Apple subsidiary FileMaker, Inc., today is announcing the next version of its award-winning database platform, FileMaker Pro 14. The company is also celebrating 30 years of amazing FileMaker Pro solutions. Back in 1985 FileMaker Pro got its start by offering users an easy-to-use, flexible, single-user database that didn’t require you to be a technical guru or programmer to use it. You could even make reports with it. It was 1985 and the first Mac had just hit the market.
Celebrating 30 Years of FileMaker Pro
Today, in 2015, FileMaker 14 is a comprehensive database platform that lets people easily develop powerful, customized, data-driven solutions that run on iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows and the web. And like in 1985, no programming expertise is required.
Over the course of 30 years, FileMaker customers began to profoundly change the way they did business, streamlining entire industries they operated in using exclusively FileMaker solutions. A FileMaker development and support community grew up around the product. The FileMaker Community today has over 50,000 members, and the FileMaker Business Alliance has more than 1200 firms whose primary business is to offer custom developed FileMaker products, solutions, training and services. The Made for FileMaker site offers hundreds of third-party commercial products built for FileMaker software.
What’s New in FileMaker 14
FileMaker is introducing all new solutions in FileMaker Pro 14, FileMaker Pro 14 Advanced, FileMaker Server 14, and FileMaker Go 14 for mobile devices. Here’s what’s new for each:
FileMaker Pro 14 and Advanced
FileMaker 14 introduces users to a new Script Workspace that looks and feels like a professional text editor for scripting and coding, complete with numbered lines and smart technology that helps users compile the elements needed for the script-building activities at hand. For power-users and for FileMaker developers and consultants, this new feature alone will make them happy to upgrade to this version.
01 – The new Script Workspace in FileMaker Pro and Advanced 14 will delight advanced users and developers.
Also on the solutions-creation side, version 14 ships with 140 professionally designed icons to use for layouts, both on desktop and mobile devices. There is also a new Button bar that groups buttons for use for navigation, streamlining user-interface creation for FileMaker layouts.
FileMaker 14 features a new Launch Center which visually organizes all your FileMaker solutions into one convenient screen. There is also a new top and bottom navigation parts features that means your navigation is always visible when scrolling through layouts.
FileMaker Go
In version 14, FileMaker Go features a new user interface to get an iOS 8-style look for a consistent user experience. You can also make your solutions go full screen by hiding the user interface. With FileMaker Go 14 you can set and lock screen orientations via scripts, display the signature capture screen in portrait and landscape view, play videos in a container field as well as in full screen mode, add scripts to determine if the keyboard appears in your layouts or not, and utilize rich text editing.
FileMaker Server 14
Server 14 now includes FileMaker Web Direct mobile browser support, which means you can tap the power of server to deliver a FileMaker desktop solution delivered in a mobile browser. This is an alternative way to access data versus the FileMaker Go based solutions a company may use. Server supports FileMaker WebDirect redesigned toolbar that is tuned for a mobile device but is useful on any computer.
02 – FileMaker Go 14 includes many new features and will make running custom database solutions on iPad and iPhone even more effective for companies large and small.
A new feature that users will enjoy is that when a connection to the server goes down, FileMaker Pro will automatically reconnect you to FileMaker Server when its available again. You can setup password hints in the FileMaker Server Admin Console and set up password strengths. Finally, there is Standby server. If your primary server ever goes down, experienced server administrators can type in a set of commands via the Command Line Interface, to switch you over to the standby server.
Customers are Transforming Business
FileMaker’s customers scale from Fortune 500 companies down to thousands of small businesses. And the company is very strong in educational markets. The company’s mobile solution, FileMaker Go has been particularly key in helping companies that were already heavy FileMaker users extend their investments to mobile device scenarios, adding capabilities to solve new types of problems.
“We sometimes audition and interview 300 students a day. With 80 faculty and 40 staff on the road throughout the year and 7,200 applicants annually, the admissions process would be nearly impossible to manage without FileMaker Pro, Filemaker Server and FileMaker Go for iPad,” said Damien Bracken, Dean of Admissions, at the world famous Berklee College of Music.
Platforms and Requirements
FileMaker Pro requires Mac OS X Mavericks 10.9 or Yosemite 10.10, while on Windows it requires Windows 7 SPI and higher. FileMaker Go 14 is a single, universal app for both iPad and iPhone and is compatible with all iPads, iPhones and iPod touch running iOS 8.1 or later. It requires iTunes 11.x.
FileMaker Server 14 requires Mac OS X Mavericks (10.9) or higher to run. On Windows Server 14 requires Windows 2008 R2 SP1 Standard or Enterprise, or Windows Server 2012 Standard, or Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard with Update.
To learn more visit them online at: www.filemaker.com
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