Content Management: FileMaker Pro 12 Starter Solution

Content Management is one of the built-in FileMaker Pro 12 Starter Solutions. It's one of the 16 pre-made templates that's available for you to start using for your database requirements. It's fully unlocked so you can view and modify the database tables, relationships, layouts, and scripts.

This database can act as a repository for all your digital content--a Digital Asset Management system. You'll have fields to enter the content title, type, status, notes, and revision history. You can store practically any type of file in the content field: pictures, sound, video, PDF, and Microsoft Office files up to 4GB large. With the new storage management features of FileMaker Pro 12, the contents can be stored separate from the database file to make it as compact as possible.

New also with FileMaker Server 12 is the ability to stream large video streams to FileMaker Pro client, so you don't have to wait for the whole video to load before being able to watch it.

Clicking the Content Browser button in the upper right part of the database window pops-up a small window to quickly search thumbnails and jump to a specific record without leaving the current screen.

The list view contains a couple of more options:

• a drop down list to sort the assets by Title, Type, Status, Time Frame, and Version.
• buttons to Import and Export records to and from Excel, a text file, or other formats supported by FileMaker Pro 12.
• a Printable View report showing the current records found in a printer-friendly view.

Aside from the professionally designed templates that look great on the desktop version of FileMaker Pro 12 (for Macintosh or Windows), additional layouts for FileMaker Go 12 for iOS and built-in scripts in the Starter Solution automatically show the best layout based on your mobile device (either iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch). Here's what the iPad layout looks like:

You can work with this starter solution in your iOS device in several ways:

• You can sync it with your iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch using iTunes.
• You can email the file to your iOS device and open it with FileMaker Go 12.
• You can enable FileMaker Network Sharing in FileMaker Pro 12, and open the file remotely using FileMaker Go 12.

To access this Starter Solution, open FileMaker Pro 12 and click File > New From Starter Solution. This works even with the trial version of FileMaker Pro 12. Enjoy!