[MW Forums]

FileMaker has unveiled Bento, a personal database application aimed at helping casual users manage contacts, track projects, and do the sorts of things that FileMaker Pro is just too much app to handle. Dan Moren takes a look at the public preview of Bento and tells you what to expect should you decide to take this Mac OS X 10.5-geared application out for a test drive. more

[jmincey]

I understand the concept of a light database manager, and of course I understand also the genre of address books, to-do lists, calendaring, etc. But what's not clear to me is whether Bento is just a GUI wrapper for tools which already do this -- namely Apple's own Address Book and iCal.
So is this simply one-stop shopping for displaying pre-existing records in these other Apple apps? Or is it a bona fide database manager in its own right, (albeit a modest one)?

[kenaustus]

A "lite" db to go with iWork has been needed for a while and it will be interesting to see see of Bento does the job.
Questions tend to pop up in my mind, such as can files be downloaded to an iPod or iPhone/touch and easily viewed?
No doubt there will be a lot of Mac users playing with the beta and FileMaker is going to get a lot of responses and "suggestions" between now and January. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[palane]

This is quite promising. I might hope for some hooks into iWork, but everyone doesn't need a database. I've been using Excel for some database needs (running a bowling league with about 80 bowlers) and a basic database would suit my needs nicely. I'll be downloading the beta and hope to be a user of the released program.
A nice little present between the big cat release and the Expo.
BB

[rjpotts]

For those that have played with it. Is it possible to relate two more more tables (libraries) together?

[dcheckler]

Though Bento does not appear to "link to" media found within iTunes or iLife, the use of Leopard's new Open File window does make it easy to select your iMedia for import into the Bento database.
Bento is a much needed product - an iTunes-meets-Access. I've already shown it to a couple individuals with small businesses (Mac and iTunes lovers as well). These folks would never approach FileMaker Pro or Access, but they instantly understood how to use Bento and were very excited about it.

[Dan Moren]

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For those that have played with it. Is it possible to relate two more more tables (libraries) together?

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Yes, but only in a rather limited fashion. You can insert a "Related Records List" into a form view, to which you can associate entries from the other tables. But as far as I can tell, you can't do complicated joins or anything like that.

[jwdsail]

Question to those already testing...

Is this going to have near the functionality of the DB module from AW 6? Or do I hope Filemaker Pro v4? Or (as I fear) is this going to be the iMovie 0.8b of databases?

jwd

[Kwi-Chang]

I think this is a piece of gear that will serve the majority of users who don't need a networked/multi-user/uber-compatible database. It does what it does gracefully.
I do have the feeling though after playing with Leopard and, for a short while Bento, that the integration thing that Apple is known for is getting a bit nebulous. Everything is kind of integrated yet it is fragmented. The Apps are all separate but work together yet a cohesive entity does not exist in Mail/iCal/contacts etc. It's like there needs to be an iWeb type focal point that brings it all together - an iEfficient kind of all encompassing overseer. The vibe just ain't there right now.

[HandyMac]

So now we know why there's no database in iWork... Okay, let's see: $79 for iWork, $49 for Bento, $95 for EazyDraw, + $59 for Pixelmator, = $282 for the OS X "equivalent" to AppleWorks. True, each of the parts does a lot more than the corresponding part of AW, but as a "whole" they do a lot less, lacking AW's masterful integration. Sure wish AW had just been upgraded to full OS X citizenship.

[hmurchison]

I like the idea of better integration through smaller disconnected apps. I don't want to have to fire up some monolith to do a specific function. I could see myself using iWork, Lineform, Bento and Pixelmator to good effect but would I want one large app to attempt to give me the features of this bundle. No...jack of all trades master of none would likely be the result.

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So now we know why there's no database in iWork... Okay, let's see: $79 for iWork, $49 for Bento, $95 for EazyDraw, + $59 for Pixelmator, = $282 for the OS X "equivalent" to AppleWorks. True, each of the parts does a lot more than the corresponding part of AW, but as a "whole" they do a lot less, lacking AW's masterful integration. Sure wish AW had just been upgraded to full OS X citizenship.

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[SeanoVox]

or you could use the gimp for free and only need to purchase iWork and Bento.

[cebritt]

I'm going to stick with NoteBook from CircusPonies. An extremely versatile organizational tool. Check it out at www.circusponies.com

[barefeet]

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Bento also stores its database in its own proprietary format

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Bento stores its backup database file in the public domain SQLite format. So you can open it with other database programs that understand SQLite. SQLite is already part of the PHP distribution, Mac OS X, Apple Mail, FireFox and many other programs. This is fantastic, since it means we should be able to add to the functionality. Combined with what appears to be at least basic AppleScript support, this looks like a very extendible and integrated program. Well done Apple/FileMaker /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
I don't know why (yet) I can't open the live (non backup) database file using SQLite /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Tom