FileMaker Instant Web Publishing, commonly abbreviated IWP, was a technology that allowed users to access a FileMaker database through a web browser.
Its defining promise was contained in its name: publishing a FileMaker database on the web could be almost instant. A developer enabled sharing, selected the authorized users, and FileMaker generated a browser-accessible interface from the existing layouts.
Today, automatically publishing an application on the web may sound unremarkable. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was a remarkably ambitious proposition.
FileMaker in a browser
Traditional web applications required developers to build separate HTML pages, write server-side code, connect that code to a database, and reproduce every business operation in the new interface.
Instant Web Publishing attempted to remove much of that work. FileMaker layouts became web pages, and many familiar operations could be performed from a browser:
- Viewing records
- Searching for information
- Creating and editing records
- Navigating between layouts
- Running compatible FileMaker scripts
The web version was not identical to the FileMaker desktop experience. Layout rendering, scripts, controls, and interactions were constrained by the browser technology available at the time.
Nevertheless, IWP made it possible to put a custom database application online without developing a conventional website from scratch.
A technology ahead of its time
Instant Web Publishing anticipated an idea that later became central to modern development platforms: an application created visually could be deployed through a browser with little additional development.
It arrived before today’s low-code platforms, responsive frameworks, cloud application builders, and widespread software-as-a-service model.
For many organizations, IWP provided their first opportunity to make a FileMaker application available beyond FileMaker Pro. Employees could consult or update business information from computers where the complete FileMaker client was not installed.
The experience could feel limited by modern standards, but the concept was visionary.
From Web Companion to IWP
The origins of Instant Web Publishing can be traced to the FileMaker Web Companion, a plug-in introduced during the early years of web publishing.
Over successive FileMaker versions, web publication became more integrated and easier to configure. “Instant Web Publishing” became the recognizable name for automatically presenting FileMaker layouts in a browser.
Organizations requiring complete control over their web interface could instead use Custom Web Publishing, which separated the website from the FileMaker layouts.
Replaced by FileMaker WebDirect
Instant Web Publishing was discontinued with the arrival of FileMaker 13.
Its successor, FileMaker WebDirect, provided a much richer browser experience using modern technologies such as HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and WebSockets.
WebDirect offered better layout fidelity and support for a larger part of the FileMaker interaction model. It moved closer to the idea of running a complete FileMaker custom app in a browser rather than publishing a simplified web representation.
IWP and WebDirect should not therefore be treated as two names for the same technology. WebDirect represents a new generation of FileMaker web access.
The legacy of Instant Web Publishing
Instant Web Publishing demonstrated early that a custom business application should not necessarily be tied to a specific desktop client.
Its central idea remains visible throughout the current Claris platform: create a business application once, then make it available to different users and devices.
Today, fmcloud.fm hosts FileMaker applications accessed through FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Go, WebDirect, OData, the Data API, and custom web interfaces.
The technology has evolved considerably, but the objective pursued by Instant Web Publishing remains familiar: making useful business information available wherever users need it.
