char * S, FMX_Long maxLength, FMX_Unichar * R)
@@ Line 163: / Line 162: @@
-*2nd - Modify the  FMExternCallProc(FMX_ExternCallPtr pb)  function.
+===Step Seven - Modify FMExternCallProc===
   		case kFMXT_GetString:
@@ Line 170: / Line 170: @@
+  		}
   		break;

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 Define each of our plugins details.
-For each Function Definition, I have created a set of definitions as below.  The 'ID' as far as I can tell can be any number, but once you have set it for a function, you cannot change or else it will no longer link for any FileMaker database which calls that function.   I have used increments of 10 so that I can insert a function at a later date if wanted.
+For each Function Definition, I have created a set of definitions as below.  The 'ID' as far as I can tell can be any number, but once you have set it for a function, you cannot change it or else it will no longer link for any FileMaker database which calls that function.   I have used increments of 10 so that I can insert a function at a later date if wanted.
@@ Line 107: / Line 107: @@
 Notice that our actual Function Definition is now a single line per definition.