Use Your FileMaker Pro Databases on Your iPhone
Adam Rosen - 2008.10.06 - Tip Jar
Popularity: ![]()
![]()
![]()
Bookmark in
del.icio.us
Suggest to Slashdot
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
I recently joined the ranks of the iPhone enabled and am having a generally marvelous time with my new iToy. One of the best features is how seamlessly the iPhone works with my Mac's Address Book and Calendar data, directly via Apple's Sync Services. No third party data conduit is needed - unlike Treo or BlackBerry handhelds, a frequent source of headaches for many of my clients.
However, on my Mac I use Apple's Address Book only for email addresses and instead keep my personal and business addresses in FileMaker Pro. I've used FileMaker for many years and have a set of linked databases that manage my business contacts and invoices. I need a way to get this contact info on my iPhone.
Unfortunately there's no iPhone app from FileMaker to address this need. An older product, FileMaker Mobile, has been discontinued, and the company has made no announcement as to whether they intend to support the platform or not. FileMaker only suggests using the program's web publishing feature and accessing your data via the iPhone Safari web browser. This can be useful in some instances, but it requires effort to create and host the database - and it's not the same as having a local copy of your data on your iPhone
FMTouch
Fortunately an enterprising third party has stepped up to fill the void: FMTouch is a $70 iPhone app available from the iTunes App Store. With this application on your iPhone, a bit of data massaging on your computer, and some trial and error, you can now have full working FileMaker databases right on your handheld.
You will need FileMaker v8 or v9 on your Mac (or PC) to start. You will also need to install a synch plugin for FileMaker on your computer, which talks to the FMTouch app running on your iPhone. After installing the plugin, relaunch FileMaker, then launch FMTouch on the iPhone. On initial setup there is a one-time pairing (similar to Bluetooth devices) you will first be asked to do, via entering a code on the handheld to synch with the computer.
All layouts in your FileMaker databases will be available on your handheld. For best results it's recommended you create one or more layouts specifically designed for the iPhone. The iPhone screen size is 320 pixels wide by 375 pixels high. A good online design guide has been provided by the developer. I have found it helpful to create a 320 x 375 pixel background for my layout in a graphics program, import that as a JPEG into my FileMaker layout, then overlay fields and text to stay within these boundaries.
Once your database is ready you need to generate a DDR file, which the FMTouch application uses to access your database on the phone. FM Web School has provided an online DDR creation service to create the necessary .xml file. To use this service, make an empty copy of your database by using File > Export > Clone (No Records). Save the file with a .fp7 extension and use only letters and numbers in the filename, no special characters. Then use the Finder to make a .zip archive of this file and upload the archive. In a few minutes you should get a link to download your DDR file.
Note: If you have a copy of FileMaker Advanced on your computer, you can export the DDR file directly using the Tools menu. See the FMTouch user guide for full documentation.
Now you're ready to synch your database to the handheld. Open your database again in FileMaker on the computer. On the iPhone, launch FMTouch and create a new database. Hit the button to upload a DDR file, and (on your Mac) choose the DDR file you just created. Once that's loaded, initialize the database, then click Sync to transfer data from your computer. Congratulations, you now have your FileMaker database on your iPhone or iPod touch!
Usage and Limitations
This solution is welcome and useful. Email addresses and phone numbers in your database act as links for sending emails or making calls on the iPhone, as they do with Apple's Address Book. Data synch is a two way process, so any changes you make on the handheld will be transferred back to the computer at next synch. It took a few rounds of trial and error to get my layout tweaked appropriately, but all I do now is synch the database every few days as needed.
Implementation is fair but not yet ideal; there are some bugs and rough edges. Database scripts on the computer are not currently supported on the handheld, though the developer notes they are working on this for a future release. Layouts larger than a single iPhone screen often don't scroll or resize correctly. Each time you make changes to a layout, you need to create a new DDR file and send this to the phone.
For best results I've found it best to completely delete, then recreate, my database on the phone when updating the DDR file, rather than updating an existing database. Also, synching must be initiated manually via several button presses - not really very hard, but not as convenient as the auto-push service happening with email and calendar data via MobileMe. The app has also crashed a few times, requiring reboots of the iPhone. Hopefully these issues will get addressed in future releases.
The creation and layout updating processes can be somewhat labor intensive and are not for the technically faint of heart. But the developer is a young company and responsive to feedback.
As of this writing (Oct 2008) this is the only way I know to
interact with local Filemaker data on your iPhone. It's a solution
I use daily, and has been worth the effort to get it working.
This article was originally published on Adam's Oakbog website. It has been adapted and reprinted here with his permission.
If you find Adam's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Adam's Apple Columns
- Tales of old Mac data retrieval, 06.13. Getting apps and documents off 400K floppies, old disk images, and a Mac running System 5.
- Mac remote control options built into Leopard, 02.29. Apple has four tools for Macintosh remote control built right into the Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' operating system.
- Software to remotely control and reboot your Mac, 02.15. Commercial software to control your Mac over a network or the Internet. Also how to restart a remote Mac.
- Remotely control your OS 9 or OS X Mac, 02.01. With the right software, some of it free, you can remotely control your Mac from another Mac or a Windows or Unix PC.
- More in the Adam's Apple index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: eMac, Apr. 2002 - 50 lb. 17" white G4 eMac replaced the iMac for the education market.
- Group of the Day: MacCube is the email list for Cube users.
- December 3 in LEM history: 01: The future of low-end Macs - Internet charges and Low End Mac - 02: A smooth switch with Move2Mac - 04: Upgrading from Mac OS 9 to 10.3 - PC malware: The best reasons to use a Mac - No sympathy for bashing Macs in schools - 'Book fragility - 07: Switching to Mac tripled my productivity - Leopard on a G3 iMac (with a G4 upgrade)
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- OS X More Efficient than Linux, Snow Leopard and PowerPC Macs, and Eudora Woes, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.03. A user reports both Panther and Leopard run more smoothly and use memory more efficiently than Linux. Also thoughts on PowerPC abandonment in Snow Leopard and replacing Eudora in Leopard.
- The Leopard Experience at 867 MHz, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 12.02. Mac OS X 10.5 requires an 867 MHz G4 with 512 MB of memory, but is performance really acceptable on a minimum spec system?
- A Used 17" PowerBook as a Budget Notebook Alternative, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 12.02. Sure, you can buy a refurbished 13.3" MacBook for under $900, but you could also have an expansive, feature laden 17" PowerBook in the same price range.
- The Very Best Macs: Sometimes Apple Just Nails It, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 12.01. Apple has produced lots of good Macs, a few dogs, and some 'best of breed' models that stand apart from the pack.
- Apple Could Buy Dell, and Linux Is No Threat to Mac OS X, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 12.01. Apple has the cash to buy Dell outright, and the idea has some merit. Also, why Linux still isn't ready to displace the Mac OS.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 12.03. Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
- Best 17" PowerBook G4 Deals, 12.03. Used 1.5 GHz, $685; 1.67 GHz, $699.
- Best Intel iMac Deals, 12.03. Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $550; 20" 2.0, $650; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.8, $1,549; 3.06, $1,899; rebates and free shipping on new.
- Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, 12.02. DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited users, $400.
- Best iMac G5 Deals, 12.02. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $400; 1.8 SuperDrive, $450; 1.9 iSight, $599; 20" 1.8 GHz, $500; 2.0, $600; 2.1 iSight, $700. Shipping additional.
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 12.02. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,330; 2.33 Core 2, $1,499; close-out, 2.4, $1,800 after rebate; new 2.5, $2,000 a/r; new hi-res, $2,499 a/r; refurb 2.6, $2,399.
- Best iPod nano Deals, 12.01. Refurb 3G/4 GB, $79; new, $105; refurb 8 GB, $99; new, $115; 3G/8 GB, $134; 16 GB, $174. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 12.01. Used 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $481/C$599 plus shipping.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 12.01. Used 3.0 GHz 4-core, $2,102; new 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 a/r; 8-core, $2,515 a/r; 3.0 $3,320 a/r; 3.2, $4,099 a/r.
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
