Version 4 allows Simple lists to be more like spreadsheets, with the ability to insert numbers, data ranges, and calculations in fields. That addition let users create free-form tables in their databases.
And that figure should continue to grow with Bento 4, which introduces a streamlined option for uploading templates to the Bento Template Exchange.įileMaker is expanding the Simple List feature it introduced in the last major update to Bento.
FileMaker says the online exchange has grown to more than 800 free downloadable templates since its 2009 debut. Bento 4 users can export libraries populated with data and e-mail them to others-“It makes libraries as easy as sending a file,” Rosenberg said.Īnother enhanced sharing capability involves the company’s Bento Template Exchange, an online resource where users can swap pre-designed database forms. Multi-user sharing highlighted the changes in 2009’s Bento 3 update, and this new release continues that trend of making it easier to share databases with others. The latest version of Bento lets you export libraries populated with data, which can then be shared with other users. The update adds a pair of printer-friendly themes that Rosenberg says will “make forms look the way you want.” What’s more, the new version expands form printing options, letting users print without field borders and field labels, among other tweaks. Users can also customize labels using fields and images stored in Bento.īesides the addition of label printing, Bento 4 also promises improved form printing. Users can build custom labels as well, making font and style adjustments right in the Print dialog. Scientists can use the label printing capabilities to print labels for samples, businesses can use the feature for inventory tracking, and event organizers can print out name tags from Bento.īento 4 adds the ability to print labels from records you’ve stored in the personal database application.Īll told, Bento 4 offers more than 250 ready-to-use Avery and Dymo label formats. And that doesn’t just mean creating address labels from contact records stored in Bento, according to Rosenberg.
The trouble with Bento is that it is not immediately clear why it is useful, making this great program a sleeper hit that remains under most people's radar.One of those top requested features was the ability to print labels from Bento. Overall, we think Bento is a solid database program made easy by a largely WYSYWIG interface. Plus, you can share Bento databases, allowing others to add information to your template, making it great for collaboration on a project.
You also can import contacts and your personal calendar to display the information in unique ways. But perhaps its amazing amount flexibility is its primary weakness because people can't immediately see what use they would have for the program.īento works seamlessly with Excel and Numbers making it possible to import information to fill out your templates. Everything from showing more info about the players of your football team to cataloging your DVD collection are great examples of uses for Bento. Bento comes with a large number of templates that cover many hobbies and business-related activities, and there are more user-made templates you can browse through at the Web site. Doing so would have strongly delayed the 2.0.3 version of Bento, which we will be releasing as a free update for Bento 2.0.1/2.0.2 this week, and continued development of the Bento product line. Really any sort of collector or person trying to catalog similar items could find a use for this program. You might also use it to search for a new home, adding all the information, addresses, prices, and pictures of locations making it easy to compare houses against each other. Comic book collectors could use the program to catalog their collection, for example, complete with pictures, short summaries, and more, all in an aesthetically-pleasing interface.
The interface takes some time to get used to, but with a little poking around (and once the major features become clear), the true power of Bento starts to materialize.īento can be used to catalog just about anything in any number of ways. Bento is loaded with templates to create databases of people, places, or things using nice-looking graphics. Bento is a database app from the makers of Filemaker offering plenty of great features, but its deliberate lack of focus may make it difficult for people to grasp its usefulness.