For those of you who are interested,
FileMaker has just released v2.0 of its simplified organizational tool,
Bento.
I have toyed with Bento v1 in the past, but I never gave a serious attempt to organize our practice with it. This is a product that seems to have a lot of promise - but, at the same time, seems very time consuming to set up.
FileMaker's "Top Ten List" of new features:
New! Apple Mail integration – Get instant access to related messages
- Link Apple Mail email messages, notes and RSS articles directly to information stored in Bento with a simple drag and drop.
- View messages instantly from within Bento using Quick Look.
- Open selected messages in Apple Mail with a single click to easily reply or forward.
New! More Spreadsheet-like Behavior – Includes familiar features you already know how to use
- Use the new fill down feature or copy and paste to enter information faster and easier than ever before.
- Just click, type, and tab to enter data just like you do in Microsoft Excel or iWork Numbers.
- Plus, you can now add new fields and change field types right from the Table View with a few simple clicks.
New! Direct Numbers and Excel Support – Work with Numbers and Excel seamlessly
- Directly import Microsoft Excel or iWork Numbers spreadsheets. You no longer need to save spreadsheets as CSV files first.
- Directly export Bento libraries to Microsoft Excel or iWork Numbers format. You no longer need to export libraries as CSV files first.
- Copy and paste selected blocks of Microsoft Excel or iWork Numbers data into Bento to view information in beautiful Bento forms, get easy iTunes-style searching, quick sorting and instant summary stats.
- Copy and paste Bento data back into your spreadsheet for further analysis and charting.
New! Import and Export Tab-Delimited Files – Great news for AppleWorks Users
- Now you can do more with the AppleWorks information you already have on your Mac by bringing your databases and spreadsheets into Bento with a few clicks.
- Simply export your AppleWorks data into text file and then import into Bento.
- You can also export data just as easily to get it back to AppleWorks or any program that supports tab-delimited files.
New! Template Import and Export – Exchange Bento Templates
- Now you can exchange your favorite Bento library templates with other Bento users by simply exporting individual templates.
- Plus you can get templates from other Bento users by importing them with a simple drag and drop.
- Note: Individual Bento library templates contain the fields and forms from a library, but not the data.
New! Split View – See summary and details together
- The new hybrid Split View shows summaries and details together on one screen to make viewing and editing information easier than ever.
- Now you can see lists of information in Table View on top and details in Form View below - all on the same screen.
New! Faster Form Customization - Say “Goodbye” to customize mode
- Now you can change a form layout instantly without having to enter Customize Mode.
- Simply click near a field’s edge to select it. You can move or resize it, or change the font size, shading and more.
- When you need to edit the data, just click inside the field. It’s that simple.
New! Built-In Links to Maps and Chat - Get maps and start chats from Bento
- Just click the new button near any address to automatically display maps or driving directions from the Web.
- Even start a chat session with your IM buddies right from within Bento. (Requires an Internet connection and iChat account.)
New! More Printing Options – Print lists and forms easier
- In Form View, you can now print more than one record per page.
- In Table View, you can use the new ‘Fit to Width’ option to make your columns automatically fit the width of the page.
- This is great for phone lists, sales reports and more!
New! Ten More Themes – Make your forms look even better
You may also want to check out
Apple Briefs' reviews of Bento v1 here:
Bento 2 will set you back $49 for a single license and $99 for a family license. Enjoy.
October 14, 2008 at 5:50 AM by 
Reader Comments (1)
Very helpful, thanks! I have Bento but have to check it out more to see if I want to upgrade...