Bento requires Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.

 

FileMaker today announced Bento, a personal database designed for the general consumer - those of us who shudder at the though of creating and using a database.

 

For those of you who associate databases with large corporations, Bento will change your mind. Bento handles your personal information and can even into the Apple Address Book and iCal for the data.

 

But Bento isn’t just an elaborate day planner. You can use it to track projects, inventory for a small business, keep a record of hours worked for clients, sort your DVD library, and more. If you have a lot of data you need to organize, Bento is a user-friendly solution.

 

Bento is due to be release in January 2008 for $49. The requirements are a Mac with at least a PowerPC G4 or an Intel processor, and you must have Leopard. FileMaker is offering a beta version of Bento that you can try.

 

Let’s take an introductory look at Bento. We’ll have a full, in-depth review in a future issue of Mac|Life and on MacLife.com in January 2008.

 

Next: A closer look at Bento

 

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After you install and launch Bento, you’re greeted with a Home screen. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

 

Like iWork ’08, Bento has several templates you can use to get started. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

 

Like iWork ’08, Bento has several templates you can use to get started. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

 

The left column is the Source list, which has the libraries and collections in Bento. The center area displays the records. The right column is the Fields list, which tells you the fields used in the record form, as well as fields you can add to the record form. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

We’re creating a Contacts database that can hold more data than Address Book. Bento automatically brings in your Address Book data. It can also access your iCal data.

 

Bento doesn’t import the Address Book and iCal data and then sync it to those apps. Bento actually writes to the same data file accessed by Address Book and iCal. No need to sync.

 

When you edit Address Book data in Bento, it’s also edited in Address Book. If you add fields in Bento that aren’t usually part of an Address Book entry, those fields will not appear in Address Book.

 

Next: Modifying a record form

 

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To edit a record form, click on the hammer and wrench icon in the upper right of the center Records area. You can add fields from the Fields list by dragging and dropping. You can also adjust field sizes by dragging the box edge to the desired size. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

You can also edit the form by using the buttons at the bottom of the Record area.

 

Bento has three views for looking at your forms. You can switch between views by clicking on one of the choices in the upper left of the center Records area.

 

The Table view. You can edit data while in this view. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

The Overview view. You can add fields to this view by clicking and dragging fields from the Fields column. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

The Details view. Shows the other data fields found in Address Book. Click the image to see a larger picture.

 

That’s the basics of Bento. We’ll have a full, in-depth review in a future issue of Mac|Life and on MacLife.com in January 2008.