|
Ever wanted to tell other FileMaker users you changed an appointment or ask someone to get out of a record? Now you can with Troi Activator Plug-in! The Activator is a very powerful tool for triggering scripts across the network, even over internet!
Trigger scripts on remote computers
Troi Activator Plug-in is a very powerful tool for triggering scripts remotely. All from within FileMaker you can:
- trigger a FileMaker script on a different computer (remotely)
- trigger a FileMaker script over internet
- use the built-in security to prevent unauthorized triggering
- send a number (e.g. a record ID) and a long text with the trigger
- start and stop listening for remote trigger messages with a script step
- communicate with databases in different FileMaker versions or even runtimes
This allows you to:
- notify a colleague (on a different computer) of changes in his/her appointments
- start processing, like for example retrieve email on a server computer
- get someone out of a record, so that it is no longer locked
More triggering
Except from remote triggering you can also use the Activator Plug-in for:
- triggering a script on a specified date and time
- scheduling events which trigger any script you want
- starting a script, where the name of the script is determined by a calculation
- monitoring a folder and starting a script when a file or folder is added, removed or modified
- triggering a script from a tooltip calculation
- validating fields on exiting a record with a custom script suited to your specific needs
Web Server functionality
The Activator Plug-in has a built-in HTTP Server, which will trigger a script when data arrives. This can be implemented with the function Actr_StartHTTPServer or the Start HTTP Server script step. There are several ways in which you can use this functionality:
Script triggering via a URL
With Troi Activator Plug-in you can trigger a script with a URL, using the HTTP GET method. Use a URL like this:
http://www.example.com:54242/triggerscript.html?yourText=someText
You can specify an (optional) password like this:
http://www.example.com:54242/triggerscript.html?yourText=showtime&password=secret
You can also add
waitForResponse=yes
to the triggerscript.html URL, for example likes this:
http://www.example.com:54242/triggerscript.html?waitForResponse=yes&yourText=getdatalist
In the triggered script you can then specify the response text with the Actr_SetHTTPResponse function or Set HTTP Response script step. This sets the (HTML) text which is returned to the remote client in response to the HTTP URL request sent to the Activator Web Server.
Image Upload Server
Troi Activator Plug-in can also serve as an Image Upload Server. It can receive uploaded images including GPS coordinates. With the GPS coordinates a location on a map (by OpenStreetMap) can be shown. You can use this functionality to easily upload data from remote devices.
Echo an HTTP request
The HTTP server also has an echo function. This will echo back the HTTP request, including the method and headers used. This can help with debugging an HTTP problem. Use this functionality for example to test HTTP requests with custom headers you want to send with Troi URL Plug-in.
Background processing
Activator Plug-in can trigger silent events and background events. This allows you to keep the main application free, while the background FileMaker application, for example a runtime application, does some time consuming work on data.
Control function
Troi Activator has a control function to disable all script triggers, so you can do maintenance on the database.
Suggested Uses
- create a real-time appointment solution
- notify a colleague (on a different computer) that a shared document is ready
- accept HTTP GET and POST requests to activate a script
- automatically process new files that are added to a folder (see our File Plug-in for all kinds of file manipulation functions)
- start processing scientific data on a lab computer (see our Serial Plug-in for connecting to devices with a serial interface)
- keep the main application free, while the background FileMaker application, for example a runtime application, does some time consuming work on data
- get someone out of a record, so that it is no longer locked
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!
| 
