Requirements

CentOS Linux support was added in version 0.97, and Ubuntu support in 0.98.06. M1/Apple Silicon support added in 0.98.07. Ubuntu ARM added for version 1.05

If using earlier versions of FileMaker or macOS, version bBox 0.97 may still be downloaded at bBox_0.97_FMP_plug-in.dmg.

 

Plug-in Installation (Client)

The demo file will install the plug-in if needed on both client and server (plug-in installation must be enabled on server).

You can install manually for an individual user by starting at their home directory, and putting it in:

Library/Application Support/FileMaker/FileMaker Pro/{version number}

There is a debug version of the plug-in in the DEBUG folder, which may be helpful for debugging some issues. It will send extra output to the system log, which you can view using the Console application in /Applications/Utilities or the log command in Terminal.

On macOS, most Python functions (but not bBox_Python3Run) are hard linked to the Python 3.13.x binaries available from the Python Software Foundation: https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/

Plug-in Installation (Server)

bBox is fully server-side compliant, although running server-side does put limitations on some functions (esp. AppleScript) that typically work with a logged in user. For details on installing a server-side plug-in:

 

Install Plug-In File Script Step (Client & Server)

Ubuntu: Be sure to read the installation instructions that came with the plug-in file, the plug-in will not load without these extra steps.

To use with either a client or server side script, simply drag the bBox plug-in file into a container field, and then add the Install Plug-In File script step to your system’s initialization script.

You should first check for a previous install so that you aren’t needlessly re-installing the plug-in each time. Testing for a result of “?” from the bBox_Version function would be a good start.

Also, when using this script step server-side, the last installed version is the version used by all scripts run on that system, so you may need to be more careful about version dependency issues on systems utilizing server-side scripts.

With FMS for Linux 19.x, the Install Plug-In script step may not work as expected. Instead, copy the .fmx version of the plug-in to:

/opt/FileMaker/FileMaker Server/Database Server/Extensions/

Then ensure FMS has file access:

sudo chown fmserver: '/opt/FileMaker/FileMaker Server/Database Server/Extensions/bBox.fmx'

 If upgrading the bBox version it is often needed to restart FileMaker Pro, or on server to restart the script engine.

You can restart the FMS script engine with this:

fmsadmin restart fmse

Demo File Installation

To use, just copy the demo file to somewhere like your Desktop where you have write access. It can also be hosted on FileMaker Server.

The demo file will install (or possibly update) the installed version of the bBox plug-in. For best compatibility, ensure that you are using the version of the plug-in that came with the demo file.

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