FileMaker XML Central serves up free stylesheets, more

Besides announcing FileMaker Pro 6, FileMaker, Inc., an Apple subsidiary, has unveiled its enhanced FileMaker XML Central to jump-start developers’ and power-users’ ability to create solutions reaping the benefits of data exchange and application integration.

Featured on FileMaker XML Central is the new FileMaker XSLT Library, consisting of freely downloadable XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) stylesheets. Each stylesheet translates XML grammars, so FileMaker can exchange data with a large and growing number of other applications, according to Chris Trytten, director of product management.

The new FileMaker XML Talk is an online discussion forum for the FileMaker community to share questions and answers about creating and deploying solutions exploiting the powers of XML. FileMaker XML Central also features articles and examples about developing with XML, and many links to XML tutorials and information.

“Developers are the key here,” Chris Trytten, director of product management told MacCentral. “They can upload examples themselves, for instance. There are no charges and no passwords. Just go there as a FileMaker user and quickly get involved.”

Eight XSLT stylesheets are included with the new FileMaker Pro 6 software, and more than 40 are available in the XSLT library. That number is expected to grow as developers contribute stylesheets they create.

Stylesheets included with FileMaker Pro 6 allow FileMaker to export data as an HTML table and import XML data in the MSDSO grammar. These examples also make it easier for developers to create their own stylesheets, Trytten said. In addition, some of the Library’s stylesheets enable FileMaker to import data from Microsoft SQL Server, import Web data, export to Microsoft Excel and export data in scalable vector graphics (SVG) format. FileMaker encourages developers to download and contribute stylesheets.