Apple subsidiary Claris today announced the launch of FileMaker 19, marking the debut of its first open platform for developers to build custom apps that leverage JavaScript integrations, drag-and-drop add-ons, AI through Core ML, and more.
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Claris says that with FileMaker 19, developers are able to be more productive and businesses are able to leverage Claris' global community of developers, add-on marketplace, and existing developer resources to collaboratively solve complex digital programs.
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FileMaker 19 includes access to plug-and-play add-ons, JavaScript libraries, and more, as outlined by Claris:
FileMaker 19 enables Claris' global developer community to use the platform they already know to deliver powerful custom apps to more than 1.3 million active users faster than ever before. With FileMaker 19, developers can:
- Create in a snap with plug-and-play add-ons -- Use add-ons like Kanban boards and photo galleries to snap together robust apps faster than ever before, or leverage JavaScript, web services, native FileMaker code and more to create sharable add-ons to sell in the Claris Marketplace.
- Use readily-available JavaScript libraries -- Use readily-available JavaScript libraries or create custom code to directly embed maps, animated graphics, data visualization, and more into their apps.
- Build smarter apps -- Enable rich user experiences with Core ML machine learning models, support for Siri Shortcuts, and NFC (near field communication) tag reading. Unlock the potential of data with image classification, sentiment analysis, object detection and more.
- Create directly in the cloud -- Fast track app deployment by creating apps directly in FileMaker Cloud, skipping the multi-step configuration process and making apps instantly sharable.
- Host where you want -- In addition to Mac and Windows, FileMaker Server can now be hosted on Linux, an industry standard OS, for high availability and reliability.
Pricing on FileMaker 19 begins at $15 per month per user, and the software can be purchased from the Claris website.
Top Rated Comments
I don't like the price either - which is why I still use my 10-year-old copy of FileMaker Pro 11. It still runs just fine on Sierra, have not tried it on Mojave but confirmed it won't work on Catalina (no surprise, since it's 32-bit). Anyway, I have certainly gotten my money's worth from FileMaker 11. And I use the same version on two Macs and one Windows computer. The old versions allowed this, but evidently the new ones don't. Not to happy about that.
I started with FileMaker sometime in the early 1990's. In 1993 I built a complex relational database that I used to manage my department's multi-million dollar purchasing, payroll and contracting, which I continued to upgrade until I retired in 2011. We had a filemaker server so that a number of staff could use it. In 1994 I built my own personal finance database that I still use today. It contains every penny I've spent since 1994. Starting in 2008 I have built increasingly complex relational databases to manage the geodata for the free maps that I offer at https://boydsmaps.com
Like I said, I don't like the price and don't like the restriction on installation. I guess I could switch to something else, but why should I re-invent the wheel? So I will upgrade (reluctantly) and hopefully that will last me for another 10 years. The thought has occured to me, however, that I could just continue with my existing FileMaker 11 with a virtual machine in Parallels when I upgrade to a new Mac. But the new version does seem to have some nice features. I will certainly try the 30-day free trial at least.
There is not much out there (last I checked) that can hit the sweet spot of power vs ease of creation, reporting, and mods, and works on Macs, Win, and iOS that FM does.
It’s nice you can still buy a perpetual license as well.