I'm a hardcore Filemaker Pro geek. I spend almost all of my work day (at the day job, that is) either working with or working on a Filemaker database. At home, it's completely out of control. If I have more than one of almost anything, I create a database for them.Today, I was overjoyed to see that Filemaker had released Filemaker Pro 8, and the list of new features is very impressive. You can create PDF's of virtually any report and password protect them with a single click, or create Microsoft Excel files just as easily, again from any report. Fast Match looks great as well. It allows you to simply right click on any field and bring up all matching records. Also new is Tab Control, which makes building tabbed layouts (and who doesn't use tabbed layouts?) so simple. Build a single layout with multiple tabs instead of having to build multiple layouts and script all those tabs! I can't wait to try that out. You can find the full list of new features here.
Filemaker is offering a free demo as a download. When you download the demo, you can get a free Small Business Productivity Kit, which features a ready-to-go solution for small business owners that's wide open, so you can poke around and customize to your heart's content.
Filemaker Pro 8 requires a G3, G4 or G5 and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or Max OS X 10.4. A single license will run you $299US, and users of older versions can upgrade for $179US.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-30-2005 @ 11:08AM
Brian said...
Dave,
Do you know any good Filemaker site/tutorials/books out there? I use Access for my database stuff now and really want to cut that cord.
Thanks!
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8-30-2005 @ 12:54PM
Brady J. Frey said...
I hate filemaker -- it's web posting is junk. I know it's a cheap way to build a database, but it's no open replacement to a clean PHP/MySQL or an XML built application. It's good for low end work, but I've never seen a high end professional application that's built in it.
Not to say it doesn't have it's usage in a low market, but I'd much rather see people learn coding.
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8-30-2005 @ 4:11PM
Reid Ellis said...
Can FileMaker work as a front-end for any SQL database? I would really like to use it if that were the case.
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8-30-2005 @ 6:56PM
Dave Caolo said...
Brian
I've found FMForums to be a really wonderful resource.
http://fmforums.com/
Those folks know their stuff, don't mind newbs and are more than willing to help out. Visit often.
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9-05-2005 @ 1:39AM
Thes Quid said...
Actually, I wanted to do my company's database in MySQL/php. But creating an interface for any sort of daily use is a nightmare. FX.php + Filemaker is the best of both worlds. Lets you use filemaker and have access to the data via php for use on your website.
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