There are a few similar names in this series, and I can see how that could get confusing. We’ve covered ODataCWP and CWP Snippets separately. Here’s how they fit alongside restCWP when you’re choosing tools for an actual project.
I’d start with two questions: is the site running WordPress, and which FileMaker API does the integration need? Those answers usually narrow the choice pretty quickly.
If you’re building in WordPress
CWP Snippets is the development environment inside WordPress. It supports the FileMaker Data API and OData, and it gives you a place to manage your custom snippets, revisions, tags, templates, and samples.
If the site is already WordPress, that’s where I’d start. You can manage the FileMaker-connected code in WordPress alongside the site you’re working on.
If you’re building a custom backend
restCWP is our standalone PHP client for the FileMaker Data API. ODataCWP is the matching client for FileMaker OData 4.0. Neither requires WordPress.
These clients run in PHP on your server. That might be a custom website, a backend handling requests from a React application, or middleware connecting two systems. Middleware is just code sitting between those systems, translating or passing information as needed. The browser talks to your application, and the FileMaker credentials stay on the server.
We already have a restCWP case study if you’d like to see that setup in the context of a custom website.
Choose the API for the work in front of you
OData works with tables and primary keys, the fields used to identify individual records. It also provides metadata that describes the available data. The Data API uses layouts as part of how it exposes FileMaker records. That’s a practical difference to consider when you look at how the database is organized.
It’s worth looking at the database access and operations you need before choosing a client. We’ve written more about that in our Data API and OData comparison.
Why make the toolkit free?
We build FileMaker systems and connect them to other software for clients. Certain pieces of setup work come up repeatedly. We’d rather make those pieces available for other developers to use and improve than leave them useful only inside our own projects.
The full CWP Snippets product is free, with no Pro tier. restCWP and ODataCWP are free too.
There are still plenty of decisions left in a project: what the application should do, how people will use it, where it will run, and who will maintain it. That’s much of our client work. We hope these tools make the FileMaker connection part a little easier, including for developers we’ll never work with directly.
Start with CWP Snippets for WordPress or the standalone PHP clients. If you try them, let us know where they help and what needs a better explanation.
