Tasks: FileMaker Pro 12 Starter Solution

The Tasks Starter Solution is a quick way to organize your activities. 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.

When you start out FileMaker Pro 12, just click File > New From Starter Solution… and select Tasks. Type the name you want for the database (in case you'll have multiple of the same database), specify where you want to save it, and click Choose.

You'll be presented a new record where you can begin typing in the task name, category, description, status, and due date. A tabbed control on the right side of the screen lets you enter the people involved, as well as any attachments related to the task. The number of days until the task is due is automatically computed for you, and a list of related tasks based on time frame, status, category, or due date is shown at the bottom right part of the screen.

The default status for a new task is "In Progress," and can be updated to Pending, Postponed, Cancelled, or Completed. You can also add other status keywords as needed. A "Send by Email" button at the top creates an email with all the details of the task included, addressed to all the assignees for the task.

Clicking the Task List button shows you a list of all records you've created, with an option to sort it by Time Frame, Status, Category, Task, or Due Date. You can filter the display to show only upcoming tasks, tasks due today, or past tasks. Records can be imported or exported to any of the file formats supported by FileMaker Pro, and a printable view of the task list can be shown.

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:

Task List View in iPad

Task Detail View in iPad

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.

Enjoy!