FILEMAKER PRO 12

Back when the Mac first came out, when screens were only black and white, when graphics had no transparency, no gradients, not even textures, we had pattern fills. They were rudimentary tools for giving 2D, black-and-white graphical objects some flair. Phased out from just about every software product by the mid 1990s, those patterns persisted in FileMaker Pro and became emblematic of the long-neglected interface tools known as the “design surface”. With version 12, FileMaker finally ditches the ‘80s patterns and gives users the tools for making good-looking databases in no time at all.

    

The simplest way to see FileMaker’s new clothes is to try out the totally rebuilt Theme feature. FileMaker calls the screens you create for displaying your information Layouts. In past versions, Layout themes were little more than color schemes applied at the time of creation. With FileMaker 12, themes contain a full set of design elements like fonts, field shapes, and background colors for the various layout sections. The product now pays attention to whether you’re editing the header or the body of a given layout and automatically applies the appropriate formatting. Upon creating a layout, you must choose one of the 40 themes available, but should you later decide that Ocean is preferable to Onyx, you’re free to change it at any time.

                Of course, it wouldn’t be FileMaker if you couldn’t tweak your layouts in painstaking detail, and version 12 delivers many inviting new possibilities. Objects now have customizable states giving you control over how they appear when the cursor is hovering above, while being clicked, and while in focus (for example, when you’re typing in a text field, that field is “in focus”). Rather than being simply solid, transparent or patterned, items on your layouts can have gradient fills, image fills, and transparency. Rectangular objects such as fields can sport custom-rounded corners. Experience and determined FileMaker developers have dreamed up techniques for achieving, or at least simulating the capabilities above, but those workarounds generally require hopping between FileMaker and a separate graphics program.

WATCH YOUR MAC’S VIDEOS ON AN IOS DEVICE

 WATCH YOUR MAC’S VIDEOS ON AN IOS DEVICE

Forget the cloud and stream the movies and TV you already have on your Mac.

Getting movies and TV from the cloud to your iPhone or iPad is great, but what about the videos already on your Mac? There are several apps for that in the App Store, but for sheer simplicity Air Media Center is hard to beat. Its actually two apps working together: the Air Media Center client in the iTunes App Store) on your iOs device, and Air Media Server (free in the Mac App Store) running on your Mac, beaming its content over your local network. Better yet, you can even stream from your Mac to your iOs device when you’re away from home.

1.     Set up your SERVER

At launch, Air Media Server automatically shares the contents of your Mac’s Downloads, Movies, Music, and Pictures folders. You can add other folders (and specific iTunes playlists) by clicking the Sharing tab, then the + button. Leave app running to let your iOs devices connect.

 

2.     Connect to your Content

Launch the Air Media Center client app on your iOs device, then tap your Mac’s name and enter your OS X username and password to access folders you’ve shared in Air Media Server. Just tap to drill down to a movie file, then tap Play to start watching automatically. You won’t be able to play files with DRM, including iTunes Store purchases, but you can stream to an Apple TV.

3.     Stream to the Internet

Click Air Media Server’s Internet tab then check “Automatically configure port forwarding” (you’ll need a UPnp compatible router, like an AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule, for this to work). AMS automatically gives you an IP address and port number where you can reach your Mac outside your local network.

4.     Connect to your content outside your Network

In the iOs client app’s main window, tap the + button to add a new connection. Name the connection something obvious and enter the address and port you got from AMS, then tap Add. That’s it! Now, when you select that connection you can access your media from any place with a connection to the internet.