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No comments about FileMaker Pro 9: Beginner VTC Training CD.

3 comments about Learn FileMaker Pro 5.5 (With CD-ROM).

1. Although FileMaker Pro (FMP) -- the best-selling free-standing data management program -- provides a truly excellent instruction manual, practical tutorials, and the best Help features around (take note Microsoft!), the program has so many features and possibilities that a structured learning experience can only help you move up smoother and faster. I've tried other FMP books, but was disappointed by their slap-dash make-over compilation of unstructured tips and tricks (see my other review).

   Jon Star, a former entertainer who started out by booking his shows with FMP and streamlining his wife's business, is now a full-time FMP developer with years of experience. He shares that experience with flair, style and wit -- taking you through the basics (with tutorial files on the CD-rom easing much of the drudgery) up to mid-intermediate level. [For instance, I'm now converting my original Access files to FMP using ODBC.] All along, he comes up with tips for speeding repetitious steps. Clearly, this book is well-planned, well-written, well-organized and not at all dull (without resorting to cutesy Dummy-book 'humor'); Mr Star, quite obviously, has spent a great deal of thought, time and effort to make this book both useful and attractive to the reader. It outshines other FMP starter books by orders of magnitude. Jon works you hard, but you don't seem to mind as progress is swift and mostly painless. Jon Star is a five-star author and educator.

   The FMP 6.0 learning guide (which covers XML if you care) will be out in Fall 2002, and should be as good if not better.




2. Mr. Stars is a gifted writer and teacher. This is one of the very best technical books I have ever read. It read easily, it was packed with practical information and I actually did learn from it. If you don't know FileMaker and you want to learn it, this book is for you. If you already know FileMaker and want to learn advanced techniques, look for another book. I can't give it 5 stars because: 1) the last few chapters are like filler -- there's nothing in them that I couldn't have gleaned from the FileMaker manuals; 2) the CD-ROM adds no value.



3. Found this book to be a great help with learning FileMaker, Jonathan Star has a real talent for teaching. Each chapter gives a tutorial that is easy to follow and clearly explained. I highly recomend this book.

3 comments about FileMaker Pro 6 Advanced for Windows and Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide.

1. I've purchased numerous Peachpit Visual Quickbooks. Most of them are excellent. This one, however, is deficient is some respects. The most glaring problem is the puny size of the screen shots--you need a magnifying glass to see them! Also, the book is not coherent; it starts off with a fine concept for a school course/student/instructor database, but then doesn't work with this example throughout the book. There are no sample files on CD or diskette or on a Web site that I can find. The only saving grace is that the price of the book is reasonable, and you may pick up a few useful tips. Let's hope the version for FileMaker 7 is better.



2. Wow!
   After reading the last review, I thought I should add a slightly different opinion.
   
   I have FileMaker Pro Advanced (Visual Quickstart) in both version 5 & 6. (And I am eagerly awaiting for Version 7 to come out.) I do FileMaker Development for a living, so I might have a slightly different perspective. I have always found these Visual QuickStart books to be very helpful and I currently have FileMaker Pro 6 Advanced on my desk next to my computer. If you could look at my copy you would see it full of stickies noting some of the areas I frequently look up.
   
   This book has been invaluable to me as a reference. I can tell you honestly that I have never read it cover to cover. I just look at the great index in the back and it usually points me to the areas I need to look up. I have been designing FileMaker databases for 10 years and I still found lots of new and helpful information in this book. I still consider it a "MUST" for anyone who does FileMaker database design.



3. Don't waste your money on this one. Although titled "Advanced" it assumes the reader is a total idiot and absolutely unfamiliar with FileMaker. Steps are spelled out so painfully click by click that it is impossible to follow what is being explained. The screen shots are too small to be legible. A real waste of money and printing paper.

5 comments about Learn Filemaker Pro 5.0.

1. FileMaker Pro 5.0 is a very powerful program. As a 75 year old retiree, I will never use FileMaker to its maximum power. I am finding this book helpful to organize my personal financial life, and to inventory my household goods, books I own, have read, and want to read. Using this book has helped me make sense of the program. The INDEX is the MOST helpful thing to me. I need to look things up frequently since I don't use the program all day everyday in a business setting. Many books have lots of information, but you can't find the particular information you need because you don't know how to find it in the index. This index lists things in different ways to accommodate the search. Thank you, Jonathan Stars!



2. Upon reading the excellent recommendations of this book, I bought this book via United States-Canada-Mexico. I had a big disappointment upon reading it since does not offer nothing new with respect to the help included in the system. If you do not has neither idea of as operates Filemaker, I recommend you that opt for reading the help of the system... it will be saved some money.



3. Perhaps this book, written as an extended tutorial, would be useful to absolute beginners or to people who have pretty basic needs. Because it's written as an extended tutorial, it's incredibly tedious, and you're forced to read every word of the prose to get info, and then, it's often not applicable to a broad range of purposes. If you feel relatively confident in this kind of software, I'd recommend going with more of a reference manual (I'll be looking for one next). Especially, if you're a fast learner and are looking to build quickly.



4. Most software books seem to be written by people who not only love the software, but also assume that everyone else is equally fascinated by it. They write for the informed audience; they write for themselves. This book is different.

   It was written both for people who are new to FileMaker Pro and those who are more familiar with it. Jonathan Stars writes in a clear and interesting way, and he explains his terms and his instructions so that even someone who has no prior experience with FileMaker Pro can understand.

   Stars promises that FileMaker Pro is "user friendly." It is, but it's even friendlier because of this text. I followed his instructions in the early chapters to build my first database, and now I refer to the book when I need answers to more advanced questions. The text helped me get up-to-speed quickly and painlessly. His index is the greatest help of all.

   I love FileMaker Pro now, and the better I get at using FileMaker Pro, the more I value this book. It is a wonderful resource.




5. A friend of mine read this book cover to cover, and made a $15,000 program for a company.

   This book can make you a LOT of money.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself FileMaker 7 in 24 Hours (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. I can't imagine this book would be of much help to most readers. I can't tell who it is written for. The level of language could only be understood by someone quite familiar with FileMaker, but anyone who is that familiar with FileMaker would learn very little from the book since it only covers the very basics of FileMaker. I bought the book to get insight into version 7 (I'm already pretty familiar with version 6). If I was not very familiar with version 6, I would have understood very little by reading this book because it assumes too much of a background. Beginners will NOT understand FileMaker from reading this book! Unfortunately, even though the language seems to be targeted toward experienced users, all that is introduced is basic concepts. Experienced users of FileMaker will also learn very, very little. I learned next to nothing about the peculiarities of version 7. Very disappointing. FileMaker users who are neither beginners nor experienced might learn something, but they'd be much better off with a different book (unfortunately, there is not much written on version 7 at this point, so better wait). I would not recommend this book to anyone.



2. If you want a smooth way to learn FileMaker 7 do not turn to "Teach Yourself FileMaker 7 in 24 Hours." It is lacking in examples, is confusing and is extremely hard to follow. Even in areas where I am fairly comfortable using the program, this book failed to provide clear directions for something I already knew. Had I simply put my $25 down the garbage disposal, I would have been better off than I am having spent it on this book. Unfortunately, the other tomes on the bookstore shelf relating to FileMaker 7 were not much of an improvement. Mr. Feiler may know all there is to know about FileMaker 7, but he needs to learn to communicate far better.



3. at least for me. It does cover the basics of the items in filemaker but all I really got out of it was a rudimentary knowledge. It was a good idea to have practical exercises that you could download from the author's website. I found that there were many times that I could not reproduce the results stated in the book. The presentation was not logical enough for me to achieve a good foundation of the fundamentals to build the database reporting project I need for work. I am now reading Learn Filemaker pro 7 by Stars and Filemaker pro 7 Advanced by Baron. These books are much clearer and enjoyable to read.



4. I completely agree with the previous reviews. I've never used Filemaker before and was looking for a book to help me create a database step-by-step. This book wasn't it. It jumps all over the place and is filled with technical terms that aren't explained clearly. It was difficult to find the information that I needed in any sort of logical way. I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated as I tried to work my way through the book, wishing that I could find someone to explain to me what I'd just read. This might be a good book for someone already familiar with Filemaker, but I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.



5. I don't think SAMS Teach Yourself Filemaker 7 in 24 Hours is a very good book. Except for lots of screen shots almost to tiny to read, it does not contain much more than the manual that comes with Filemaker Pro. Its presentation is based on a few examples, but there is little about how Filemaker works or how it operates. So if you want to go beyond the examples, you don't have the information. 24 hours is not enough; I need chapters.

3 comments about Creating a Database in FileMaker Pro: Visual QuickProject Guide.

1. (This review is a work in progress, now in its second revision. When I've finished the book, this review will be revised again. The current 3 star rating--given because Amazon requires you to assign a star rating to post a review--should be considered temporary.)
   
   At first glance, this book looks intriguing, even if the font is so big it makes the book look more like a grade school primer. But, hey, large print is accommodating to the visually impaired, so I'll go with it. I do like the much larger and full color screen shots as compared to the tiny black and white shots in the previously established series of Visual QuickStart Guides.
   
   OTOH, it seems like the book's designer, thrilled with finally having a full-color budget, has gone a bit overboard, colorizing a wee bit too many text words and actually ever so slightly inhibiting understanding. (And, the designer himself/herself must have been confused a little as well. For example, on page 11, the words "Destination" and "Business Purpose", which as words you are instructed to type out and which therefore are supposed to be in color, are not.)
   
   So, overall, I'd say the book's design is a wash. Maybe Peachpit will refine the layout/color choices in future QuickProject titles. Where the real problem lies with this book is with its content. So far I'm on page 58 (out of a purposely scant 141) and I've already come across several mistakes big enough to impair learning. For example, on page 20 the author says to "click the USE GLOBAL STORAGE (ONE VALUE FOR ALL RECORDS) check box". Yet, even though I've followed his instructions exactly as he says--three times now--that check box CANNOT be clicked on as it is grayed out. Apparently, an important step is missing. (?)
   
   The author lists a companion Web site, so I went there to see if there was an errata listing. Sure enough, I found a chart acknowledging several known mistakes--and NONE of them are the ones I found. (In fact, the very first listed error is in itself an apparent mistake--it references a formula on Page 3 which, unless I'm blind, isn't even in the book.)
   
   And the section on creating calculation fields...hoo boy! Let's see...it says, I quote:
   
   "In the Specify Calculation dialog box, create the following formula: If (not (IsEmpty (End Yr)); End Yr - Start Yr; "")"
   
   Huh? What the heck did I just type? While a token explanation is offered, as a non-programmer, I'm left having little idea what it is I typed by rote or why. And I certainly would not be able to construct any such formula on my own. Would a few explanatory sentences talking about general programming concepts and structure been out of line here?
   
   Moving on to the chapters on designing a layout, things seem to improve, at least a little as far as mistakes go. One very minor mistake on page 42 regarding available formatting options for a date entry could be attributed to a glitch in FileMaker itself, perhaps. But designing a layout...if the way this book shows you how to design a layout is the normal FileMaker approach, then FileMaker is truly a designer-hostile program.
   
   I come from a background as a graphic artist (23 years). QuarkXPress. PageMaker. Illustrator. You get the idea. I had made the assumption that a professional program with a pedigree as long as FileMaker's would of course provide common design tools, like user-defined guidelines and/or master pages. Well, if the chapters in this book on layout design in this book are accurate, then no such tools exist. This book has you creating and sizing boxes and then aligning them simply by typing seemingly arbitrary numbers. Example, quote:
   
   "To align the bar with the top of the large data block, set the left edge distance to 0.333 inches and the top edge to 1.542 inches."
   
   OK. So, I need to be Nostradamus to determine how to size and align my items? I can't simply make some guidelines on a master layout and have everything snap to those? Well, until I finish the book and then poke around FileMaker on my own, the jury is out on whether or not the author's paint by numbers approach is valid. But, all I can say for now is, if you are a graphic artist of any type, be prepared to run in horror from how layouts are made.
   
   --Terry Hansen



2. This book walks the beginner and the pro through a practical FileMaker Pro project. Beginners learn relevant development techniques. Pros review processes they may have forgotten.
   
   As with all good software programs there are a number of ways of performing tasks. FileMaker Pro is one of those good programs. The author has done a fine job of choosing a project that is well thought out and executed on a task by task basis.
   
   There are only 6 (extremely minor), errors in this book. None of which prevent the project from being completed successfully. As a matter of fact, the author fully supports his work on an eratta page (...) of his Web site.
   
   Not everything has to be done thoroughly, perfectly, completely. Unless you are writing a reference in creative computing. Many thanks to Steve Schwartz and the fine folks at Peachpit Press for this complete working document. Keep up the good work.



3. For such a deep program like FileMaker Pro, this is a relatively thin book. What looks to be a QuickStart Guide is actually a QuickStart Project. The project is creating a mileage tracker...Not exactly something everyone needs. Why not lead us through something like a contact list, which everyone needs...I digress. This book has large pictures and an even larger typeface to get the novice FileMaker user their first project. Like most tutorials these days, it leads you through by the nose and doesn't really explain how this could apply to other projects...