posted 10-28-2012 12:36 PM            

I'd like to report on my new found enthusiasm for the Bento database program, which is very easy to learn and might solve inventory headaches for other Forum members.

Background: We have had several discussions in the past about inventory software, including some developed by insurance companies as well as general-purpose database programs. As I recall, someone posted an impressive image of the system he had developed using Microsoft's Access database software; someone else said he used Filemaker.

I tried Filemaker; had high hopes for it. But it is really too complicated (not to mention expensive). Without the benefit of support staff and IT consultants, I got myself into trouble too many times, despite having taken a class and bought the manuals.

So I am very pleased to report success with the Bento program, which was developed by Filemaker (alas, only for Macs). It retails for around $60 and there is a new version out for iPad and iPhone (I have not used that). I installed Bento on a new Mac book Air (which I have partitioned with Parallels so I can also run Windows programs).

Bento provides built-in templates and design themes, as well as access to free templates contributed by other users that are easily modified. You can also very easily invent your own, which is what I did. One benefit of Bento: the layouts look good!

Here's a screen shot of what I've done:

This shows my "Object" tab for each record for each piece. I plunk in whatever info I have for each of the fields; the "drop media here" field is where I place a photo.

If you peer closely at the image you'll see two other tabs. One is for value info, including acquistion date, source, appraisal info, and another media field where I plunk in PDFs of the invoices. (BTW: I believe you cannot yet use PDFs on the iPad version but you could use Jpegs.) Here is a screenshot of that tab:

I also have a tab for additional images where I place other views of the object and of marks. You can add as many tabs as you like so you can present info for each object in ways that meet your needs.

Bento allows you to view your information in three ways; One is the "form," which you see here, which features an individual record (in this case, object). Another is "table," which looks like a big spreadsheet, showing all your records (objects). You can search the table (say, for all pieces by one maker) or organize the info as you need -- for example, list everything by acquisition date and then by acquisition source. It will also keep a running tally of total value.

The third way to view your info is by "grid," which is a series of icons for each record. You can set the icons to show photos, which is a handy way to search for something visually.

There are some limitations to Bento (in geek-speak, it is not fully relational). For my purposes, the greatest frustration is its limited printing ("reporting") function -- it's pretty much impossible to get a full size printout of a form view.

I'm still messing about with it and may tweak my form layouts a bit. But maybe this is fodder for your consideration.

posted 11-26-2012 07:20 PM            

Bento is really a wonderful little program. I wish Apple would invest in it to resolve some longstanding irritations -- like the ability to generate better print-outs.

posted 03-17-2013 06:41 PM            

Would either or both of you provide an update on how this program is working for you?

I'm especially interested in knowing how the ipda version works (ie can you upload photos as you take them on your ipad?)

Thanks

Robert

posted 03-17-2013 09:45 PM            

I don't have an iPad, and so can't speak directly to that experience. Not sure precisely what you mean about "uploading" images, but it's easy to include them. I'm guessing that the iPad version works like the one on my MacBook Air, which is pretty simple. To include a photo in a form layout, you designate a box ("field") as a "media field." And when you click on it, you can browse your photo files, say, in iPhoto, to find the image and select it. Pretty simple. You have the choice of including the link to the photo, or directly selecting the photo file, which I have done. It means the database size gets bigger over time, but it also means that if you happen to move or delete the original photo, it will make no difference to your silver inventory.

In my case, I use a MacBook Air, but my main computer is a desktop PC, which is where I edit photos. I simply copy silver pix to Dropbox to transfer them to the MBA.

I also print out the forms for each object, put them in a sleeve with the original invoice document, and then put that into a three ring binder.

You have probably visited the Bento website. There is also a help forum (google Bento Mac support). Questions there are answered usually within a day by "TS Gal" -- the tech support person, who is very helpful. You might be able to search for answers to other questions there.

posted 03-19-2013 09:57 PM            

Thanks again

posted 08-08-2013 11:27 AM            

But to the larger issue: one feature of Bento was its 'template exchange'. Although I never did this, I could have, for example, taken the layouts I developed for silver and uploaded them so other silver collectors could download them for free -- and then modified as they saw fit. A glance through the offerings shows the huge range of applications for Bento. Not just inventories -- all sorts of stuff.

So there is a consumer need/market, apart from the Access/Filemaker big-gun corporate team applications. It seems strange that no one is filling the void.

posted 08-09-2013 09:33 AM            

My last skirmish with FM was version 9. The new version, 12, seems to have some built-in templates that might make it easier to get going. And you are right -- I realize that I do know more about db than I did a few years ago.

Still...it will be a huge commitment of time. FM has developed a tool to help people migrate their Bento data. But it doesn't work for all field types, like media. Which means I will have to reinsert every image. (Looking at photos of my silver has its own pleasures, but I am NOT relishing reinserting hundreds of book covers in the book inventory I started.)

posted 05-04-2014 10:02 AM            

My reaction is in line with my previous comments on this thread....I'd worry about investing time in a standalone that could be orphaned. If you have familiarity with Access, I would suggest that you consider sticking with it; an updated version may give you what you need.

My sense of Recollector is that it provides many of the functions of my late beloved Bento -- but without the graphic good looks. I may be alone in this, but I really want my inventory reports to look beautiful while I'm working with them.

I did in the end make the leap to Filemaker 12, and then upgraded to FM 13. Contrary to my earlier post, I was in fact able to migrate images. I am no whiz at it; there are many aspects and capabilities that are way beyond me. I truly hate the culture of FM support forums, which are mostly geared to developers and not consumers who just want a simple how-to recipe. And the thing that is most annoying for a collector is that there is no simple way -- like a view menu selection -- to see object images in a thumbnail grid. It is such an obvious need that it truly drives me bonkers that FM doesn't provide it after all this time.

That aside, I think I made the right decision, which is why I suggest you take another look at Access. I work with someone who has an extensive collection in Access and her ability to generate different reports is impressive. Not as pretty as mine , but I don't know if that's a function of Access or her own choices.