FileMaker Inc. have just released the much anticipated FileMaker 9. We will have more information about FileMaker 9 and what it can do for you soon.

FileMaker Pro 8.5

FileMaker Inc. have announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Pro 8.5. Version 8.5 is so much more than just half an upgrade. Apart from the fact that 8.5 is a Universal Binary version and will run blindingly fast on Intel based Macs, there are three other new features which will significantly enhance your FileMaker experience. Each of these features is explained below:

WebViewer - Probably the most significant enhancement to FileMaker Pro since it went relational in version 3, the WebViewer opens up a whole new world of possibilities. WebViewer is a new layout object that allows you to display a live web page within your database. That's great, but why would I need to do that when I already have a web browser. Imagine a database of products. When you go to a record in the database, you can automatically see the manufacturers website with the latest product information and pricing. No need to leave the database. It's all right there.

But that's really just the beginning. WebViewer uses the Internet Explorer engine on Windows and the Safari engine on Macs. This means that anything that can be displayed in your web browser, can now be displayed within your database. The possibilities are endless (and pretty cool). Imagine printing a report in FileMaker Pro 8.5 to a PDF file and then previewing the results right there in the database instantly. How about going to a record in your database and being able to view, edit and save a Microsoft Word or Excel document. You can even navigate your way through your hard drive or a network drive and add, rename or delete a folder.

One of the best things we've tried so far is being able to view 3D animated charts of your live data within the database using Flash and similar technologies. You can even print them (the printed versions won't be animated of course). WebViewer will dramatically alter the way your databases work. We're still looking at new things we can do for your databases. Even FileMaker Inc. acknowledge that they are yet to realise the full potential of WebViewer.

List Function - While the new List Function may not sound exciting, it certainly adds a great deal more flexibility and power to the databases and overcomes some serious problems we've had to work around in the past. Essentially, the List function allows you to compile a list of the contents of a set of fields (including related fields) into a single string of text. It could, for example provide a list of all of the items in a line items file within the parent record.

Object Naming - One of the few shortcomings of previous versions of FileMaker Pro, was the inability to directly address and object on a layout. Such objects include fields, portals, buttons, tabs etc. With Object Naming, we can now overcome this. From a developers' perspective, this will greatly simplify layouts and give us much more control over how things work. We can reduce the number of scripts and script steps and further improve the performance of your database.

In conclusion, these new features may not seem like much, but they are all very powerful and will benefit you, the database user. We look forward to the opportunity to offer advice on how FileMaker Pro 8.5 can make your life easier.