Simple Mac Database

[AndreaM]

Since upgrading to Mojave I see that Bento is almost unusable now. I desperately need to find an alternative but my attempts so far have not been successful. I have no intention of paying the ridiculous amount for Filemaker Pro Advanced and don't need anything fancy anyway.

I began a trial period of iDatabase and did at least manage to import a csv file of my Bento database, however, I can't find a way to design the same layout for printing purposes. I need to be able to view the records as a list and switch between that and a customised layout for printing one A4-sized copy of each record in the database. Is this possible with iDatabase or is there a better database programme that doesn't require a computing degree to use it?

Bento was ideal and it would be great if I could produce a very similar set of databases .

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello,

I miss the Bento app as well. It was a great database solution, and very easy to use.

I don't know of a similar replacement. Personally, I installed OS X and Bento on an external hard drive, and startup from it to use my old databases. You could also install OS X in a virtual machine in Parallels or Fusion if you have one of them, and use it that way.

Hope that helps,

C

 

[AndreaM]

Thanks for your reply Cory. I don't have the appetite to start messing around with external drives, especially as I have to access my main database on an almost daily basis.

I contacted the company who make iDatabase but they have confirmed that you can't customise the layout, as I need to do, so there's no point in pursuing that one.

I wonder why Bento stopped being updated as it seems to have been the preferred option for many people.

 

[Cory Cooper]

The FileMaker Press Release back in 2013:

Important information for Bento customers

FileMaker, Inc. is increasing its focus on FileMaker Product Line software. Thanks to the ease of creating iPad and iPhone solutions, our customers’ use of FileMaker on iOS is growing rapidly. Our increased focus will create an even better experience for these customers.

As part of our sharpened focus, we will stop further development of the Bento consumer products.

Bento for iPad, iPhone and Mac will continue to be available on the FileMaker Store, and the App Store and Mac App Store, through September 30, 2013.

We will provide technical support for Bento products through July 30, 2014.

We thank you for your support of Bento. We know that many Bento customers will be disappointed.

FileMaker Pro, our powerful yet easy-to-use business database software, will be appropriate for certain users of Bento for Mac. We encourage Bento for Mac customers to visit our “Is FileMaker Pro Right For You?” page to understand the differences between Bento and FileMaker Pro and to download a free trial of FileMaker Pro.

Guess they wanted people to move to FileMaker.

C

 

[AndreaM]

The FileMaker Press Release back in 2013:

Guess they wanted people to move to FileMaker.

C

Yes, but at £720 not a chance! I just wanted a simple Database for farm records and Bento was ideal. Oh well, I've downloaded Ninox Database so time will tell if it fits the bill.

 

[Gerri]

Did Ninox work for you? I am trying to find a program that will import Filemaker files. I am using version 11 and can not afford to upgrade to the current version (nor do I need to). I am retired now and only need my simple private Filemaker files (inventory of household items, credit cards etc). I believe I can export them to comma separated , CSV, files so hopefully Ninox will import them. Can you share your experience please?

 

[AndreaM]

Did Ninox work for you? I am trying to find a program that will import Filemaker files. I am using version 11 and can not afford to upgrade to the current version (nor do I need to). I am retired now and only need my simple private Filemaker files (inventory of household items, credit cards etc). I believe I can export them to comma separated , CSV, files so hopefully Ninox will import them. Can you share your experience please?

It worked after a fashion. I did manage to build similar database but it isn’t anywhere near as good as Bento. I can still use Bento but it is desperately slow and so I enter the same information in the Ninox DB too in case Bento suddenly becomes defunct. I just rekeyed all the information into Ninox as I couldn’t carry it across.

I can’t even remember how I built the new DB so I’m afraid I can’t help you there. It’s just not in the same league as Bento, which was intuitive and easy to convert to a printable layout.

 

[Gerri]

Thanks. I guess I will just have to give it a try.