Bill,
Thanks for your reply. It has given me lots of ideas :-)
On Jun 20, 2006, at 1:59 PM, Bill Marriott wrote:
Josh Mellicker wrote
Really, I am looking to emulate FileMaker's "Layout" view.
Quartam Reports comes the closest to this I've seen (in Rev).
http://www.quartam.com/
I need to give this a serious look, thanks for the lead.
I also want to make the process of building multi-table join queries
visual and intuitive.
Multiple utilities for this using MySQL. MySQL WorkBench comes to
mind as
the most advanced.
Wow, just downloaded this, looks great! Thanks! I have searched
around for something like this without finding anything this cool.
None of them written in Rev as far as I know.
Eventually, I would like to race a FileMaker developer to put
together a
basic multiuser, multitable data app and tie or come in very close!
Good luck! All a FileMaker user has to do is click a checkbox and
their
database is multiuser.
I should have said "multiuser worldwide from a fast server"... sorry!
The point really isn't to make a "basic" database
either. You can do that in 15 minutes with MySQL and PHP. The point
is to
make a powerful system that is also easy to use (and easy to
develop in).
True dat.
Okay, why not just use FileMaker you ask?
1. Well, last time I checked (years ago), the process of getting the
database on a remote server so anyone could access seemed like a real
pain, I can set up a fast MySQL db in a minute or two and it's
ready to
go. MySQL is multi-threaded and handles tens of millions of
records and
users easily (maybe FM does this now too, not sure!) (And MySQL's
free!)
All versions of FileMaker support some level of multiuser
functionality, and
as I mentioned, it takes clicking a checkbox to making it so. If
you want to
use a remote server, you just set up an account with one of the
dozens of
FileMaker hosting companies and you're good-to-go. Pricing for such
hosting
services is as low as $30/month. (Or buy FileMaker Server Advanced
and do it
yourself.)
I just did a tiny amount of research, and it seems Filemaker hosting
is typically $20 - $100 per month per database, and has user limits
(like 20 users max). I will look into it more, but so far it does not
seem like a good solution for a large scale project where several
hundred people might be connected at once, it seems like the price
would be astronomical.
We are running about 30 - 35 MySQL databases on our dedicated server
currently, and have several hundred people using them at once, not
sure if FileMaker can scale to that or beyond... we pay $150 monthly,
but have unlimited MySQL databases with unlimited connections.
FileMaker 8 (current version) also is multi-threaded (handles 1, 2,
and
4-processor hardware) and can handle tens of millions of records.
Actually,
64 quadrillion records. A single database file can be up to 8
terabytes in
size. Fields can hold hold up to 2GB of data. You're limited to 1
million
tables per file and 256 million fields per file.
2. Along with data, if you also want other functions, like ftp,
graphic
and video functions, and to build a standalone app, Rev is much
better
than FM.
FileMaker can FTP with the addition of any of several plugins. It can
natively display QuickTime and several forms of graphics files (all
of the
ones Rev supports I believe). Those files can be embedded into the
file or
referenced by path. Any type of file can be embedded into a FileMaker
"Container" field. FileMaker 8 Advanced enables you to build
royalty-free
runtimes for Windows and Macintosh.
I don't think Filemaker has the power that, for example, Trevor has
given Revolution with the QT external where you can detect timecode
tracks in QT movies, or copy and paste segments. I know this is
unusual, but our customers are video producers so the apps I need to
build need to manipulate media as well as data.
[It *is* true that Revolution-based
runtimes are more customizable.]
Stephen Barncard wrote
As far as I know, Filemaker does not have a text interface,
command line
like MySQL. A good MySQL book, the command line and Rev, one can
get any
data in any format.
You can access FileMaker databases using ODBC/JDBC, XML/XSLT, PHP (via
FX.php), Lasso, and of course FileMaker clients. In other words,
you can use
Rev to access a FileMaker file, and you can use PHP to build a web
site with
a FileMaker back-end, just like with MySQL.
FileMaker also is unique in having an "Instant Web Publishing"
interface
which lets people connect using a web browser -- the solution looks
and
works more or less exactly as it does from within FileMaker. All
without
writing a single line of code.
I'm not saying that FileMaker is always going to be the ideal
choice for a
multi-user database deployment. But I wanted to correct
misconceptions that
are repeated over and over about the product.
If you want to build a Rev-based application that lets you build/
manage
rich, LAMP-based DB applications (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)* as
easily as
you can build FileMaker solutions then more power to ya! I've seen
about
half-a-dozen half-finished efforts out there. But half-finished
doesn't win
the race. I think it will take you a very, very, VERY long time to
replicate
FileMaker's:
- Table/Field definition module
- Relationships graph
- Value lists
- Field formatting options
- Access Privileges module
- Layout module
- Scripting module
My goodness, we don't even have a decent table object built into
Rev, and I
haven't even seen anyone come out with a fully-featured, high-
performance,
quality add-in/replacement for that!
Where Revolution shines is its ability to create highly-customized,
streamlined clients... software that doesn't have to do all the things
FileMaker does. But does the few things it has to do very well. And
yes, if
you want to have custom WindowShapes, complete control over window
decorations, alpha blending, custom dialogs, slider bars, and many
other
interface customizations then Rev is definitely the better choice.
But in
terms of database power FileMaker is years ahead.
It seems that way... I am making leaps and bounds now with Rev, but
that's because I'm still learning.
Thanks for all the valuable information, and taking the time to
answer. Your post is thought-provoking, informative and very helpful.
Josh
* If you're using the Rev CGI, would that make it a LAMR-based
solution?
(i.e., Linux, Apache, MySQL, Revolution? eep!)
lol
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