FileMaker Go
FileMaker Go - Real Mobility
02/09/10 23:19 Filed in: FileMaker
Several weeks ago FileMaker released their newest product, Go, and really rocked the FileMaker world. FM Go is for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch and is available at the App Store. Since I’m a FileMaker developer and own an iPhone (version 4) I immediately downloaded it and began exploring the capabilities.
To say the least, I was simply blown away. FMTouch had its limitations and I learned to work around them which included know the restrictions in layouts and the lack of a scripting support. After all, this was a third-party product and not something developed and marketed by FileMaker the company. I knew to expect more but I wasn’t quite prepared for all that it would/could do. In fact, the better question to ask is: “What can it not do?” because there are some logical restrictions; and very few at that.
With FileMaker Go I can take any database with me and use it about like I would if running a solution on my MacBook Pro or iMac. Since it doesn’t support syncing in the current iteration, I just connect my iPhone with iTunes and use the Application area to move the updated file back to my laptop.
Yes, I can add, modify or delete information. I can also find, sort and navigate through records. All the familiar user views are present: Form, List and Table. Portals, tabs and Web Viewer work well. Shucks, I can even connect to a remote file being hosted by FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro (therein lies a lot of power and flexibility for an enterprise environment).
What does one need to do to make it useful for iPhone or iPad? Since the iPad screen is much larger, the normal database application probably doesn’t need any special design. However, its wise to design some basic screens for use within the smaller iPhone screen environment. At least, its better if you create some iPhone layouts. Since zooming is supported, all the other views can work.
One of the first things I did in experimenting with FM Go was to design some layouts for my personal contact and billing database. As a guide I used some resources available for FM Go. The main thing to keep in mind is making the area vertically scrollable and allowing for things to shift when the display is tilted.
After redesigning my personal database, I put together a presentation for the Kentuckiana FileMaker Users Group for our August meeting.
Now, about what doesn’t work – just the things that shouldn’t since you’re not running from a full-blown FileMaker setup on a laptop or desktop. The biggest issue is printing but Apple’s is rumored to be addressing this in future releases of iOS 4. Also, since memory is limited on the iPhone and iPad, indexing of many fields isn’t supported. Otherwise, it just works.
FileMaker Go is the most exciting thing to happen in the FileMaker universe in many years. Congratulations, FileMaker, for giving us a great tool for true mobile use of such a robust data management environment.
With FileMaker Go I can take any database with me and use it about like I would if running a solution on my MacBook Pro or iMac. Since it doesn’t support syncing in the current iteration, I just connect my iPhone with iTunes and use the Application area to move the updated file back to my laptop.
Yes, I can add, modify or delete information. I can also find, sort and navigate through records. All the familiar user views are present: Form, List and Table. Portals, tabs and Web Viewer work well. Shucks, I can even connect to a remote file being hosted by FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro (therein lies a lot of power and flexibility for an enterprise environment).
What does one need to do to make it useful for iPhone or iPad? Since the iPad screen is much larger, the normal database application probably doesn’t need any special design. However, its wise to design some basic screens for use within the smaller iPhone screen environment. At least, its better if you create some iPhone layouts. Since zooming is supported, all the other views can work.
One of the first things I did in experimenting with FM Go was to design some layouts for my personal contact and billing database. As a guide I used some resources available for FM Go. The main thing to keep in mind is making the area vertically scrollable and allowing for things to shift when the display is tilted.
After redesigning my personal database, I put together a presentation for the Kentuckiana FileMaker Users Group for our August meeting.
Now, about what doesn’t work – just the things that shouldn’t since you’re not running from a full-blown FileMaker setup on a laptop or desktop. The biggest issue is printing but Apple’s is rumored to be addressing this in future releases of iOS 4. Also, since memory is limited on the iPhone and iPad, indexing of many fields isn’t supported. Otherwise, it just works.
FileMaker Go is the most exciting thing to happen in the FileMaker universe in many years. Congratulations, FileMaker, for giving us a great tool for true mobile use of such a robust data management environment.