Rating: 
Summary: Priceless treasure in FileMaker world
Review: Although I have been using FMPro 6 for more than a year, and bought this book in the fall of 2000, I still refer to it often. I wish Coulombre and Price (or someone else for that matter) would write the same book for version 6. Nevertheless, this book is full of scripting and coding gems that I'm sure any developer can appreciate. Sometimes just to brush up on my skills if I haven't done any developing for a while, other times to learn a new trick.This book obviously is not meant to hold your hand while you do your own coding. It encourages you to take the examples and develop further on your own. Because it is set up with this self-learning concept in mind, it never fails to let me down, and I never feel talked down to. There are plenty of tips and tricks to boot as well. There are few books that continue to inspire long after a new version of the software has been released. This is definitely one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Using FileMaker Pro 5
Review: Being a researcher, and an author myself, I found this book to be a refreshing resource! This book will be greatly beneficial to all levels of FileMaker enthusiast. This book goes into great detail about planning a database system, designing, marketing and trouble shooting. This is one of the most complete reference guides that I have read. I was very impressed with the CD-Rom Example files. These were well thought out and wonderfully done! I highly recommend this book.
Stephen K Knight...
Rating:
Summary: Using FileMaker Pro 5
Review: Being a researcher, and an author myself, I found this book to be a refreshing resource! This book will be greatly beneficial to all levels of FileMaker enthusiast. This book goes into great detail about planning a database system, designing, marketing and trouble shooting. This is one of the most complete reference guides that I have read. I was very impressed with the CD-Rom Example files. These were well thought out and wonderfully done! I highly recommend this book.
Stephen K Knight...
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally clear, exceptionally useful
Review: I guess I'm an intermediate FileMaker Pro user: I've been using the program since before it was called FileMaker but although I use it on a daily basis it's strictly for my own use (we run our medical practice on a self-developed series of databases). I'm not a developer and have no clue how to use some of the most sophisticated capabilities of the program. Having positioned myself in the middle of the spectrum of users I have to say that this book, like the one the authors wrote on FileMaker version 2, is entirely approachable, full of easy-to-apply tips, and a rock-solid source of inspiration and usable techniques that intermediates like me are likely to find invaluable. I too have Scriptology, but Coulombre and Price have a knack for explaining FileMaker that in my opinion no other authors match.
Rating:
Summary: Great guide for overall development
Review: I have a pretty nice library of FileMaker books and this is my favorite. The thoughtful review of how to consider a design on paper before developing, along with hints about how to interact with clients and use diagrams gave a structure to my communications with clients that is professional and powerful. In addition to this there are amazing hints and chapters of information that I (joyfully) continue to refer to in my development practice, though I've had the book for years now. More than any other, it put me in control, and I am grateful.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource
Review: If you feel the best books about a software product are the ones that go beyond the product, then Using FileMaker Pro 5 by Coulombre and Price is a must have read. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning how to approach creating a database, from the initial interview with a client through a complete solution. This book is as much a manual about good business sense as about using FileMaker Pro and I found that a refreshing change from most software manuals. While lacking indepth information about some of FileMaker's more esoteric features, it gives the reader more than enough good information to get more out of FileMaker.
Rating:
Summary: A Great companion to User Manual
Review: If your an intermediate user to FMP, you'll love this book. If you're an advanced user, good scripting and reporting info and good webifying Chapter. Also, good case studies and planning chapters.
But if you are new to FMP, except for the chapter on planning, you need to have a basic understanding of the program. Otherwise, it is the beginner and intermediate who will really benefit from this book.
It also contains a CD which has great examples of invoicing, billing & inventory control to great scripts and layouts. If you can only buy one book to accompany the user manual, this would be my choice at the present.
Rating:
Summary: Best book on FileMaker Pro I have seen to date.
Review: Over the years I have purchased ten or more books on FileMaker Pro. Most of these books rehash the same information that can be found in the user's manual. This book provides a more advanced look at FileMaker Pro topics and is written from the point of view of a developer. Some of the topics not found in the manual include techniques for dealing with common errors made by users (such as striking the return key at the end of data entry in a field which can adversely affect field concatenation), error trapping, field masking, and user interface tips. If you are looking for something more than is found in the manual, I recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Best book on FileMaker Pro I have seen to date.
Review: Over the years I have purchased ten or more books on FileMaker Pro. Most of these books rehash the same information that can be found in the user's manual. This book provides a more advanced look at FileMaker Pro topics and is written from the point of view of a developer. Some of the topics not found in the manual include techniques for dealing with common errors made by users (such as striking the return key at the end of data entry in a field which can adversely affect field concatenation), error trapping, field masking, and user interface tips. If you are looking for something more than is found in the manual, I recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very Special Edition
Review: This book can't be for serious developers. You will read to Chapter 8, Crafting the User Interface,
page 214 (out of 532) before seeing anything that's
more than "do the right thing"-type of generic advice. It's too bad, since the applications I've downloaded
in a quest to get a handle on FileMaker are all very
attractive. This book, however is not helping me
with the simplest of tasks: how to use FileMaker Pro
to turn an Excel spreadsheet into a useful database.
Importing the data and cutting the flat Excel file is
easy to do with the help of the FileMaker Pro user
interface. Coulombre and Price point out the FileMaker
model isn't stricly relational. I"m still looking for
the "how to" join (or relate) my Christmas card history
to the address file. Having created the relationship,
this is where the FileMaker help falls off rapidly, and
you might expect this book to become useful. It doesn't. The chapter titled "Dumb Portal Tricks" should have included some
simple, or straight-forward "how to" map a portal into the
layout. The layout chapter could have included one example of how to
put tabs on the layouts. The authors give good reason to prefer
tabs over menus in organizing an application. I believe them.
It will have to remain on faith, lacking necessary evidence. I'm not breaking the seal on the accompanying CD since there
is no information in the book about what to expect. The rest
of the book offers little hope the CD will be more help with
specific tasks.
| 
