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Provides: Run full FileMaker databases on your iPhone or iPad
Developer: FileMaker Inc.
Requirements: iPhone with iOS 4 or greater. FileMaker Pro 7 or later.
Retail Price: for iPhone: $19.99, for iPad: $39.99, free for current owners of FM Go.
It was only back in November when I first wrote about FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone. Now, less than a half-year later, we have a big new release, free for current owners of FM Go. Funny thing about apps is that just a minor update in numbers—1.1 to 1.2—and it's a whole new ball game. Some of the limitations about FM Go came from limitations in the iOS; specifically, printing. But now that iOS allows you to print to wireless printers, FM Go can as well. FM Go now supports sliding fields andcharts, and now one can capture signatures in the database. But there's more...
FileMaker Go is both an iPhone and/or iPad app that lets you access either a hosted (on-line) FileMaker solution or you can simply place a database directly on the device. (for an explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of either, see this.) The exciting thing about FM Go is that most of your databases can be run as is with little or no modification although there may be some frustration with space in some of the fields on an iPhone. If space is an issue, a few minor alterations allows the database to run very well.
As in most things in life, that which we appreciate the most we talk about the most. Or, at least comment about first: so let me focus up one of the bigger drawbacks with the first release of FileMaker Go: although one could export a found set as a PDF, there was no field sliding or re-sizing. Thus, any PDF you generated could never have the simple neat look of a file directly from a computer. Part of that was that there was neither printing capability nor was there any Preview mode. As stated, until iOS 4.2, there was no printing in the first place. Now printing is possible. But field re sizing and sliding is another issue. Specifically, if you have a database where a given field may contain 5 words or 500, and this is followed by another field further down the page. If there is no sliding and re sizing, than when you go to either print or generate a PDF, there will be a big large gap where 495 other words may have existed (but don't). Re sizing lets any field be only as large as it needs to be so that any fields further down the page can slide up to fill in any space that would otherwise be occupied. In other words, neat pages with no wasted space.
Below is an example showing a PDF on the iPhone showing the results of re sizing and sliding fields. These were sorted by date
Whether by coincidence or planning, one aspect of FileMaker Pro that provided immediate assistance to making the layouts iPhone or iPad ready was Autosizing. This FileMaker Layout dynamic let fields expand or contract to the size of the container. Thus, making a layout conform to portrait or landscape was immediately available from within FileMaker Pro. one thing that should be done to a FM database is to adapts any layouts that require human interaction to the confines of a smaller device. Admittedly, the iPad provides almost no adjustments while the iPhone does require some substantial adjustments. FileMaker provide two PDFs for the requirements and limitations for iPad and iPhone layouts and those can be downloaded from this page (click on the FileMaker Go link). In addition, Soliant Consulting provides a wonderful FileMaker toolkit describing a number of tricks and tips for recreating your database with the iPad and iPhone in mind. They also provide a sizing chart to best fit your FM solution. While the PDFs from FileMaker are good, the Toolkit from Soliant is mandatory.
As shown below, on the upper left is a sample of a simple page set for a standard Mac screen but being displayed on the iPhone. On the right is the result of simple re sizing of fields as recommended by FileMaker and on the bottom is seen the landscape view. Again, by simply applying Autosizing, fields automatically resize as the iPhone or iPad is rotated.
Not all fields need to be redone and if any fields are specifically set for printing on a standard size of paper, those should be left alone. Only layouts that have interaction require adjustment. As shown below, only one field in this database needed to be resized. By duplicating the layer that needed re sizing and keeping both, I've got a database that can run on an iPhone or a desktop computer.
When you go to the Tools menu, the new change is the Print option as shown below.
When you select Print, you get a standard Print dialog with the appropriate FileMaker additions. Note on the bottom is the PDF option
If yo do not have access to an airprint printer (I do not have one of these printers) another option is to either email a generated PDF (for subsequent printing) to yourself or, if you have Dropbox, you can easily set up a Dropbox account on your iPhone or iPad for distribution. You can also send a PDF off to iBooks or any application (e.g., Stanza) that can display PDFs.
[Note: if you simply save the PDFs it may seem like they have been swallowed up by your device. You can locate these PDFs by plugging your iPhone into your computer and syncing them both. You will find the PDFs in the same region as you will the FileMaker documents in iTunes as shown below. Simply, you are better off either emailing yourself the PDFs or using Dropbox.]
Another new feature with FM Go is the ability to add signatures to a document. The signature field is a Container field. In the iPhone or iPad, if you tap this field, the window changes to display a line and the user can "write" (using their finger tip) their signature. As shown below in the top image, you tap the field with your finger and three options are available: Choose From Library, Get Signature, or Take Photo.
The first option, Choose From Library lets you go into your photo images and select an image from there. Ostensibly, this means that the person has either a scan or a photo of a pre-made signature that they can select and use. The Take Photo option brings up the device's camera and a photo can be taken of the person who's doing the signature. If you select the Get Signature, you get the middle image below where the user can sign their signature with their finger. You can cancel this dialog, clear the screen, or Accept the signature. If you are very very anal, you will probably never accept what you end up with. The best you can hope for is something that resembles your signature in the same way as when you are at the grocery store and have signed off on one of those digital signature devices for your credit card statement. Perhaps with the iPad, and more room to work with you might be able to get a viable and/or nice(er) signature, but on the iPhone, my already poor handwriting looked even worse. My wife's handwriting, which is substantially better than mine, ended up looking somewhat better. As she said, "It's not your signature but it looks like your signature." [Note: the title "try that signature" seen on the bottom image below is there because I generated a new database document with the sole purpose of trying the signature feature. I gave that database the singular special title "try that signature."]
The last bit of new features is that FileMaker Pro 11 introduced graphs based on data from a database. Now with FM Go, you can generate the same types of graphs and have them displayed right on your device. As you enter new data or alter older data, your graphs will change accordingly. No screenshot here, you know what a bar or pie chart looks like.
In short this is a fantastic tool and app. Having the full power of FileMaker on your phone or iPad is a remarkable achievement. The new added ability to generate the same level of page output with multiple records on a single page with re sizing and sliding fields means that you can now output the same quality data as with any FileMaker desktop program. While you are still unable to do ANY layout or field alteration from with FM Go, that is not the function or purpose of FM Go. FM Go is to view and manipulate already generated databases, not to create them. After all, these products are only $19.99 and $39.99, what are you expecting?
Simply, if you have a FileMaker database that you use and would benefit by carrying it around with you, what are you waiting for?
From earlier note:
[Note: The advantages with running an FM solution on the device is that you do not need any kind of connection to work with the database, but if you make any updates on the device, these will be separate from any other standalone databases out there. That is, if you and two other people have the same database on your device, and each of you make a change, you now have three separate databases that are unique and different. At the first opportunity each of you will have to update a central database and download the most recent version back to your device. The advantage of a hosted database is that any change to the data in a device is automatically updated to everyone connected. The disadvantage of this is that the database must be hosted on a FileMaker server. However, if the data in the database is not needed to be updated and/or altered remotely, than this is not an issue. For example, if the database is a list of rules and regulations that comes from a central office and is not meant to be updated "on the field," than this is not an issue. If on the other hand you have a sales database and you are constantly updating the data because you are making sales, than this is a big deal.]
Applelinks Rating:
Buy Filemaker Go
___________ Gary Coyne has been a scientific glassblower for over 30 years. He's been using Macs since 1985 (his first was a fat Mac) and has been writing reviews of Mac software and hardware since 1995.
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