Despite the gap left by AppleWorks, neither iWork nor Office provides a database component. FileMaker has recognised that its own database is overkill for home users and some small businesses, so Bento aims to let anyone organise data in a simple, effective manner.
Bento fits comfortably with applications like iTunes and iPhoto by virtue of its similar layout. The left column shows data sources, the centre shows records, while the right chooses which fields are shown in the centre and is where fields are defined.
Data types can be simple, like text and numbers; or more complex, like calculations, file lists and abstract address fields that encompass all parts of an address. Many data types have presentational and behavioural settings, governing formatting of currencies and an autocomplete behaviour for text. Whatever Bento is asked to store, thought has gone into ensuring the user isn't left frustrated by an unintuitive application.
It's reinforced by validation of data against field types. A warning pops up for non-numeric data in a number field, and an incorrectly formatted email address changes the email link to a small alert icon.
The sources list includes libraries (tables in other databases) for the Address Book and iCal, which operate directly upon their data - changes made in them or Bento are immediately reflected in the other. Viewing the data in Bento lets you see it as a table and sort it on any field. Custom fields can also be added, but they're only seen in Bento and aren't synchronised over .Mac.
New libraries can be created either from scratch or a pre-defined template, and collections can be attached to them. These are similar to iTunes' playlists in that they contain references to record rather than copies of the data. The centre column shows data from the current source, either in a table or a form view. Each source can have multiple forms to show different views of the same record, such as a summary sheet or a more complete view.
When customising forms, an iWeb-like strip of controls along the window's bottom displays controls to, among other things, change a form's number of columns, or whether labels sit above or beside fields. Despite over 20 themes, the customisations aren't all encompassing - there are only five text sizes and there's no control over font weights and colours.
Further cues are taken from iWeb as guides show when elements' edges become aligned, and a bar shows where a dragged element will be placed. When tabbing through a form though, we found that pull-down controls were skipped past.
Records from one library can be linked to another by establishing relationships between the libraries, which is done by dragging a library onto another's form. A button below the resulting control calls up a dialog box to select related records, with a Spotlight search to filter down to only the required records.
Spreadsheet data can be imported by first exporting to a CSV file. The import dialog box asks a few questions about where data should be imported to. Generally, this works well, although importing three variables for a street address to the same street field simply overwrote earlier values with successive ones without warning.
An integrated Spotlight search box allows for quick searches, and more complex ones can be built using controls that will be familiar to anyone who has used Smart Folders, the Finder's Find command, or smart playlists and albums. Each row specifies criteria and returned records can be made to match any or all criteria. Searches can't be immediately chained, though - libraries and collections can be the source for a smart collection but not other smart collections, though their results can be added to a new collection.
There are a few inconsistencies, such as being able to search the Address Book for an empty birthday field, but not being able to look for phone numbers, while values for searching check box fields are presented as a pull-down, whereas choice fields (preset values) are searched using freeform text.
For the market it's aimed at, Bento is an exemplary product. Much of this stems from the re-use of familiar concepts from Mac OS X and other Apple applications. A few minor issues leave room for improvement but overall Bento makes a good debut and at such a low price that only a die-hard open source advocate can grumble about.
Needs: PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster), G5 or Intel Mac + Mac OS X 10.5 + 512MB Ram (1GB recommended)Author: Alan Stonebridge
Bento