Today FileMaker, Inc. announced the latest release of its highly successful custom app platform, FileMaker 15. This upgraded platform improves upon the fundamentals of custom app development with new features in these five key areas: mobility, automation/integration, ease of use, security and performance.
The FileMaker Platform provides all of the essentials for creating a custom app that fits an organization’s unique business needs and is flexible, easily integrated, and works across iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows and the web.
New features of the FileMaker 15 Platform include:
• Mobility: Touch ID support enables developers to securely access their custom apps with the touch of a finger. 3D Touch support enables quick access to specific apps. New app extensions offer content customization and cloud-based file sharing. iBeacon support offers location-based data from the custom app and FileMaker WebDirect enables customers to use a mobile phone to access FileMaker apps in a web browser.
• Automation & Integration: Timesaving tools include in-product updates and the ability to instantly recover scripting work with multiple undo. Red highlighted text helps easily identify problem areas in the Script Workspace. The ESS Adapter connects to even more External SQL Data Sources including PostgresSQL and IBM DB2.
• Ease of use: Start managing contacts, inventory, content management and tasks right away with the new basic Starter Solutions. The new web-based Help menu provides faster results when searching for needed FileMaker information and is downloadable as a PDF. The newly designed status toolbar in FileMaker Pro keeps custom apps looking fresh.
• Security: A new concealed edit box hides sensitive information users don’t want displayed on their screen. Proactive security warnings include notifications that appear when a user tries to connect to a host or website with an invalid security certificate. FileMaker Server now supports SSL certificates from nine popular vendors and supports intermediate, subjectAltName (SAN), and wildcard certificates.
• Performance: The top call statistics-logging feature quickly diagnoses any slowdowns within the FileMaker Platform. The portal in-line progress bar indicates when data filtering and sorting is complete. This process now takes place separately from other operations so developers can continue to use their apps at the same time.
• New Licensing for Teams: FileMaker introduces a new, simpler way for teams of five or more people to license FileMaker software. Each user can access FileMaker Pro (for User Connections), FileMaker Go, or FileMaker WebDirect — all hosted on FileMaker Server to securely share information in real time. Click here for details.
Ann Monroe, vice president of marketing, FileMaker, Inc., said in a statement: “This new release represents our ongoing effort to simplify the development and deployment of custom apps that work seamlessly across mobile devices, PCs and the web.”
FileMaker, Inc., an Apple subsidiary, delivers simply powerful software for easily creating custom apps that work seamlessly across iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and the web. Business teams use the FileMaker Platform to streamline their operational processes, boosting overall productivity.
Source: FileMaker, Inc.
Some good incremental changes in there. The features for iOS will definitely be welcome (Touch ID!), multiple-undo in Script Workspace, troubleshooting which clients are hitting the server hardest, etc.
As far as I can see on the FileMaker site, it’s priced at $329, with no mention of upgrade pricing for existing users.
I’ve used FM since version 2.1 in the early 90’s and have paid for lots of upgrades over the years, but it’s hard to see that this version offers any additional value for me. The multiple undos in scripts are long overdue, but I’ve worked my way around that for well over twenty years and will continue to do so.
They have upgrade pricing, $189 for FM 15.