FileMaker Pro 13

Monday 2nd December, 2013

With this latest release, FileMaker have sought to broaden their user-base - companies with a need for in-house developed web-applications. Version 12 layouts looked the same on the desktop client as the web - v13 goes one better: layouts now act the same. Almost everything you created for the standard client (Mac, iOS or Windows) works in the web browser too, often without the need for any coding: drag and drop file upload, live data updates (without a manual page refresh), and scripts triggered when field is edited.

Creating layouts is easier: v13 offers reuseable customisable themes, which include cusomisable styles for layout elements that work just like a word-processor. A new pop-up tool offers hidden in-layout sections, and conditional object display means you can show or hide elements based on record data. The free to download iOS client gets some love too - gesture naviagtion, screen-rotation triggers, built-in bar code scanning, and standard iOS keyboards for data input.

Developers get under the bonnet updates as well: in-file database encryption, and new scripting calculations for HTTP posting, Base64 encoding/decoding, hiding/showing the menu bar, and Server admin is finally web based. Perhaps the biggest change is with the pricing. FMI want people to move to a subscription model. iOS software is free, but like web clients requires a concurrent licence to access files on the server: $25/month gets you five licences, which can be shared between iOS and web users.