In the future we may switch accountancy packages. I've been researching to see if there are any free demo's that I can use with a test database.
I've found an article by DBservices (FileMaker Xero Integration | DB Services ) but this doesn't seem to work anymore.
Also found F2X Pro 2.0 – FileMaker to Xero plugin | Foundation Data but again this doesn't seem to work.
Does anyone know of any different resources I could use?
I'll be interested to hear what others have to say on this...
I also tried those two things and couldn't get them to work either. The Xero API uses Oauth 1.0a for authentication. I've not yet got my head round how to handle it in regards to integrating with FileMaker. It seems really complicated though, even with FM16's curl options etc - no simple API-key here..!
From what I can see it looks like it might be easier using the Xero 'private' type of API application, so that a token can be generated which never expires and so doesn't need the user to sign into the Xero website every time they try and authenticate. However, this needs public/private key pair certificates, for which there is documentation on how to do it with php, so might need to use the php wrapper as an intermediary between Filemaker and Xero... But like I say, I haven't been able to work it all out yet to get it working... I just need to be able to post Invoices and Invoice items to Xero from FileMaker for a business I work with on their FileMaker stuff.
https://www.databuzz.com.au/fmaccounting-link-xero-edition/
Databuzz's FMAccountingLink is great. Not sure if they have a demo though
Thanks Jimmy,
We do have a demo - haven't setup a download page for this yet, but if you contact us via this link:
We'll send the link to download the trial version and notes about how to get this setup.
cheers,
Andrew
We've been doing FileMaker to Xero integration since 2014 - we have a paid solution that shows you how to authenticate with the Xero API and upload Contacts, Invoices, Payments etc and also download from Xero:
https://www.databuzz.com.au/fmaccounting-link-xero-edition/
It uses the private application authentication and does uses a FileMaker plug-in - we've also done public application integrations that don't require a plug-in with FileMaker Pro v16 but they require a user to have a Xero login as part of the authentication process.
If you would like a trial version contact us via our website and we'll send the details through.
Andrew
Databuzz
FileMaker Business Alliance
FileMaker 15 Certified Developer
Xero Approved Developer
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Phone: +61 2 9484 6565
Mobile: +61 418 468 103
Email: andrew@databuzz.com.au
I've been in-touch and received the trial download
Will be testing it today, would the solution be unlocked if you purchase the plugin?
Yes, the version you purchase is 100% unlocked for you to integrate with existing solutions etc.
I would like to create this integration from scratch using a private application. I know there are plugins out there with DB Services among others, but I would like to know the process of doing it myself.
I have the private application created in Xero. In filemaker, I use the Insert from URL function. I fill out the url using the api url from Xero, and then I use the "oauth" parameters in the cURL options window. Aside from that, what else do I need to know?
All my reading leads me to believe that I just need the consumer key from my Xero app, and I need to build out these "oauth" parameters using the "--header" cURL option:
oauth_consumer_keyoauth_timestampoauth_nonceoauth_signatureoauth_signature_methodoauth_version
Can someone point me in the direction of what else I need? Is it some sort of PHP coding? JSON?
I can get part way - but how can I do this natively in Filemaker 16 with Insert from URL?
I have a Xero private application set up by following the instructions in the Xero API website. I have a really simple requirement (initially) - to create a button that links from a contact in Filemaker to the corresponding contact in Xero.
I have the BaseElements plugin installed.
The code is:
BE_Xero_SetTokens ( "consumer_key" ; GLOBALS::XeroPrivateKey )
Set Field [ XeroTemp ; BE_HTTP_GET ( "https://api.xero.com/api.xro/2.0/contacts?where=Name=\"" & Substitute ( Contacts::Name ; " " ; "%20" ) & "\"" ; "" ; "consumer_key" ; GLOBALS::XeroPrivateKey ) ]
Obviously replace "consumer_key" with the one generated on the Xero website.
You can then manipulate XeroTemp to extract Xero's contact record ID.
This is great and in 2 lines, but I don't want to have to install plugins on each machine. How can I accomplish this natively with Insert From URL in Filemaker 16 please? I can't work out how to add the consumer key and private key.
ncg1,
You can't do this natively in FileMaker, the only way to do it currently is via plugin. All of the HTTP functions are there, but the final limitation is generating the oauth signature by signing the content with your private key. That can't be done in FileMaker at the moment, and I'm not aware of plugins that do that aspect separately. Obviously the BE plugin does it as part of a Xero connect function.
If you want to see this functionality in FileMaker, I've submitted an idea you should vote on : Add public/private key encryption to the crypto functions
Adding public key encryption is the last step we need to do OAuth 1.0 for Xero ( and possibly others ).
Cheers,
Nick
Thank you, Nick, and thank you for developing the BE Plugin that, err, plugs the gap.
This is a great plugin. But my obstacle is getting the Xero integration to work with my Filemaker Cloud solution. The plugin doesn't work for the linux OS that is running my FMC solution.
OTOH, a micro-service works on every operating system.
Are you referring to the BE plugin as a micro-service? If there's a link to download a linux based version of that plugin, I would love to have it. All I can see on their website are links to Mac and PC OS versions.
A micro-service is not a plug-in and a micro-service only responds to HTTP requests from any application (like FileMaker) on any operating system (like Linux).
FileMaker can use a micro-service, as in connect to it, via its INSERT FROM URL script step (GET or POST). In your case, the service could then create its own URL objects and connect to the remote API and return data.
Sent from (https://protonmail.com), Swiss-based encrypted email.
So does a 'micro-service' exist as some kind of file or application that you can just send to a user and they put it on their Desktop for instance? I imagine it's a bit more complicated than that, and that it has to run more like a web service or something?
I did take a look at a how-to guide on setting up a micro-service, but it all seemed quite complicated and required installing an IDE, and a bunch of other setup things and stuff I've never seen before... Probably not something very straight forward for most of us mere mortals ;-p ...
skywillmott wrote:
So does a 'micro-service' exist as some kind of file or application that you can just send to a user and they put it on their Desktop for instance? I imagine it's a bit more complicated than that, and that it has to run more like a web service or something?
I did take a look at a how-to guide on setting up a micro-service, but it all seemed quite complicated and required installing an IDE, and a bunch of other setup things and stuff I've never seen before... Probably not something very straight forward for most of us mere mortals ;-p ...
First of all, YES, you can create a micro-service and bundle it as an "Executable JAR", which just means the file (the JAR same format as a ZIP file) has all the dependencies inside it to make the service run. The tutorial on the App Innovations area describes how to do this exact task.
You could then email the JAR to someone else and they can just start it up (assuming they have Java installed). Now, if the JAR makes database calls or there are other assumptions about its use, you would have to set those things upl
The service can reside ... ANYWHERE. It doesn't need to be local. Most people would, I think, put the service on an Internet server or maybe AWS. They would pick a port for the service not accessible from outside the network so only say an application program running on the server could access it.
There have been a couple of FMP'ers who have worked though my tutorial and are now creating services. It just take a little time to get up to speed. In practice, creating a new micro-service take only minutes.
If the Java tutorial seems too involved initially, try the other Python Flask web service tutorial I posted in App Innovations.
I'll be glad to answer any questions as you're working through the tutorial.
Hope you take the plunge.
So, I have the BE Plugin. I still cannot find documentation to the specific functions within the plugin to help establish connection to my private application in Xero. A narrowed down list to what I need to make the connection work. I feel like it's a combination of these functions (specific to creating invoices in FileMaker and then pushing it to Xero):
BE_HTTP_POST or BE_HTTP_PUT_DATA
BE_Xero_SetTokens
BE_HTTP_Set_Custom_Header //for allowing Xero to accept JSON formatted data//
BE_HTTP_Response_Headers
BE_HTTP_Response_Code
And also how to format this in the Insert from URL script step. Do I need any other information, and how do I format it within the FileMaker script? I'm not looking for an example FileMaker solution that should help. I've tried that. I just want to know what to type in the FileMaker script that will help establish this connection and push my data to Xero.
Any help would be appreciated!
If I had an account with Xero -- or any clients with that access, I could help you with this problem in a few minutes using either a micro-service (powerful, free) or the MBS plug-in. (Sorry, but I don't use BE stuff.)
Wrigley,
It's not as simple as a FileMaker script. You need to create the public/private key pair, upload one to Xero, get back a consumer key, which you use in the SetTokens function along with the private key. Then set the Header, then use POST or GET functions to interact with the API as required. Each API endpoint requires a specific GET/POST/PUT call, plus specific data formats in XML and there's some weird date formatting going on too.
There's a lot to it, in other words.
There's a sample framework for Xero including with the sample files that come with BaseElements plugin sponsorship, along with the Cloud beta and access to support for all your questions The framework file is unlocked and free to add to your solutions.
Cheers,
Nick
Thanks Nicholas,
This does help. And I've used some of those example files, but they all typically use a public application for Xero, and I need to establish a connection from filemaker to a private Xero application. I have already done the private/public key. I will have to take the info you provided and the DB Services file and try to decipher how to apply that to a private application instead of a public application.
Thanks!
We've been doing FileMaker to Xero integration since 2014 - we have a paid solution that shows you how to authenticate with the Xero API and upload Contacts, Invoices, Payments etc and also download from Xero:
https://www.databuzz.com.au/fmaccounting-link-xero-edition/
It uses the private application authentication and does uses a FileMaker plug-in - we've also done public application integrations that don't require a plug-in with FileMaker Pro v16 but they require a user to have a Xero login as part of the authentication process.
If you would like a trial version contact us via our website and we'll send the details through.
Andrew
Databuzz
FileMaker Business Alliance
FileMaker 15 Certified Developer
Xero Approved Developer
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Phone: +61 2 9484 6565
Mobile: +61 418 468 103
Email: andrew@databuzz.com.au
http://www.databuzz.com.au