Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro 7

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: First, be prepared for the size of this book...it's beefy! It's much larger than it appears in the screenshots. Next, be prepared to have a pencil and piece of paper ready while reading this book, as it is loaded with very pertinent information! I am on p. 240 (out of @ 800 pages (not counting 200 pages of comprehensive appendixes)) and have filled the front and back side of a piece of paper with 1-line notes to myself. This book is very in-depth, well written, and has a good flow. It was obviously well planned and thought out. Each chapter ends with Troubleshooting and Extras sections with real world problems and solutions pertaining to that chapter that I'm sure were based on the developers' many years of developing FMP solutions. The only irk I have with the book is the lack of a FMP 7 Mobile section. Apparently, FMP 7 Mobile wasn't released by the time the book went to print. It is the only facet of the book that doesn't live up to the title and promise of being "The only Filemaker 7 book you need." I give this book 4.5 stars (not an option on Amazon) due to the mising FMP Mobile section. It would have been a no-brainer 5 out of 5 otherwise.

Rating:
Summary: The BEST Filemaker 7 Book
Review: I sat in Barnes & Noble and compared "the Bible", this book and three others. This one by far had the best examples that really illustrate how intricate features work, and usually more than just one example. I am very experienced with Filemaker and find this book to be an excellent reference. It does have the first couple of chapters for newbies, which I skipped.

Only downside is that it is heavy.

Rating:
Summary: Good for Filemaker Pro "Pro" Users?
Review: Reading the reviews spurred me to buy this book, and I realize there's different kinds of FilemakerPro users out there. I've used FilemakerPro 6, but not extensively, and I thought this book would take me through the steps to become more proficient, and learn FilemakerPro 7 at the same time.

Here's what I found: the book was written by developers for developer-type people, not the average guy (or girl) with non-software developer things on their mind. The first few chapters were boring and not informative, the next couple taught me about databases, which I found very insightful and was tremendously helpful (but didn't teach me too much about FilemakerPro 7) and then the text got way over my head. So I am done with this book, and yet I've read only half at most. A real disappointment.

I just bought Sams Teach Yourself FilemakerPro 7 in 24 Hours and I can thouroughly recommend it already! (It's definitely for those people like me who are not looking to make a lifetime commitment to FilemakerPro and want to get back to the rest of their lives!)

Rating:
Summary: Version 7 is a big Upgrade
Review: The Moyer Group, a company founded by Chris Moyer and the employer of all the rest of the authors is a company founded to work with, support and teach about FileMaker. They have been involved with FileMaker for many years, and participated in the definition of the new features needed to past versions, including the leap from 6 to 7. They are arguably the best possible set of people to write this book.

The book is what you'd expect, 1104 wonderful pages that support its claim of being The ONLY FILEMAKER 7 Book You Need. The book is written from the stndpoing of an almost complete beginner needing to use filemaker (i.e. what's a database) through to the advanced user.

Of particular interest are Chapters 21-25 on publishing FileMaker data to the web or across a network using FileMaker as a server. This just well may be the easiest way yet of producing dynamic pages where the form/report capabilities become available to a large number of users.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: This book covers everything you need to know about file maker 7 and much more.

Rating:
Summary: Discursive, Not Step-by-Step, but Good Reference
Review: This book is for advanced programmers only. If you're a beginner or at intermediate level with FileMaker, most of the screen shots will be too small and the techniques too advanced. But advanced users will love the four appendices: Additional Resources, Calculation Function Reference, Script Step Reference, and Documenting FileMaker Pro Systems. The book is worth buying just for the appendices!

Numerous advanced techniques are discussed, but not in a step-by-step fashion. The files on the included CD are rudimentary but helpful. Examples include constructing a "self-join" file, implementing dynamic report columns, extracting values from checkbox fields, highlighting portal rows, and constructing a "back button." There is a good discussion of relational database theory and how to use the new Relationships Graph.

This book is a must-have for all advanced FileMaker 7 developers.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Comprehensive Resource
Review: This book offers a complete and thorough coverage of the latest version from Filemaker; version 7. It covers design practices as well as the basics of calculations and scripting. Great sections on security, web publishing and more. But the best are the generous sprinkling of full technique gems such as the audit log, the new Evaluate command, one script navigation for an entire system and much more. Absolutely the best book on Filemaker Pro ever!

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: When I bought this book, I had absolutely no database experience. I now have some, but no thanks to these 1100 pages. I do have some programming experience, and I am used to using these types of books as reference instead of step-by-step, read-every-page instruction manuals. This book is simply not useful for that approach. An example: I tried to setup a simple form in which the value of one field was determined by the value of two others. I knew that to do this I would have to use conditional statements, but I was unfamiliar with the syntax in FM Pro. Flipping to "IF script step" in the index of this book took me to a page-long description of conditional logic in general. This useless review of very elementary basics ("If today is a weekday, then Dad goes to work") is then followed by a tiny screenshot of an actual FM pro script using conditional logic. I found it frustrating that the authors devoted so much space to the basics, and then made me squint to try to glean some actual information. After a few minutes, I finally gave up and figured it out myself.

I guess maybe what it comes down to is that I paid Borders' price ($45) for this, and for that much money, I expect to use the book more than I use google to find answers. Maybe I'd be a little happier if I paid $30, but I would bet there is a better choice if you are not a computer/programming novice.