Bento® 4 User’s Guide
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Contents Preface 7 8 14 14 Welcome to Bento Managing Data in Libraries About This Document Resources for Learning More Chapter 1 17 17 18 Overview of Bento Home Dialog Bento Window Chapter 2 29 29 30 32 32 33 35 35 36 Using Libraries About Libraries Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates Creating a New Blank Library Changing the Icon for a Library Sharing Your Bento Database Grouping Libraries Deleting Records from a Library Deleting a Library Chapter 3 37 37 38 39 39 40 Using the Address
Chapter 5 43 43 44 45 45 45 45 46 Using Collections About Collections Creating Collections Removing Records from a Collection Deleting a Collection About Smart Collections Creating Smart Collections Changing a Smart Collection Chapter 6 47 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 51 51 51 52 52 53 53 53 54 54 Using Form View About Forms Creating Records in Form View Editing Records in Form View Duplicating Records in Form View Deleting Records in Form View Creating Forms Deleting Forms Showing and Hiding Forms Dupli
Chapter 8 69 69 70 70 70 70 71 Using Grid View About Grid View Viewing the Grid and a Form at the Same Time Displaying Grid View Items Setting Grid View Options Changing the Display Size of Grid View Items Working with Library Folders in Grid View Chapter 9 73 73 76 84 84 86 92 95 97 100 Using Fields About Fields Creating Fields Navigating to Related Records Using the Fields Pane Working with List Fields Working with Related Data Fields Working with Media Fields Working with Encrypted Fields Working wi
Contents
Welcome to Bento Bento® helps you organize your information, providing the power of a database without complexity. Bento is an easy-to-use database that manages contacts, tasks, and other information that is important to you. Because Bento is a database, you can create data relationships and view your data in more ways than you can in a spreadsheet. Bento brings your important information together in one place to help you get organized.
Managing Data in Libraries Bento comes with more than 30 library templates to help you create libraries easily. You can create an Expenses library to track information about expenses, and an Event Planning library to track information about your travel club events.
Bento provides a Projects library, so you’re ready to start managing projects for your travel club. Libraries Fields Importing Data from Other Applications How do you add your spreadsheet of expenses to Bento? Create a library by importing data from another application, or import data into a library you’ve already created. Save your spreadsheet as a comma-separated values (.csv), tab-separated values (.tab), Numbers, or Excel file, and then import the file into Bento.
Importing spreadsheet data into a Bento library. Creating Collections You have a team of people who are working with you on your next travel club event. All of your team members are in the Bento Address Book library, but you’d like to create a smaller group that includes only your team members, not everyone in the Address Book library. You want to create a collection. Creating a collection is as easy as creating a group in Address Book or a playlist in iTunes.
team members and choose the New Collection from Selection menu item, or drag the selected records to the Libraries pane. Drag the selected records to the Libraries pane. Give the collection the name “Team Members” and Bento creates the Team Members collection.
Creating Relationships Bento makes it easy to connect your libraries of information using related data fields. For example, say you want to track expenses by team member. To create a related data field, drag “Team Members” to the “Expenses” form.
You can also create a related data field that shows expenses for each team member. Drag “Expenses” to the “Team Members” form.
About This Document The following table tells you where to find information in this documentation.
Tutorial For a demonstration of what you can do with Bento, view the tutorials. To access the tutorials: Choose Help > Video Tutorial, and then follow the instructions. Bento Forum Visit the Bento forum to get technical support, tips, report problems, and share with others how you use Bento. To access the Bento forum: Choose Help > Bento Forum. Bento Template Exchange Visit the Bento Template Exchange website to submit your own templates and download templates created by other Bento users.
Preface
Overview of Bento 1 This chapter provides an overview of Bento features. This chapter is a description of what you see when you start using Bento. It introduces the Home dialog and describes the sections of the Bento window, including the Libraries pane, the Fields pane, and the records area where you can display your information in table view, form view, grid view, or split view. Home Dialog When you first open Bento, you use the Home dialog to learn about Bento and to create your first library.
Bento Window The Bento window contains two main sections: • The left side of the window contains the Libraries pane (which may display the Devices section and the Shared section), and the Fields pane. • The right side of the window displays the records in Bento. You can display record data in table view, form view, grid view, or split view. Libraries pane Records area Fields pane By default, both sections of the Bento window are displayed.
Libraries Pane The Libraries pane displays the libraries and collections that are in Bento. • A library categorizes data by content. Bento provides several libraries by default. The Projects library, which stores data about projects, is an example library with sample data. You can create libraries to store other categories of data. You can organize a group of libraries within a folder. To add a library to the Libraries pane, click the New Library button. See ”Using Libraries” on page 29.
Collections Create a collection when you want a subset of the records from a library. There are two kinds of collections: • Collections are created by adding records from the library to a new collection. Creating a collection is as easy as creating a playlist in iTunes. Select the records in the library and use the New Collection from Selection menu item, or drag the selected records to the Libraries pane. • Smart Collections are created based on criteria you set up.
Devices Section The Devices section of the Libraries pane keeps track of how many devices (up to two) are currently connected to Bento. The Devices section is hidden when no devices are connected. See ”Syncing” on page 129. Shared Section The Shared section of the Libraries pane lists libraries that are being shared over a local network (in the same subnet). To hide the Shared section, deselect the option “Look for shared databases” in Bento Preferences. See ”Sharing Your Bento Database” on page 33.
Table view shows each record as a row in a table. Split table and form view lets you view a record as a row in a table and in a page-like format at the same time. Form view shows fields from a single record. Grid view shows media fields or form thumbnails in the selected library. Table View To view the information in an entire library or collection in a spreadsheet-like table, use table view.
Form View To view your information one record at a time, use form view. In form view, you can create multiple forms for each collection or library, giving each form a different name. For example, you could create a form in the Projects library to show a schedule, and track milestones. You can customize forms in many ways, including: • Selecting the fields that you want to show. • Arranging the fields on the form. • Changing the size of fields. • Changing the appearance of the form using themes.
Form Themes Bento provides an assortment of beautiful themes that you can apply to your forms. Every theme includes coordinated colors, layout, fonts, and text attributes. You can easily change a form’s theme at any time. See ”Customizing Form Layouts” on page 54.
Navigation Bar The navigation bar contains several controls that help you display information in Bento. • Click to see records in table view. • Click to see records in grid view. • Click one of the form view buttons to see records one at a time in a page-like view. In the example below, there are two form view buttons: “Overview” and “Details.” You can have as many form views as you want. • Click to switch to split view from table view or form view. • Click to switch to split view from grid view.
To use the Search field: 1 Select the library or collection. 2 Enter a text string into the Search field. Bento searches across all the applicable fields of the selected library or collection. Bento lets you know how many records match the search string, and updates the current view to display the matching records for those fields that are selected in table view or have been added to a form in form view. 26 1. Type “M”and the result is 30 records. 2. Type “Ma” and the result is 15 records. 3.
To use Advanced Find: 1 Select the library or collection. 2 In the search field, click 3 Specify what you want to find. Add or remove criteria as needed. and select Advanced Find, or press Command-F. When searching on a location field, make sure you enter the direction (North, South, East, or West. Otherwise, Bento assumes North for the latitude and East for the longitude). 4 Click Find. Bento performs the search, and displays the matching records.
Fields Pane The Fields pane on the left side of the Bento window displays the fields that are defined for the selected library or collection. • In table view, use the Fields pane to select which columns are shown. • In a form view, use the Fields pane to add fields to the current form by dragging a field name with to the form. • In split view, the Fields pane indicates the fields that can be added to the current form or can be displayed in table view.
Using Libraries 2 In Bento, you use libraries to organize your information. You can use the libraries that Bento provides, and create your own libraries using templates. You can share your entire database or selected libraries with up to five users on a local network. You can create libraries to hold your information: • By using the New Library dialog • By importing existing information from a comma-separated (.csv), tabseparated (.
• Grid view displays at a glance the media fields and form thumbnails of a selected library or collection. See ”Using Grid View” on page 69. • Split view shows a record in form view and table view or grid view at the same time. The remainder of this chapter describes how to create, use, and share libraries: • You can create your own libraries by using library templates. See the following section, ”Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates” on page 30.
To create a library using the Bento templates: 1 Choose File > New Library from Template. 2 In the New Library dialog, select a template category in the left column, then select the template. Select “Blank” if none of the templates meet your needs. You can create all of the fields yourself with the Blank library. If you select the Contacts template, you can have Bento import your Address Book library data. 3 Enter a name for your library, and click Choose.
• If there are fields defined for information that you do not need, delete those fields. See ”Removing Fields from a Form” on page 54. • If you want to change the layout of the fields on the form view, see ”Customizing Form Layouts” on page 54. • If you want to change the appearance of the form view, you can select a different theme. See ”Customizing Form Layouts” on page 54.
Sharing Your Bento Database You can share your Bento database with up to five other Bento users at the same time over a local network (in the same subnet). Sharing requires the current version of Bento on each computer that is either sharing a database or looking for shared databases. You can export data or a template from a shared library. For more information, see ”Exporting Information from Bento” on page 112. When you first start Bento, your libraries are set up ready to be shared.
Turning Off Database Sharing You can turn off database sharing to prevent other users on your local network from seeing your database. To turn off database sharing: 1 Choose Bento > Preferences. 2 Click Sharing at the top of the window. 3 Deselect “Share my Bento database.” Looking for Shared Databases If your computer is connected to other computers over a local network, you can look for databases that are being shared.
Working with Shared Encrypted Fields Users can access encrypted fields in shared databases by first entering the Sharing Password (if one has been set) and then the Database Password for the shared database. For more information about the Database Password, see ”Setting a Password for Your Bento Database” on page 98. Users can lock and unlock data in shared encrypted fields. For more information, see ”Locking and Unlocking Data in Encrypted Fields” on page 99.
Deleting a Library To delete a library: Select the library and press the Delete key. When you press Delete, the library and all of its records are deleted. Any related data fields in other libraries based on this library are also deleted.
Using the Address Book Library 3 The Address Book library displays contact information from the Mac OS Address Book application, so there is no need to re-enter your contact information. Enter new contacts in Address Book or in Bento, and the information appears in both applications. Note The Bento Address Book library is not synced with Bento 4 for iPad.
The Address Book library displays contact information from the Address Book application. Address Book groups display as collections in Bento. Displaying Data from the Address Book Application Displaying the Address Book library is optional. To turn on or off the display of Address Book data in Bento: 1 In Bento, choose File > Address Book and iCal Setup (existing Bento users) or File > Address Book Setup (new Bento users).
library, those related data fields will be deleted. Any fields that were created in Bento for the Address Book library will also be deleted. Bento Address Book Fields That Update the Address Book Application The following fields in the Address Book library update information in the Address Book application.
Troubleshooting Address Book Updates This section describes some common issues with displaying data from the Address Book application. • Why don’t I see my Smart Groups from the Address Book application in Bento? Bento does not display Address Book Smart Groups because the criteria used to create the groups are not available to Bento.
Migrating the iCal, iPhoto, and Address Book Libraries 4 When you first start Bento for Mac, if you have any existing iPhoto, iCal Events, or iCal Tasks libraries, Bento asks you to migrate the data. When you sync Bento for Mac with Bento 4 for iPad, if you have an existing Address Book library, Bento asks you to migrate the data. When you migrate an Address Book or iCal library, all the data in the library is moved to a new Bento library.
Note If you are new to Bento for Mac, you can’t display the iCal data in Bento. The iCal Tasks and Events libraries are not supported for new users. Migrating the iPhoto Library Displaying the iPhoto library is no longer supported in Bento. When you start Bento for Mac, if you have an existing Bento iPhoto library, Bento asks you to migrate the data. You must migrate the iPhoto library before you can start using Bento for Mac.
Using Collections 5 This chapter describes how to use collections to further organize your records in Bento. In Bento, your records are kept in libraries, as described in Chapter 2, “Using Libraries” on page 29. If you want to organize records in different ways or if you want to work with a subset of the records in a library, you can create a collection. About Collections A collection is a set of records from a library. You can create a collection to: • Create a set of records for a special purpose.
However, a record from a library can be added to any of the collections within the same library. For example, if you have a “DVD” library with a “Favorites” collection and a “Classic Movies” collection, you can have the same record in both collections.
Removing Records from a Collection To remove records from a collection: 1 Select the collection. 2 Select the records and press Command-Delete. If you click Remove from Collection, the records are removed only from the collection, not from the associated library. If you click Delete, the records are permanently removed from both the library and the collection. Deleting a Collection To delete a collection: Select the collection and press the Delete key.
To create a Smart Collection: 1 Choose File > New Smart Collection. 2 Type a name for the Smart Collection, then press Return. Use the pop-up menus and entry fields to specify the criteria for the Smart Collection. Click to add additional criteria. For example, to create a Smart Collection that only shows iCal tasks that are not completed, specify the criteria to be All, Completion Date, and Is empty. 2. Save the criteria. 1. Select the criteria. 3 Click Save.
Using Form View 6 In Bento, you use form view to display one record at a time from a library or collection. This chapter describes how to create and edit records in form view, create and modify forms, and customize form layouts. About Forms In form view, you can create and use forms to display one record at a time from a library or collection in a page-like format. For example, you can display a project in the Projects library. With forms, you can see the fields for an individual record.
selected record in form view and table view at the same time. Select the record, then choose View > Split View. Forms can also display records from other libraries or collections in related data fields. For example, you can display a list of people from the Address Book library who are attending a party event in the iCal Event library. See ”Creating Related Data Fields” on page 80. Creating Records in Form View You can create records in any view.
Adding the Current Date and Time to a Field When editing a record, you can add the current date and time to a date, time, or text field. To add the current date and time to a field: 1 Click in the date, time, or text field. 2 Choose Insert > Current Date and Time. If the field type is You see the current Date Date. Set the “Display Time” option to also display the time.
To remove a selected record from a collection: 1 Select the collection. 2 Navigate to the record you want to remove. 3 Choose Records > Remove Record. If you click Remove from Collection, the record is removed only from the collection, not the library. If you click Delete, the record is permanently removed from both the library and the collection. Creating Forms To create a form: 1 Select the library or collection you want to add a form to. 2 Click in the navigation bar or choose Forms > New Form.
Showing and Hiding Forms To hide a form: 1 Select the library or collection with the form you want to hide. 2 Select the form you want to hide. 3 Choose Forms > Hide Form. The form and form name are hidden. If there is only one form, you can’t hide it. To show a hidden form: 1 Select the library or collection with the hidden form that you want to show. 2 Choose Forms > Hidden Forms. 3 Choose the form that you want to show.
Locking and Unlocking Forms Once you have completed your form layout, you can lock the form to prevent its field labels, field objects, or fields from being moved or resized. When a form is locked, you can’t change its layout but you can add data to it in the following ways: • Enter data in fields in the same way as when the form is unlocked. • Create fields using the New Field dialog. Fields are automatically added to the bottom of the first column.
Tabbing Between Fields To tab between fields on a form: 1 Select a library or collection. 2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 3 Click in a field, then press Tab to move from field to field, and within each column if you have added a column divider. Press Shift-Tab to move in the reverse direction. Note To enable the Tab key to move to all controls, make sure “All controls” is selected in the Keyboard and Mouse (Mac OS X 10.6) or Keyboard (OS X Lion 10.
Removing Fields from a Form To remove a field from a form: 1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 2 Select the field, then press the Delete key or drag the field off the form. The data in the field is still in Bento even though the field is no longer displayed on the form. Customizing Form Layouts You can quickly change the appearance of a form. Changing the Theme You can change a form’s theme (the coordinated colors, layout, and text attributes) at any time.
Changing the Position and Size of Field Labels You can change how the labels for fields are positioned on a form. To change the position of labels adjacent to fields: 1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 2 Choose Forms > Field Labels. 3 Select Above or Beside. To change the size of text in labels: 1 Choose Forms > Field Labels. 2 Select Small, Medium, or Large. Changing the Size of Text You can change the size of text that is displayed in fields.
Aligning the Right Edges of Fields You can align the rightmost edges of selected fields within a column. To align the right edges of fields: 1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 2 Select the fields whose right edges you want to align within a column. Command-click or Shift-click to select multiple fields. Tip To quickly align the right edges of many fields, click in an empty part of the form, and while holding down the mouse button, drag to select multiple items.
Adding Horizontal Separators A horizontal separator is an object you can add to a form. Separators help organize forms by visually separating the items above and below the separator. The appearance of the horizontal separator is defined by the theme applied to the form. You can change the horizontal separator's width but not its height. To add a horizontal separator: 1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 2 Choose Insert > Horizontal Separator.
Adding Spacers Use a spacer to create a blank space between items on a form. For example, add a spacer to separate groups of fields. When editing the form, you can change the spacer's width, height, and shading. To add a spacer: 1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 2 Choose Insert > Spacer. 3 Drag the spacer to the desired location on the form. Drag the right or bottom edge of the spacer to change its width or height. 58 4 (Optional) Choose Forms > Shading.
Using Table View 7 In Bento, you use table view to display text and media in a spreadsheet-like format where rows represent records and columns represent fields. This chapter describes how to create and modify records in table view, sort records, and rearrange, summarize, and display data in columns. About Table View In table view, you can see your records in rows with the fields in columns (in a format similar to a spreadsheet). One record One field To go to table view, choose View > Table View.
• summarize data • select and drag multiple records to create new collections within one library • create, view, and edit media fields You can view a selected record in table view and form view at the same time. Select the record, then choose View > Split View. In table view, you cannot see related data fields or any of the list field types, such as address, email address, file list, message list, and simple list. See ”Working with Related Data Fields” on page 92 and ”Working with List Fields” on page 86.
3 Type data in the columns. If you type data in the last column, Bento creates a new field with the default name Field 1. 4 Press Tab to move to the next field in the same record. Press Shift-Tab to move to the previous field in the same record. To add existing records to another collection within the same library: Select the records, choose Edit > Add To, then choose a collection from the list. The selected records are added to the collection that you chose in the list.
To paste data: 1 Click a cell. 2 Choose Edit > Paste. Bento creates additional records and columns as necessary. Note When pasting into existing fields, Bento pastes as many values as possible. If the data being pasted doesn’t match the field type, Bento gives you the choice of rejecting the data or changing the field type to Text. To paste data into new columns: 1 Click a cell in the empty column after the last column of data. 2 Choose Edit > Paste.
Sorting Records To sort records: 1 Click near the right edge of a column header. 2 Choose Sort Ascending or Sort Descending. If you want to sort by two or more fields, sort by the least significant field first, followed by the more important field or fields. For example, to sort records by last name and first name, first sort by the First Name field, then by the Last Name field.
Working with Media Fields in Table View You can create, view, and edit media fields in table view in the same way as you do other field types. Press the Space bar to view the selected media field. Changing Options for a Field in Table View To change field options: 1 Click near the right edge of a column header. 2 Choose Edit Field. 3 Change the field name or set options. Note To change options for a field in Form View, Control-click the field, then choose Edit Field.
different type. For more information see ”Changing an Existing Field from One Type to Another” on page 86. To change the field type: 1 Click near the right edge of a column header. 2 Choose Change To, then select a field type from the list. Showing and Hiding Columns To hide columns: 1 Click near the right edge of a column header. 2 Choose Hide Field. To show or hide columns using the Fields pane: In the Fields pane, select a field’s checkbox to display the field in table view.
Deleting Fields in Table View To delete a field in table view: 1 Click near the right edge of a column header. 2 Choose Delete Field. 3 In the dialog, click Delete. The fields and their data are permanently removed from the library. Reordering Columns To reorder a column: Drag the column header left or right to a new location. Drag header to reorder column. Resizing Columns To resize a column: Drag the edge of a column header to the width you want. Drag header edge to resize column.
Summarizing Column Data The summary row provides an easy way to perform basic operations on the data in a column and display the results. The summary row is located at the bottom of table view and at the bottom of simple list fields and related data fields. To show or hide the summary row, choose View > Show Summary Row or Hide Summary Row. Or, click . Depending on the field type, the following summary functions are available.
To calculate a summary for a column: Click in the summary row of the selected column, then choose a function from the popup menu. The name of the function and the results are displayed in the summary row. Choose Sum in the summary row to calculate the total of the amounts listed in the Budget column. When you do a search or an Advanced Find, the summary is recalculated based on the records that are found.
8 Using Grid View In Bento, you can work with your media fields (pictures, music, and movies) and forms in an easy-to-use grid layout. This chapter describes how to work with a library’s media fields and form thumbnails in grid view, look at a record in grid view and a form view at the same time, filter grid view items, set and change labels of grid view items, change the display size of grid view items, and work with library folders in grid view.
Viewing the Grid and a Form at the Same Time You can view a selected record in a form view and grid view at the same time. If you are in grid view, select the record, then choose View > Split View or click If you are in form view, select the record, then choose View > Split View or click . . Displaying Grid View Items To display grid view items: Click to display photos, music, movies, and documents. Click to display form thumbnails.
Working with Library Folders in Grid View When you select a library folder, you see a grid view of all the libraries contained in the folder along with information about the number of records and forms in each library. Move the cursor back and forth over a library to flash in succession all the forms it contains. Library folder To go to a specific form: 1 Move the cursor over a grid view item until you see the form you want. 2 Control-click and choose Go to Form from the pop-up menu.
Chapter 8 Using Grid View
Using Fields 9 Bento provides a wide variety of field types to store the kinds of information you use in your daily life. In Bento, you can choose from many different field types to track things such as names, addresses, dates, times, prices, images, movies, songs, locations, and lists of files. This chapter describes the purpose of the field types, how to create and modify fields, how to use the Fields pane, and work with the various types of fields that Bento provides.
Form view Table view Fields Text field Date field Choice field Currency field Related data field Display phone number in large type Field Types These are the types of fields you can create in Bento: 74 Field Type Purpose Text Store anything you type* Number Store numeric data, with formatting options** Choice Create a pop-up menu in order to select an item from a list Checkbox Provide an on-off type of choice Media Store and use image, movie, sound, and PDF files Simple list Store data
Field Type Purpose Currency Store an amount of money and display it in the selected currency format Automatic counter Assign a higher number to each new record Rating Set the rating value of an item by clicking stars in the field Encrypted Protect sensitive or confidential data and hide it from view (data is displayed as bullets). Encrypted data is stored in your Bento database. Location Store location information (latitude and longitude) and display a map of the location in a web browser.
Form 1 Single phone number fields Form 2 Phone number list field created by Bento On Form 1, you enter data in single phone number fields. On Form 2, Bento displays the data in the phone number list field that you entered in the single phone number fields. You can import and export values stored in regular fields (for example, “Home Phone Number” in the form shown above) but you can’t import or export values stored in list fields.
8 Use the Fields pane to add or display fields. To Do this in the Fields pane Add a field to a form in form view or split view Drag the field to the form. Display a field as a column in table view or split view Select a field’s checkbox. Note In table view, you cannot see related data fields or any of the list field types, such as address, email address, file list, message list, and simple list.
7 Click Create. The new field is added to the Fields pane and the current form. Tip If you are unfamiliar with creating calculations, click Show Examples to see and experiment with examples of calculations. To create a calculation in a simple list field: 1 Click the pop-up menu in a column header. 2 Choose Change To > Calculation. 3 Choose Edit Column Name to open the calculation dialog. 4 Build a formula for your calculation as described in steps 5 and 6 in the procedure above.
You can also drag files from the Finder to the file list field. 7 To open a file in the field, click file thumbnail or row in the field. and choose Open, or double-click the • Folders are not included when you export a template with data. • You can preview files that are stored in file list fields with Quick Look. See ”Previewing Files with Quick Look” on page 89. See also ”Working with Files Stored in File List Fields and Message List Fields” on page 88.
4 Select a format: Decimal Degrees or Degrees, Minutes & Seconds. Example of a location in Decimal Degrees format: 37.406300° N, 121.983400° W Example of a location in Degrees, Minutes & Seconds format: 37°24’ 23” N, 121°59’0” W For more information about latitude and longitude values, see ”Field Types” on page 74. 5 Select “Automatically enter location” to capture your current location when a record is modified or created (requires an active connection to a wireless network and Mac OS X 10.6 installed).
select a collection, you can only add records from that collection to the related data field. 6 Click Create. The new field is added to the Fields list and the current form. Drag here to show or hide the Notes section. Related data field Show or hide the summary row. View related records in a grid. Go to the selected record in its source library or collection. 7 Click Switch between fields listed in the Fields pane (either the data source or library).
8 Click to display records from the data source you specified in step 5. Select the records you want to add to the related data field, then click Save Changes. • Click to add a record. If the data source is a Smart Collection, disabled, since you can’t add records to a Smart Collection. is • Click to remove the record from the related data field. The record still remains in the data source (the library or collection) that the related data field is based on.
First, select and drag records from the Projects library that you want to relate to one or more vendors. Then, select the Vendors record(s) that you want to relate the Projects records to. The new related data field, with records, on a form in the Vendors collection. To create a related data field by dragging records: 1 Open the library or collection that has the records you want to relate to another library or collection. (For example, open the Projects library.) 2 Switch to table view.
7 Click Add To Record. Bento creates a new related data field in the library or collection you dragged records to in step 4. (For example, a related data field named Projects is created in the Vendors collection.) 8 In the library or collection that you dragged records to in step 4 (for example, the Vendors collection), drag the new related data field from the Fields list onto the form. Navigating to Related Records To navigate among related records: 1 Click a record. 2 Click details.
In form view In table view Address subfields can’t be added to the form individually. Field is not displayed in table view. Field has not been added to the current form. Field is displayed in table view. Field has been added to the current form. List field has no checkbox because it can’t be displayed in table view.
Changing an Existing Field from One Type to Another You can change the type of some fields to another. Automatic counter, location, and address fields, and any fields you access in a shared database can’t be changed to a different type. The information in the table below also applies to changing the data type of columns in simple list fields and columns in the notes section of related data fields.
Sending Emails In form view and table view, you can quickly send emails to your family, friends, or colleagues. To send an email in form view: 1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form View > Form Name. 2 Click If you see next to the email address field. , the email address is not valid. 3 The default email application opens and displays a blank email message addressed to the name in the email address field. 4 Compose the message and send it.
Adding Mac OS X Mail Items to a Message List Field In message list fields, you can store aliases to Mac OS X Mail messages, notes, and RSS articles that are relevant to a specific record. For instructions on creating message list fields, see ”Creating Message List Fields” on page 79. Note Storing an alias in Bento does not store the email message in Bento; it simply links to the message that’s in Mail. If you remove the message from Mail, the message will also be removed from Bento.
To view files stored in a file list field: 1 Click to display the items in a table. 2 Click to switch back to the grid format. Click to change the display size of items in grid format. To email a file from a file list field: 1 In the file list field, select one or more filenames that you want to email. 2 At the bottom-left of the file list field, click Mail.” , then choose “Send in The Mac OS X Mail application opens.
You can drag a simple list field from the Fields pane onto a form and start typing to add data that is relevant to the record. Bento creates a text field by default, but you can change the field type of the column. You can work with media data in simple list fields, just as you do in media fields. For more information, see ”Working with Media Fields” on page 95. Also, you can create, view, and edit calculations in simple list fields. For more information see ”Creating Calculation Fields” on page 77.
To show or hide columns in a simple list field: 1 Click in the lower-right corner of the simple list field. 2 To show a column, in the Fields pane, select the checkbox next to the column name. To hide a column, do one of these: • Click near the right edge of a column header, then choose Hide Column. • Click in the lower-right corner of the simple list field. Then, in the Fields pane, deselect the checkbox next to the column name.
To switch between views in the Fields pane: Click in the lower-right corner of a simple list field to switch between displaying columns in the simple list field and displaying the fields in the library in the Fields pane. Fields pane displaying columns in the simple list field Click to switch between the displays in the Fields pane.
Notes fields Related records from the Ingredients library Click to display records in a grid format. You can create, view, and edit calculations in the notes section. For more information see ”Creating Calculation Fields” on page 77. To display the notes section: Position your cursor on the right edge of a related data field. When the cursor changes , drag it to the left. You see the notes section with the first notes column (named to New Column) created for you.
To show or hide the summary row: Do one of these: • Choose View > Show Summary Row or Hide Summary Row. • Click . For more information about the summary row, see ”Summarizing Column Data” on page 67. To delete a column in the notes section: Click near the right edge of a column header, then choose Delete Column. To sort records in related data fields: Click the pop-up menu in a column header, then choose Sort Ascending or Sort Descending.
Working with Media Fields You can add many types of sound, image, and movie files to a media field, including JPEG, QuickTime, and MP3 files. If you add a sound file that you purchased from the iTunes Store, you may have to enter the account name and password for the account that was used to purchase the sound file. Note You can’t add movie files that you purchased from the iTunes Store. Tip Use an image box if you want an image such as a logo or letterhead to appear on every record in your form.
Adding Media Files You can add sound, image (pictures, graphics, and so on), and movie files to media fields. Image files include images from the web or other applications such as iPhoto. To add a media file: 1 Click in the media field. 2 Drag a media file from the Finder, iPhoto, or iTunes to the media field or click to choose a file. Except for iTunes files, when you add a media file, Bento copies it into the bento.bentodb file.
Changing the Display Size of Images You can change the display size of an image within the media field. To change the display size of an image: 1 Click in the media field. 2 Drag the zoom slider to zoom in or out on the image. 3 Select Fit to Frame to make the image the same size as the field. Exporting Images You can export (save) any image file with a different name or in a different location. It is saved in its original file format. To export an image: 1 Click in the media field.
If you attempt to enter data in an encrypted field and you have not already set the Database Password, you won’t be able to proceed until you do so. For information about setting the Database Password, see ”Setting a Password for Your Bento Database” on page 98. You can search encrypted fields if they are unlocked. For more information about searching, see ”Search Field and Advanced Find” on page 25. Setting a Password for Your Bento Database You can set a password to protect your database.
Locking Bento You can lock Bento to hide the Bento window and protect your data. To lock Bento: 1 Choose Bento > Preferences. 2 Click Security at the top of the window. 3 Click the lock to make changes. 4 Select “Require Database Password when Bento starts.” 5 Choose Bento > Lock Bento. The Bento window is hidden. To make the Bento window visible again: 1 Enter your Database Password. 2 Click Submit.
Showing or Hiding Data in Encrypted Fields To show data in an encrypted field: In form view, select the encrypted field and click . In table view, click the pop-up menu in the column header, then choose Show Encrypted Field Contents. The data you encrypted replaces the bullets. To hide data in an encrypted field: In form view, select the encrypted field and click . In table view, click the pop-up menu in the column header, then choose Hide Encrypted Field Contents. Bullets replace the encrypted data.
To display a map of the selected location: In form view, select a location field, then click web browser. . The map is displayed in your default To get directions to or from the selected location: In form view, select a location field, click or Directions From. next to the field, and choose Directions To To capture your current location: In form view, select a location field, click Current Location.
Chapter 9 Using Fields
Importing, Exporting, and Printing 10 This chapter describes the various ways you can import and export information so others can view or use it. You can also print information to share with others. A good way to start using Bento is by importing existing information. Bento supports importing information from a variety of file formats: comma-separated values (.csv) file, tab-separated values (.tab) file, Numbers, Excel, Excel 2008, and library template. For example, you can import .
Exporting .csv and .tab Files from Other Applications Note When exporting .csv or .tab files, make sure the filename extension is “.csv” or “.tsv”; the extension must be in lowercase letters. Otherwise, Bento will not recognize .csv or .tab files correctly. For the best results when importing information into Bento, follow these guidelines: • Export your data from the other application as a .csv or .tab file.
Correcting .csv Files If you are having difficulty importing a .csv file, open it in a text editor (such as TextEdit) and do the following: • Put double quotation marks around field values that have embedded commas. For example: “10,000 Donors“ • Put double quotation marks around field values with leading or trailing spaces. • Put double quotation marks around field values that contain embedded linebreaks. • Put double quotation marks around field values that contain double quotation marks.
Importing Information into Bento When you import information into Bento, you can either create a library or import the information into an existing library or collection. Creating a Library by Importing You can create a library when you import a file. Choose a file. The options you see here vary according to the file format of the selected file. Enter the name for the new library. Click the pop-up to set the field type. If you don’t want to create the field, choose “Do not create.
To create a library by importing: 1 Choose File > Import > File. 2 Click Choose, then select the file you want to import in one of the following file formats: .csv, .tab, .tsv, .numbers, .xls, .xlsx. • For .csv, .tab, or .tsv files, in the section “Choose the format,” choose Comma separated, Semicolon separated, or Tab separated. • For Numbers files, use the pop-up menus to select a sheet, then a table. • For Excel files, use the pop-up menu to select a worksheet.
Choose a file. The options you see here vary according to the file format of the selected file. Click the pop-up and select a field name to manually map the fields set to “Do not import.” Use the arrows to go to the row that contains column names, then select “Use this record’s values as column names.” To import information into an existing library or collection: 1 Choose File > Import > File. 2 Click Choose and choose the file you want to import in one of the following file formats: .csv, .tab, .
4 Indicate whether the file contains a row with values that you want to use as column names. • If the file contains a row with column names, click the arrow buttons to go to that row and select “Use this record’s values as column names.” Bento reads the column names in the file, and attempts to match them to the field names already defined in the library or collection you have selected. Bento maps the column names to field names when their names match exactly.
Importing a Library Template A library template file contains all of the forms, collections, Smart Collections, table view settings, label settings, and related libraries (if they were included at the time of export) of an exported library. Depending on the settings used to create the library template, it may or may not contain records. Choose a library template file. To import a library template: 1 Choose File > Import > Template. 2 Choose a library template file. 3 Click Open.
For this field type This data can be imported text Any text choice address phone number IM account encrypted (when unlocked) email address Any text, but a valid email address must include the @ character. URL Any text, but the URL field does not support URL values that contain Japanese characters.
For this field type This data can be imported duration Text representing a duration in weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. The text may use the following abbreviations: • w for weeks • d for days • h for hours • m for minutes • s for seconds For example, the following are all valid duration text: location • 8 days, 5 hours • 8d,5h • 8d5h Location information (latitude and longitude) either in decimal degrees or in degrees, minutes, hours.
You can also export (submit) a template that you’ve designed to the Bento Template Exchange website, so others can use it. You can submit only the template and not any records associated with it. For more information, see ”Submitting Templates to the Bento Template Exchange” on page 114.
4 Choose how to export the data. • For Numbers, Excel, or Text, choose “All table view fields” or “Only fields displayed in table view.” • For Text, choose Comma separated (.csv), Semicolon separated (.csv), or Tab separated (.tab). 5 Click Next, then specify the filename and location for the file. Bento exports the specified data from the library, collection, or Smart Collection into a file with the name you specify.
5 Click “Send to Template Exchange.” Make sure this option is not selected. You can include related libraries when you submit your template. Then click this button. 6 In the template exchange dialog, enter the required information, and follow the onscreen instructions. Continue following the onscreen instructions in each dialog that appears. Bento compresses the template and places the file (which is the library name with the .zip filename extension) on the desktop of your Mac.
2 Follow steps 2-5 in ”Exporting from a Library, Collection, or Smart Collection” on page 113. Bento exports the table view field data from the subset of records into a file with the name you specify. Additional Ways to Export Information In addition to the File > Export menu item, Bento provides another way to export information as a file: • Drag a library or a collection icon from the Libraries pane in Bento to the desktop or to any folder in a Finder window.
• Information displayed in related data fields. • File aliases stored in file list fields. • Movie and sound files you have added to media fields. To export images, see ”Exporting Images” on page 97. Printing Information You can print information from a library, from a collection, or from the results of a search or Advanced Find. Printing from Libraries and Collections When you print records from a library or a collection, the selected view determines the appearance of the printed output.
• When printing form view data, select “Show field borders” if you want to include field borders. (The setting of this option when you open the Print dialog box depends on the setting of View > Show Field Borders.) • To create custom page margins for form view, see ”Creating and Using Custom Page Sizes for Form View” on page 118. Tip If you want to prevent certain fields from being printed (for example, Date Created or Date Modified), drag them off the form before you print.
Printing from Search or Advanced Find If you want to print a subset of records, you can use search or Advanced Find to narrow the set of records in a library or collection, and then print the records. To print a subset of records: 1 Use the search field or Advanced Find to create a subset of records. See ”Search Field and Advanced Find” on page 25. • For search, the set of records that matches the criteria is displayed as you type the search string.
To print labels: 1 Select the library or collection that contains the information you want to print. 2 (Optional) Create a subset of records by using the search field, Advanced Find, or selecting records in table view. 3 Choose File > Print > Labels. 4 Click the Setup tab to specify the fields you want to use in your labels. To customize label content, you can type text before or after any field.
6 To add an image, click the pop-up menu below Insert Field, then choose a media field or an image file. If you choose a media field, what is printed depends on the contents of the media field for each record. If you choose an image file, the same image prints on all labels. Left Align is the default alignment. Select Right Align to print the media field or image file on the right edge of each label. 7 To print labels for the currently selected records in table view, click Print Selected Records.
To save a label setup for the selected library: 1 Click the Setup tab. 2 Click Save/Load Label and choose Save As from the pop-up menu. 3 Type a name for the label setup, then click OK. Your new label setup appears in the Save/Load Label pop-up menu. 4 Set up the labels as desired. To print from a saved label setup: 1 Choose File > Print > Labels. 2 Click the Setup tab. 3 Click Save/Load Label and choose a label setup from the pop-up menu. 4 Click Print.
Backing Up and Restoring Information 11 This chapter describes how to create a backup copy of your Bento data. Use the backup copy to recover your original information if you make an inadvertent change, or to restore your data in case of a problem such as a hard drive failure. A Bento backup file contains the data in Bento at the time you run the back up command. The back up command is easy to use; you simply specify a name and location for the backup file.
About Bento Backup Files When you create a Bento backup file, you create a copy of the data that is in Bento. The backup file contains the data in your libraries and collections at the time you run the back up command. Important The Bento backup file does not contain the data from the Mac OS Address Book and iCal applications. You should back up your Address Book and iCal data whenever you back up your Bento data.
Using the Back Up Reminder By default, Bento reminds you to create a backup file once a week. To create a Bento backup file from the back up reminder dialog: 1 Click Back Up. 2 In the dialog that appears, use the default name and location or type a name and location for the backup file. Changing the Back Up Reminder You can change the default back up reminder frequency or turn off the back up reminder. To turn on the back up reminder or to change the reminder frequency: 1 Choose Bento > Preferences.
Creating a Backup File When you create a Bento backup file, you create a copy of the data that is in Bento. It’s a good idea to back up your Bento data before you make extensive changes, such as importing data, deleting libraries, or significantly changing forms. To create a backup file: 1 Choose File > Back Up Bento Data. 2 Use the default name and location or type a name and location for the backup file. 3 Click Save.
Using Time Machine with Bento Time Machine is the Mac OS X application that backs up your computer (including Bento data) on a regular basis. You can use Time Machine to restore the Bento data from a specific backup date and time. When you restore data from a Time Machine backup, you replace all of the data that is in Bento with the contents of the backup file. To set up the Time Machine options: 1 Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Time Machine.
Chapter 11 Backing Up and Restoring Information
Syncing 12 This chapter describes how to sync Bento for Mac with Bento for iPhone and Bento for iPad. Bento for iPhone and Bento for iPad are personal database apps that allow you to create libraries, collections, records, and fields on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. You can sync any two iOS devices with Bento for Mac. For example, you can sync one iPhone and one iPad, one iPhone and one iPod touch, or two iPads with Bento for Mac. Bento for Mac syncs one set of libraries across all connected devices.
To connect your device to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer: 1 On your device, click the Home button, then tap Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then select a Wi-Fi network. 2 On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences > Network. 3 In the left side of the Network pane, click AirPort (Mac OS X 10.6) or Wi-Fi (OS X Lion 10.7). 4 For Network Name, select the same Wi-Fi network that you connected your device to. 5 Click Turn Airport On (Mac OS X 10.6) or Wi-Fi On (OS X Lion 10.7).
7 After the sync is complete, if you have an existing Address Book library, you are asked to migrate the data. Follow the onscreen instructions to migrate the data. Note Bento does not support syncing your Bento Address Book library with Bento 4 for iPad. If the library includes any locked encrypted fields, you are asked to enter the Database Password to unlock the fields. If you don’t unlock the encrypted fields, Bento does not migrate the library.
Tip If you want to know when you last synced, check the timestamp in the Sync & Setup screen (Bento for iPhone) or the Sync window (Bento for iPad). Managing Connected Devices You can sync your Bento desktop with any two iOS devices. If you have several devices that you sync with your Bento desktop, Bento can help you keep track of which devices are currently connected and when they were last synced.
You can’t sync iCal Events and iCal Tasks libraries with Bento 4 for iPad. You can’t sync the iCal Events library with Bento for iPhone. You can migrate the Bento for Mac iCal Tasks library to a new Bento Tasks library and the iCal Events library to a new Bento Events library, then sync with your iOS device to view the data. See ”Migrating the iCal, iPhoto, and Address Book Libraries” on page 41.
Chapter 12 Syncing
Keyboard Shortcuts A This section provides a reference of the keyboard shortcuts. You can use your keyboard and mouse to quickly accomplish many tasks in Bento. To find the shortcuts for common menu commands, look in the menus (or see the menu shortcuts listed here). To complete an action, press the shortcut keys in the order shown. Note To tab and shift-tab to all fields in form and table view, you must set Full Keyboard Access to “All controls.
Action Shortcut Working with Table View When One Cell is Selected Edit a value Option-Return Save and move to next cell Return Add a carriage return in a text field Command-Return Move to cell above Up arrow Move to cell below Down arrow Move to next field Tab Move to previous field Shift-Tab Working with Table View When One or More Cells are Selected Extend selection upward Shift-up arrow Extend selection downward Shift-down arrow Working with Table View When Records are Selected Select
Action Shortcut Deselect all text within a field being edited Shift-Command-A Cut Command-X Copy Command-C Paste Command-V Duplicate Command-D Delete Delete Check spelling Command-semicolon (;) Show spelling window Command-colon (:) Show special characters window Option-Command-T General Create library from template (opens New Library dialog) Command-L Create library from Template Exchange Option-Command-L Create collection Shift-Command-N Create Smart Collection Option-Command-N
Action Shortcut Undo last action Command-Z Redo last undone action Shift-Command-Z Open window Command-0 (zero) Close window Command-W Minimize window Command-M Show preferences Command-comma (,) Lock encrypted fields Shift-Command-L Show Bento Help menu Shift-Command-question mark (?) Hide Bento Command-H Hide other windows Option-Command-H Quit Bento Command-Q Appendix A
Reverting to a Previous Version of Bento B This section provides instructions for Bento 1, Bento 2, and Bento 3 users who installed Bento 4 and then decide to go back to their previous version. Reverting to a Previous Version from Bento 4 If you have a previous version of Bento installed, Bento 4 will create a new database file using your previous Bento database file. Your old Bento database is renamed to bentoUpgradeBackup.bentodb, and the Bento 4 database is named bento.bentodb.
To revert to Bento 1, Bento 2, or Bento 3 from Bento 4: 1 If Bento is currently open, choose Bento > Quit Bento. 2 In the Finder, choose Go > Home. 3 Open the Library folder, then the Application Support folder, then the Bento folder. You see the current Bento 4 database file (bento.bentodb) and the previous Bento database backup file (bentoUpgradeBackup.bentodb). Bento 1 and Bento 2 users: You see two database backup files: bentoUpgradeBackup.bentodb and bentoUpgradeBackup 2.bentodb.
4 Drag the bento.bentodb (Bento 4) file to the Trash. 5 Rename the bentoUpgradeBackup.bentodb file to bento.bentodb. Bento 1 and Bento 2 users: Rename only the bentoUpgradeBackup.bentodb file; do not rename the bentoUpgradeBackup 2.bentodb file.
6 Your folder should now look like this (bentoUpgradeBackup.bentodb has been replaced with bento.bentodb). 7 Locate and start the previous Bento application. If you overwrote your previous Bento application with the Bento 4 trial, you can download another copy from the Bento Support website. 8 Your data will appear in Bento 1, Bento 2, or Bento 3 as it did before you started Bento 4. 9 Drag the Bento 4 application to the Trash.
Index A Address Book application Address Book groups 37 displaying data 38 import 42 Address Book library described 37 displaying 38 fields updated in Address Book application 39 hiding 38 migrating 42, 132 syncing 129 troubleshooting 39 address fields 75 ad hoc networks 129 Advanced Find 25, 27 aliases to files or folders 78, 79, 96 aligning fields on forms 56 AppleWorks, exporting from 104 archiving.
creating collections 44 fields 76, 85 forms 50 libraries 30 records in form view 48 records in table view 60 Smart Collections 45 csv files 9 described 103 filename extension requirement 103 importing from 107 currency fields 75 current date and time 49 customizing forms 53 D Database Password 98 See also Sharing Password databases disconnecting shared 33 importing from 104 looking for shared 34 sharing 33 turning off sharing 34 data sources, specifying for related records 80 date fields 74 dates, current
field types address 75 and exporting 116 and importing 110 automatic counter 75 calculation 74 changing 86 checkbox 74 choice 74 choosing 76 currency 75 date 74 described 74 duration 74 email address 75 encrypted 35, 75, 97 file list 74 IM account 75 location 75, 79, 100 media 74 message list 74, 79 number 74 phone number 75 rating 75 related data 74 simple list 74, 89 text 74 time 74 URL 75 file list fields 74 creating 78 opening files from 88 files, storing in file list fields 78 filling text automaticall
importing 9 Address Book data 42 csv files 107 described 103 into existing library 107 into new library 106 library templates 110 Numbers files 107 preparing for 104 tab files 107 tsv files 107 iPad 129 iPhone 129 iPhoto library, migrating 42 iPod touch 129 iSight cameras 95 iTunes adding files to media fields 96 playlists 43 J JPEGs 95 K keyboard shortcuts 135 L labels custom 119, 122 field 55 mailing 119 printing 120 saving setups 119, 122 setting up 119 layouts.
P pairing devices 129 passcode 130 passwords for database and encrypted fields 98 for shared databases 34 maximum length 98 PDF files 78 phone number fields 75 photos 95 Photos library 42 previewing files with Quick Look 89 printing 117 creating custom page sizes 118 labels 119 selected records 119 Q Quick Look 89 QuickTime 95 R rating fields 75 records adding 48, 60, 107 adding media files to 96 adding to collections 44 calculating data in 74 deleting 35, 49, 62 duplicating 49, 62 editing in form view 48
templates 8 Blank template 30 creating libraries with 30 described 20 text, changing size of 55 text boxes 56 text fields 74 Theme Chooser 54 themes changing for a form 54 described 24 time, current 49 time fields 74 Time Machine 123, 127 troubleshooting Address Book 39 syncing Bento with Bento for iPad 132 syncing Bento with Bento for iPhone 132 tsv files described 103 filename extension requirement 103 importing from 107 tutorial 15 U URL fields 75 V views, described 21 W Wi-Fi networks 129, 130 148
