Customer Reviews

The Book of FileMaker 6: Your One-Stop Guide to FileMaker Pro, Pro Unlimited, Developer, Server, and Mobile

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is definitely one of the best-organized and best-written computer books that I have encountered in the last 22 years of reading technical books and manuals.

Kubica has written a book that is approachable for any novice to FileMaker and databases in general. The real genius is that he does so without making the more advanced user bored and irritated. Even in the early chapters I learned a trick or two.

The best way to learn is through examples. You'd think that technical writers would get that through their head after all of these years. I don't need syntax. I can get syntax from the manuals that come with the program. What I need is someone to show me how to accomplish more advanced and polished functions. Kubica has learned the lesson of providing examples. They are abundant, but don't usually take up unnecessary space in the pages of the book. They are referred to in the book at appropriate junctures and the accompanying CD/Rom has them all.

I have only one complaint: (1) the publisher screwed around with the book (even canceling it once!) for so long that this book is making a far too-long delayed appearance. I don't know how radical a change we are in for when FileMaker 7 makes its appearance this fall. I do hope that Kubica's guide to that version will arrive much faster.

Get this book in your FileMaker library. What a fantastic treasure trove of FileMaker knowledge resides in 'The Book of FileMaker 6'! Plenty of examples, a CD included and the only book to cover the gamut of the FileMaker product line. Chris has taken on a monumental task and done a very credible job. Not only is there information on each of the products: FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Unlimited, FileMaker Developer, but this is the only book to also cover FileMaker Server and FileMaker Mobile as well. Chris doesn't stop there. This is an all you can eat buffet of main dishes and morsels to satisfy every FileMaker appetite. You'll be definitely coming back for seconds.

Chris' material shows a sensitivity to the novice as well as moving the experienced user through a more and more sophisticated understanding of the power of FileMaker Pro's many features and functions. What stood out for me was that he also showed a sensitivity to the processes of needs analysis, software requirements, documentation and project management. While the 'The Book of FileMaker 6' is thick and these topics were not developed completely, he nevertheless covers their importance and the available software tools that can help create truly professional FileMaker solutions. Later on, I suggest that a full review of this section alone is worth merit since it introduces the topic so well. Kudos to him for doing that.

Chris starts the book at Day One, opening FileMaker Pro. He then takes us through a whirlwind tour of the product, its basic functions and features. In case you need to refer to a hard copy version of the FileMaker on-line help, Chris has included virtually all of it in printed form with matching screen shots. Insert a few post-it notes and you start to have a well-referenced tome for all of your development staff. I have looked hard for a product to complement the training that we provide to our clients and require our developers to take. Chris Kubica's Book of FileMaker Pro 6 is it.

While Chris' book has a lot of breadth, I was delighted to find it also has significant depth. His review of relationships and portals for example, not only provides a good solid insight into how relationships work and how portals are used, he also peels off another layer of the onion, revealing more sophisticated uses of both. His example (files are included on the CD) of how to add quantities in a portal without using the keyboard are inspired and the hidden portal trick is lucidly explained. Both techniques are valuable to any developer . His chapter on security and the availability of his 'Darn Good Security' model (again on the CD and downloadable from his site) can become a login technique for any system that has sensitive information.

The author took the time to collaborate with a lot of other developers to bring all the pieces together. As such, the material presented is cogently covered by experts in that particular area. The reader is the beneficiary of the real world wisdom gained by those who have traveled down the road perhaps further than most. The chapters on AppleScript and ActiveX, again surprised me with the depth of their coverage at introducing a novice or even intermediate FileMaker user to technologies which extend FileMaker Pro's functionality.

Chris took the time to thoughtfully explain some of the naming conventions and best practices that he's adopted to make his solutions easy to work with, easy to maintain and easier to bring other developers on board to provide support. This is a favourite topic of mine and what I liked about Chris' approach was his perpsective that FileMaker at any time can be called upon to work with other environments, such as the Web, ODBC - JDBC, XML and of course with plug-ins. His naming conventions conform to this perspective and therefore make his applications more amenable to use with these environments with little or no change.

Of course, when discussing scripts, it is an excellent time to introduce the reader to FileMaker Developer, a powerful development tool which allows the user to 'step through' scripts step-by-step by using the Script Debugger. Chris covers this off beautifully. And FileMaker Inc. feels so strongly about the benefit of this tool in improving developer performance that they now include it in the membership fee to the FileMaker Solutions Alliance. If you are serious about developing FileMaker solutions, you need to use FileMaker Developer. On top of that, Chris notes the several tools that have been developed to analyze your solutions and particularly the scripts you've created. The first is the Database Design Report built into FileMaker Developer and then some third party products that round out any developers toolkit including The Analyzer from Waves in Motion, MetaDataMagic from New Millenium Communications, Brushfire from Chaparral Software and Autoscript.fm Pro.

The entire section on Designing, Estimating, Developing and Managing FileMaker Projects would act as a great study book for individuals who want to upgrade their skills and broaden their capabilities as an all round FileMaker developer.

Conclusion

I really want to revisit the many topics after I've had more time to play with the example files, looked up the resources, and read some of the reference material. FileMaker Server, FileMaker Mobile, ODBC and SQL, Web publishing and then the plethora of solutions that Chris refers to (some of which I'm actively pursuing for a solution I'm working on right now!) are all reasons why this book deserves not only to be purchased and read, but to have a more complete reference site that allows you to access more and more of the material he recommends.

About the Reviewer

James Hea is the President of DataWorksPro Inc, the founder of the FileMaker User and Developer Group of Eastern Ontario (FUDGEO), an authorized trainer for CoreSolutions, a software developer, consultant and project manager. For more reviews on FileMaker publications, visit www.filemakerreview.com

I had used Filemaker briefly and superficially several years ago to do a relatively simple favor for a friend. However, now ... I belong to a theater group and we needed a database to use in doing our ticketing process. So I volunteered! Silly me! At any rate, I upgraded my copy of Filemaker and set to work learning its intricacies as quickly as possible, not realizing yet how complicated the product as I envisioned it would be. Since the documentation supplied with Filemaker is kind of sparse, I bought a book, several in fact, including Chris' book, specifically. I wanted something that would teach me to use the product at a level beyond a simple discussion of the tools, and I found it in this book! Chris's book is readable and full of useful examples. I read it, turning down corners and marking passages like a fiend, until it looked pretty ratty. But I learned! Chris covers not only the basics of how to use the tools, but also the planning, the"philosophy" if you will - the way to think about and organize a project, the things to consider in actually implementing it. Before I retired, I spent 30 years doing programming and I understand the way to do a software project, and this book seemed very familiar in its approach. There are lots of other books on Filemaker, but this one seems to me to be one of the best in the way it covers all facets of doing a Filemaker project. One thing in particular that I found very helpful is the size of the index! It sounds silly, but having a thoroughly detailed index is very helpful in a book running nearly 800 pages, especially when you want to review some minor topic whose location you can't quite recall. All in all, I have used this book more than any other in doing my theater project (which is now almost finished) and I'm very glad I spent the money on it.

FileMaker 6 is a good book, however it tries to encompass all aspects of FileMaker development. A great concept, but not enough actual "useful" material dedicated to each topic to be applicable.

It seems as if the author is trying to rest on the Laurels of others as there are numerous developers that actually penned many of the chapters. The book is a little too self promotional for me.

Just about every chapter listed has been thoroughly discussed in other books, and I find this book is no exception.

The idea of covering the whole Filemaker product family is great. The author has a nice writing style and presents the information in a reasonably logical format. However, the book is chockful of errors that I find unacceptable for a book that is trying to teach the new users.

Examples:
- page 50 generic RecordID mentioned should really be specific CompanyID.
- page 52 PhoneNumber mentioned should really be specific Phone.
- page 63 sort toggle sort on the Mac is discussed but he never says where it appears on the screen.
- page 68 paragraph discussing how to create your first script says "Click the Done button or press ENTER/RETURN." However pressing enter/return is the equivalent of clicking Create button.
- page 69 paragraph describing how to save your first script simply does not work as described.

Skip ahead.

- page 146 @ one character and * zero or more characters paragraphs are reversed, which is potentially confusing to new users. Plus the proper @ paragraph example discussing the word John is wrong, which is even more confusing.

Put the book away for good.

Though it does give elaborate a bit on most ins-and-outs of Filemaker Pro 6, it doesn't go much into scrip wrtiting: a few lines, a few examples, not much 'general' syntax, and all its parameters. Anybody knows of a book that just teach you about (Filemaker Pro 6) scripts and scripwriting?

I've been an advocate of FileMaker since version 2.1 back in 1994. I've read the books, watched the videos, and practiced to create better databases. The Book of FileMaker 6 is probably the most complete reference I've read to date. The chapters are arranged in progression starting at the very beginning with "What is a database?". Don't let that fool you into thinking this is a beginner's tome. The latter chapters will test your true knowledge of FileMaker. If you are an experienced user feel free to skip over the early part of the book. But I wouldn't, as it is chocked full of tidbits and quips that correct any misconceptions or misinformation you may have acquired previously. I like the fact that the FileMaker application and The Book of FileMaker 6 covers both platforms. I'm a Mac user, but have to create databases that run seamlessly on Windows.
Through the course of The Book of FileMaker 6, and its accompaning CD, you are guided through creating a sample business database. Step-by-step instructions for the novice explain the basics of field definitions, setup, layout, creating records, entering data, and creating and printing reports. As you progress the chapters get more involved and demonstrate the powerful relationships created with FileMaker and how you can use that to your advantage. Jump in where you feel comfortable, you can't help but better your FileMaker skills. The CD contains hundreds of royalty free examples and tutorials that follow the book. The author encourages you to use them, change them, make money off of the them. He wants you to suceed!. The CD is organized so that each chapter of the book has a matching folder of additional information on the CD. You can read, learn and follow along at the same time. The book finishes with chapters on using FileMaker on the Internet with FileMaker Server, going portable with FileMaker Mobile and incorporating FileMaker with other external software.
I was particularly interested in the chapters on using FileMaker Server and learning more about how to use XML, ActiveX and AppleScript. The Book goes a long way toward aiding that understanding. Now I have to put to use what I've learned.
The authors writing style is comfortable in that you can grasp the meaning of the ideas without feeling like you are buried reading an instruction manual.

I have been developing in Filemaker since version 3, but do so in isolation from other developers. So books are important to keep up to date and benefit from other's experience. I have a library of 10 or more Filemaker books, some specialising in particular areas, like web delivery. But if you only have time, space, or money for one general-purpose Filemaker book, then there is no question it should be this one.

I never have time to read a 'Lesson 1' style book - I am more likely to read a single chapter of interest, or use it as a reference. This book suits that role well. It will give you good knowledge of basic-intermediate development skills, and gives strong treatment to some more difficult subjects, like plug-ins and interfacing to other programs. If you are planning to work on web-delivery, this will get you started, but you should also get Advanced Filemaker Pro 6 Web Development (Bowers/Lane)

This is a very good book on FileMaker Pro 6. However, with the release of FileMaker 7, I would consider this book obsolete. Too many things change in FileMaker 7, that many of the techniques and tricks explained here are either unnecessary, or actually bad.

But if you're stuck using FileMaker 6 (and many projects will remain on FileMaker 6 for years to come), this is a very good way to learn how to best use the product. The examples that come on the CD are also very good, with nice designs that you can easily reuse.

One thing missing from the book, which would have taken it to a "5" rating, is discussion of how to connect your FileMaker application to the web. Just one chapter covering the built-in Web Companion (and the CDML language it uses) seems obligatory, and yet missing.

But web-enabling FileMaker is a large topic, large enough for its own book (Advanced FileMaker Pro 6 Web Development, by Bob Bowers and Steve Lane, a great companion to The Book of FileMaker), so I can't dock it more than a point for skipping past this topic.

Great book and well thought out. Will appeal to novice thru expert. Touches on all major points relating to Filemaker and will be a great reference tool.

Lots of example databases which back up the book.