![]() ![]() I really enjoy using Records because it’s a very easy, user-friendly way of storing and organizing data. My personal preference is to input data into the Canvas view and then review the database in the Table view. For those who have the experience of using File Maker Pro, this is similar to the Form and List views. There are two main views built in to Records – table and canvas. This was one of the more impressive features for me as it functions very similarly to the Mac’s search function. When you have a fully built and filled-in database, you can also use the text search to find specific data in the different records. Once I had all the data imported, I laid out the canvas as I wanted to see it and began reviewing it all. I was hoping to be able to import them into the comparable fields that were preexisting in the database, but it just didn’t quite translate that way. When my data imported, it showed up as a clump of fields – one on top of the other – on the design canvas. The same file with the empty columns removed only took a few seconds. ![]() My first import attempt was only 348kb and it took several minutes. The process was fairly painless except that I discovered the more columns you are importing, whether they contain data or not, help to determine the length of time importing takes. Once I found this out, I began importing. There is a quick work around for this – change the file extension to. It seems that even though I am on the current version of the app that since I haven’t updated my Mac to OS X 10.11 yet, that there is a small glitch with CSV files. When I discovered this problem and nothing I was doing was working, I contacted the developer and got a very quick response with a remedy. This was a HUGE set back for me and this app. I tried starting a new database from template and creating a new BLANK database, but the CSV files I created were grayed out when and I was never able to select them for import purposes. Even though “import from CSV” is a clear option in the File menu, I was never able to do it. Unfortunately, I was stopped dead in my tracks. It was a simple enough set of data to work with and I thought I could pull in data I had stored elsewhere because it was a CSV file. When I started working with it, I chose to start creating a contacts database. There are even different themes to choose from that really liven up the layout. You actually just drag and drop pieces you want in your database to the design canvas and start entering data. It comes pre-loaded with numerous templates and the ability for you to customize each one, or build your own. ![]() At first glance, the app is everything I was looking for. I was very excited to try this app out as I really enjoy apps that are built and tailored specifically for Mac. Records is billed as a full-featured, power personal database app for Mac. Fortunately, software development has come leaps and bounds since then and there are much better options for people who are looking to customize databases to suit their needs. We had a massive tape library that we were trying to catalogue and FMP, was the best tool at our disposal at that time. We were trying to make it work for something it wasn’t really meant to do. My brother and I used to create databases for organization purposes. Many years ago, much longer than I’ve been writing for MacSources, I dabbled in database management with a little program called File Maker Pro. Records Mac App allows you to efficiently collect and organize any kind of information. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |