360Works SuperContainer - 1.78

What is SuperContainer? SuperContainer lets you do document management and digital asset management using the new Web Viewer feature in FileMaker Pro 8.5, instead of container fields. You can upload, download, view, and resize images and documents using FileMaker Pro client software or with your web browser and Instant Web Publishing. It is the perfect solution for storing scanned images, digital photos, PDF documents, and any other document or file without the the problems associated with embedded or referenced container fields: slow speed, large files and cumbersome backups, cross-platform path issues, lack of browser uploads, and share drive IT issues.

SuperContainer is extremely easy to set up and integrate into your FileMaker solution - watch this movie demonstrating how to set up SuperContainer in less than 2 minutes - 1:37.

Why use SuperContainer? SuperContainer can do everything a regular container field can do and more. It automatically creates dynamically resized thumbnails from high resolution images with load much faster than regular containers ( Watch a movie showing the speed difference between SuperContainer and regular container fields - 1:23 ); provides better folder organization for where to store the files; is cross-platform compatible; and stores the files in regular folders on your server instead of embedding them into your FileMaker database. It is also compatible with the Instant Web Publishing (IWP), and even allows you to do web uploads straight from your web browser into FileMaker ( Watch a movie showing how to upload files to FileMaker in a web browser - 1:08 ). It is good for any solution that needs document and image storage in a FileMaker database, but it is particularly well-suited to document management and digital asset management with large images or many files with high disk space and file size requirements in a multi-user environment. Remote users will see an especially significant speed boost with SuperContainer.

View a chart showing the advantages of SuperContainer over standard container fields

Who needs SuperContainer?

How does SuperContainer work? SuperContainer is a Java servlet which allows you to upload, view, and download images and files from a web server. By using the Web Viewer layout object in FileMaker, it can be embedded directly into your FileMaker layouts and the Web Publishing Engine (WPE), giving the appearence and behavior of a container field. Installation couldn't be easier - just download and double-click, and your SuperContainer server is running.

Is it a plugin? SuperContainer is an application that you run on the server, not a plugin. You do not need to install plugins on your users computers to use SuperContainer; it uses the new Web Viewer feature built into FileMaker 8.5. However, we do include an optional plugin to allow you to access the contents of SuperContainer data in your calculations and scripts. For an example of what the plugin can do, watch this short movie showing how to migrate existing container fields into SuperContainer - 1:28.

SuperContainer was demonstrated at the keynote speech and on the show floor of the 2006 Developer Conference. It has been overhauled to add many new features, an optional administrative plugin, and an extremely simple installation and configuration process - double click and you're running!

What does the FileMaker community think of SuperContainer?

Our friends at Six Fried Rice had this to say: "It is really slick. It is fast, easy, and you get total control over where your images are stored. I love it."

Paul Dacanay from Productive Computing told us that "I really appreciate the level of customer service you've offered on your products. Your Supercontainer and Plastic plug-ins work great, and they're easy to configure/deploy. We always strive to go the 'extra mile' for our clients, so it's really refreshing to be on the receiving end of sterling customer service."

This case study shows how Pool Pro Office, Inc. solved their backup problems and realized speed gains of 500% with SuperContainer