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• Recently Written

  • To Our Readers – Looking for Home.se April 26, 2012
  • Bento 4.0.7 Update Available April 25, 2012
  • Lion, iCloud, and Bento… October 25, 2011
  • Bento 4.06 Available October 1, 2011
  • Bento Price Drop Confirmed! August 23, 2011
  • Bento 4.0.5 Available! August 9, 2011
  • It’s Confirmed: Lion Is Fighting Bento! August 1, 2011
  • Bento 4.0.3 Update Is Unstable May 21, 2011
  • Customizing Themes Even Further April 23, 2011
  • Sorely Needed: Page Guides On Forms! April 23, 2011
  • List Field Refinements Needed April 12, 2011
  • Dear Filemaker & Bento Product Manager: April 11, 2011
  • New Free Service: iChat Screen-Sharing! April 10, 2011
  • Bento 4 Crashes Reach BentoUsers! March 17, 2011
  • Finally: Bento 4 – First Review! March 16, 2011

Bento user Mark found a Bento 3 easter egg (a hidden, undocumented feature): when you hold down the Option key upon launching Bento, a dialog box pops up which lets you choose any database file, set a default file, and more.

I tried it out and it displayed some strange behavior. Luckily, I had copied the database file I tested the feature with. Bento moved the file (removing it from my back-up folder where it resided). Since I didn’t specify that file as the default database, it later automatically reverted to the previous file, and the other file was gone, I couldn’t find it anywhere! I had to move the copy back into its old location by hand. Sounds a bit dangerous and complicated, right?

I recommend to use this hidden feature with big caution! So far, the documentation never mentioned the possible use of more than one database file, even though many users are using them, including myself. This would be another reason for the release of an updated version of Bento 3 that includes a new users guide! The users guide would need to include instructions on how to create additional database files.

Dutifully I’m reporting the release of the Bento 3 Holiday Pack.

It consists of two ugly themes and two templates. The templates are designed for Bento 3, the themes should work in any Bento version.

The first Holiday Pack was very nice. The Themes were also designed in a way that I found many good uses for them. This time no special fonts, a color that hurts your eyes and background pictures that tile badly… I have nothing else to say.

In case you didn’t know Filemaker offers free (limited) tech support for Bento by phone. You can also report crashes and problems, of course.
The number is: 1-800-325-2747.

For more details, see the Filemaker Contact page.

I’m not the only one that found Bento 3 to be unstable, to put it mildly.
Just a few days after its release users complain everywhere on my site.
I’ll add more quotes as they come in.
If you’re still willing to stay with Bento 3, remember to back up your data before you do any important editing. As for me, as long as I’m only browsing Libraries and adding Records, Bento 3 at least didn’t crash anymore…

Here are the scary comments:

(John) I am so disappointed with Bento 3′s bugs, I finally had to chunk it.  I can’t believe they let this out the door. And here I am trying to export new records and templates out of my Bento 3 db, so that I can try to rebuild them now in Bento 2 since Bento 3 is so bug-ridden.

(Max) I was looking forward to some of the exact features that came with Bento 3.
But I have found so many bugs with Bento 3 in just a few days, it is unbelievable.
I’m really disappointed in Bento 3 and think the developers at FileMaker should’ve stayed and worked at the office a few extra weekends.

(Sandra) Bento 3 is crashing all over the place for me too!

(Aaron) I’ve been using Bento 3 for a couple of weeks now. Can’t say that the features they added were in any way worth a full version release. The one potential real great feature — home sharing — is so hobbled and limited that I won’t ever use it.

(RJ) Somebody better trace WHY this Engine is sputtering konking crashing???!! Cause it is happening also on iPhone Bento. Crashing so much can’t even use it on iPhone!!!

(Jolin) I have held off from upgrading to Bento 3 due to the information on this blog. I am very glad to have waited, because the instability that seems to come from Bento 3 would be a major problem for me in my work.

(Will) Bento 3 is the little engine that could… but probably never will, thanks to the company’s open willingness to cripple the software.
And a team of paid professionals spent a year to implement useless 2005-era no-server sharing capability, drag and drop Cocoa grid-view capability into the interface, graciously allow us to organize with folders (revolutionary), and add a field type? And they want us to pay for the favor? No thanks, Filemaker, Inc.

You can participate in a FileMaker Webinar and learn much more about Bento 3.
It’s for beginners as well as for power users like me. Space is limited.
Here’s the info:

Date & Times:
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
8:00AM – 9:00AM PDT – 11:00AM – Noon EST
REGISTER NOW

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
11:00AM – Noon PDT – 2:00PM – 3:00PM EST
REGISTER NOW

Location:
On your computer over the Internet

Duration:
60 minutes

How to Register:
When you come to the registration page, click the “Register” link next to “Event Status” or at the bottom of your screen and enter your contact information. After your registration is accepted, you will be sent an email with the necessary event participation information.

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