README.rst

PyFileMaker

Latest version of documentation and code is available at https://github.com/aeguana/PyFileMaker

PyFileMaker module is designed for both script and interactive use. Any command used during interactive session is possible to type in a script.

Short introduction

For the full and up to date reference go to https://github.com/aeguana/PyFileMaker/tree/master/Examples

run python interactively (or better run ipython):

$ ipython

Setting of database and layout

In the beginnig you have to set the server, database and layout:

>> from PyFileMaker import FMServer

>> fm = FMServer('http://login:password@filemaker.server.com')
>> fm.
[and press Tab to see available methods and variables]
>> help fm.getDbNames
[displays help for the method]

>> fm.getDbNames()
['dbname','anoterdatabase']
>> fm.setDb('dbname')

>> fm.getLayoutNames()
['layoutname','anotherlayout']
>> fm.setLayout('layoutname')

You can also type directly:

>> fm = FMServer('http://login:password@filemaker.server.com','dbname','layoutname')

List fieldnames

Get the list of fields from the active layout:

>> fm.doView()
['column1', 'column2']

Find records

To search records:

>> fm.doFind(column1='abc')
<FMProResult instance with 2 records>
[column1='abcdef'
column2'='some data'
RECORDID=1,
column1='abc'
column2='another data'
RECORDID=2]

You've got list of 2 records, usually you need to work only with one record:

>> a = fm.doFind(column1='abc')
>> len(a)
2
>> r = a[0]
>> r.
[press Tab for available layout variables or for completition of variable name]

>> r.column1
'abcdef'
>> r['column1']
'abcdef'
>> print r.column1
abcdef
>> r.column.related
'content'

>> fm.doFind( column1='abc', column__related='abc', LOP='OR', SKIP=1, MAX=1)

Get latest record if documentID field is autoincremented during insertion in FileMaker:

>> fm.doFind( SORT=['documentID':'<'], MAX=1)

Or more low level access using dict - for operators, and non-ascii fields:

>> fm.doFind( {'documentID.op':'lt', '-max':1})

Any combination of attributes is allowed...

BTW For query empty record:

>> fm.doFind( column1='==')

Editing records

It's enought when you change some variables inside of previosly returned record:

>> r = fm.doFindAny()[0]
>> r.column = 'NEWVALUE'
>> fm.doEdit(r)

This will update only changed column 'column' in table. You can use changed old record in other functions too - doDup, doNew, doDelete. doFind(r) will find record with the same RECORDID, but MODID is updated.

New records can be specified as arguments of doNew() like:

fm.doNew(column1='newvalue', column2='old')
fm.doNew({'column':'newvalue','column2':'old'})

Templates

The structure of returned data is suitable for use with Cheetah Templates. It is really easy to write a template:

import Cheetah.Template
t = Cheetah.Template.Template('''
Document Template
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DocumentID: $documentID
DocumentType: $DocumentType.documentType

Item descriptions:
#for $l in $DocumentLine
 - $l.description
#end for
''', searchList=[r[0]])

Debugging connection

Best way howto debug what's wrong:

>> fm._debug = True

then check printed url request by external tools (like curl, xmlstarlet):

$ curl 'http://test:test@filemaker.server.com:80/fmi/xml/fmresultset.xml?-db=test&-layout=test&-findall' | xmlstarlet fo

Error reporting

In case something is not running the way it should, please report an Issue on the the GitHub project https://github.com/aeguana/PyFileMaker. New contributions to the code are welcomed.