FileMaker Pro 8: The Missing Manual

This is what a technical manual should be. Well written in a style that avoids jargon. Well organized so that it covers every major point of the application, without endless excuses that certain subjects are beyond the scope of the book. Carefully indexed. Well edited. Profusely and intelligently illustrated. And, finally, designed for readability. FileMaker beginners will find that this is a true tutorial and covers far more territory than most casual users will want to travel. FileMaker pros will find this a handy reference for the inevitable moment when they can't remember something or need to explore a function new to them. This edition has been outmoded to a degree because of the introduction of FileMaker 8.5, but it is still eminently useful. In short, this truly is the "missing manual" for FileMaker Pro 8 and should be considered an essential book for any user. It is far superior to "Special Edition Using FileMaker 8". Jerry

Are you a programmer that has been working with FileMaker for a while? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Geoff Coffey and Susan Prosser, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that explores each feature in depth, offers shortcuts and workarounds, and explains the ramifications of options that a FileMaker Pro manual doesn't even mention. Coffey and Prosser, begin by exploring FileMaker Pro's interface; and, show you how to perform basic tasks, like entering data and then sorting through it again. Then, the authors show you how to use layouts to make data entry easier and how to create layouts that list and summarize your data. They continue by showing you how to create, connect, and manage multiple tables and how to set up complex relationships that show you just the data you need to see. Next, the authors show you how to use FileMaker Pro's 200+ functions to do the math for you. Then, they show you how scripting works, and learn how to make scripts for people to use. Finally, the authors show you how to protect your database with a password and how to use privileges to determine what folks can do once they get into your database. FileMaker Pro comes in several flavors, and this excellent book addresses them all. Each chapter contains live examples--step-by-step tutorials that help you learn how to build a database by actually doing it!

I have developed many database applications in other software programs. FileMaker is quite different from the rest, so I had to learn "by the book" to understand many of Filemaker's unique features, so I purchased Filemaker Pro 7 Bible and Using Filemaker Pro 7. The Bible book was totally useless, giving you details for beginners and lots of useless text for someone who already understands database development. The Using books gives details, both not a straight forward approach to developing a database. But once FileMaker Pro 8: The Missing Manual came out (the first to cover version 8), I purchased it. To my surprise, it was so well written and loaded with practical advise, that I have read to book from end to end. It has excellent examples that I have used in the application I am developing for my company. I continually go back to the book for refreshers to concepts I learned in the book. The other two books hardly get touched! If there is one book to buy to learn FileMaker Pro, this is it!

For anyone that uses FileMaker Pro on a daily basis, this book is an absolute steal. With over 700 pages of relevant information, the authors go beyond this applications basic use as digital address book and really get into the details of what makes this a great application. With tons of pictures and clear detail how to follow along, the authors start with the basic use of displaying and inputting people data and go far beyond that, discussing design of databases and learning how to script FileMaker Pro to get this program to do nearly anything you need it to! Reports, exporting data to other formats, or publishing to the web, this book has it all! A must read for any FileMaker Pro user who wants to get the most out of their experience and learn the ins and outs. ***** RECOMMENDED

This is definitely a must have book for FileMaker users. Not only does it have in depth coverage of all of the front-facing features. It also has an excellent theory section on database design which is really critical regardless of what database technology you use. It's tough to find a solid practical theory lesson on database design in any book and this walkthrough is great. If for that section alone this book is worth the money.