FileMaker Bento 1 User’s Guide

Bento™

User’s Guide

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Edition: 01

1 Contents

Preface 7Welcome to Bento

7 Bringing It All Together
16 Summary
17 About This Document
17 Resources for Learning More

Chapter 1 19 Overview of Bento

20 Home Dialog
21 Bento Window

Chapter 2 31 Using Libraries

31 About Libraries
32 Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates
34 Creating a Library by Importing
34 Deleting Records from a Library
34 Deleting a Library

Chapter 3 35 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

36 Displaying the Address Book and iCal Libraries
37 Address Book Library
40 iCal Events and iCal Tasks Libraries

Chapter 4 43 Using Collections

43 About Collections
44 Creating Collections
44 Removing Records from a Collection
45 Deleting a Collection
45 About Smart Collections
46 Creating Smart Collections
46 Working with Smart Collections
46 Changing a Smart Collection

3

Chapter 5 47 Using Form View

47 About Forms
48 Creating Records in Form View
48 Editing Records in Form View
49 Duplicating Records in Form View
49 Deleting Records in Form View
50 Creating Forms
50 Deleting Forms
50 Adding Fields to a Form
50 Moving Between Fields
50 Moving Fields and Objects on Forms
51 Resizing Fields and Objects
51 Deleting Fields from a Form
52 Duplicating Forms
52 Renaming Forms
52 Customizing Form Layouts

Chapter 6 57 Using Table View

57 About Table View
58 Creating Records in Table View
58 Editing Records in Table View
58 Duplicating Records in Table View
59 Deleting Records in Table View
59 Sorting Records
60 Working with Fields in Table View
60 Summarizing Column Data

Chapter 7 63 Using Fields

63 About Fields
65 Creating Fields
70 Using the Fields List
71 Opening Files Stored in File List Fields
71 Working with Media Fields

Chapter 8 75 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

75 About Comma-Separated Files
78 Importing Information into Bento
84 Exporting Information from Bento
85 Printing Information

Chapter 9 87 Backing Up and Restoring Information

88 About Bento Backup Files
89 Using the Back Up Reminder
89 Changing the Back Up Reminder

4 Contents

90 Creating a Backup File
90 Reverting from a Backup File
91 Using Time Machine with Bento

Appendix A 93 Keyboard Shortcuts

Index 97

Contents 5

6 Contents

Welcome to Bento

Bento™ software 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 was designed for Mac OS. The Bento window has features that will seem
familiar to you if you use Address Book, iCal, Keynote, or iTunes.

Bringing It All Together

Bento brings your important information together in one place to help you get
organized. You’ll be able to manage your contacts, coordinate events, track projects,
prioritize tasks, and more.

Preface

For example, say you are running a travel club, and you are planning events for the
club. You have the contact information for the travel club members in Address Book,
and you have a few events on the calendar in iCal. But you are also using a
spreadsheet to track some expenses for each of the members of the travel club. You
can use Bento to manage all information in one place.

7

View data in several form views.
Bento provides the “Overview”
and “Details” forms for you.

A contact in the
Address Book
application.

The same contact in
the Bento Address
Book library.

View all the records

in table view by
clicking “Table.”

Using Address Book Data

When you open Bento, you see the Home dialog that helps you get started. After you
start using Bento, you see that the Bento Address Book library displays contact
records from the Address Book application.

8Preface Welcome to Bento

An Event in the
iCal application.

The same event in the
Bento iCal Events library.

View the record data

in “Table” view or in

“Form” view.

Using iCal Data

The Bento iCal Events library displays the events that are in the iCal application.

Preface Welcome to Bento 9

Managing Data in Libraries

Bento comes with more than twenty 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.

10 Preface Welcome to Bento

Libraries

Fields

Bento provides a Project library, so you’re ready to start managing projects for your
travel club.

You can add fields to any library, even the Bento Address Book and iCal libraries.

Preface Welcome to Bento 11

Importing

spreadsheet

data into a

Bento library.

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) file, and then import the
CSV file into Bento. Bento creates the fields needed to hold your data and creates
records for each row of data in the CSV file.

12 Preface Welcome to Bento

Drag the selected

records to the

Source list.

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. Open the Bento Address Book library in table view. Select the records for the
team members and choose the New Collection from Selection menu item, or drag the
selected records to the Source list.

Preface Welcome to Bento 13

Give the collection the name “Team Members” and Bento creates the Team Members
collection.

14 Preface Welcome to Bento

Creating Relationships

Bento makes it easy to connect your libraries of information using related records
lists.

For example, say you want to track expenses by team member. To create a related
records list, drag “Team Members” to the “Expenses” form.

Preface Welcome to Bento 15

You can also create a related records list that shows expenses for each team member.
Drag “Expenses” to the “Team Members” form.

Summary

With Bento, you’re able to display data from Address Book and iCal, create new
libraries to keep all your data together, import data from other applications, and
create unique data relationships between libraries and collections.

16 Preface Welcome to Bento

About This Document

The following table tells you where to find information in this documentation.

For information about See

The features of Bento Chapter 1, “Overview of Bento,” on page 19

Using libraries to manage your information Chapter 2, “Using Libraries,” on page 31

Using the Address Book and iCal libraries to display
data from the Address Book and iCal applications

Creating a subset of records from a library Chapter 4, “Using Collections,” on page 43

Viewing your data one record at a time, creating
forms, changing the appearance of forms, and
adding new fields to forms

Viewing all the records in a library or collection in a
table

All the field types that Bento provides, and using
the Fields list

Sharing data by importing, exporting, and printing Chapter 8, “Importing, Exporting, and Printing,” on

Creating a backup of your Bento data Chapter 9, “Backing Up and Restoring Information,”

Using keyboard shortcuts Appendix A, “Keyboard Shortcuts,” on page 93

Chapter 3, “Using the Address Book and iCal
Libraries,” on page 35

Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 47

Chapter 6, “Using Table View,” on page 57

Chapter 7, “Using Fields,” on page 63

page 75

on page 87

Resources for Learning More

To get the most from Bento, consult the resources listed below.

User’s Guide

Bento User’s Guide is a PDF document that provides detailed information on using
Bento.

To open the User’s Guide:

Choose Help > Bento User’s Guide.

Onscreen Help

To access help from within Bento, choose Help > Bento Help. You can browse
through the table of contents to find a specific topic, or enter a question in the search
field.

Tutorial

For an onscreen demonstration of what you can do with Bento, view the tutorials.

To access the online tutorials:

Choose Help > Tutorial, and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Preface Welcome to Bento 17

Web Resources

Learn more about Bento on the web.

To access web-based information about Bento:

1 Choose Help > Bento Help.

2 Click the Bento Website link.

Technical Support

To learn more about the support options that are available to Bento users, view the
service and support information.

To view the service and support information:

Choose Help > Service and Support.

18 Preface Welcome to Bento

1 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
Source list, the Fields list, and the records area where you can display your
information in table view or in form views.

19

To see how easy it is to use,

take a video tour of Bento.

Display Address Book and iCal
information in Bento, and you can
use the data in other libraries, too.

Bento uses libraries to store

information. One way to start using

Bento is by creating a library.

When you’re done with the Home dialog,

click this button to start using Bento.

Clear this checkbox if

you don’t need the

Home dialog.

Home Dialog

When you first open Bento, you use the Home dialog to learn about Bento, to display
Address Book and iCal records in Bento, and to create your first library.

Tip: You can use the Home dialog every time you start Bento. If you decide that you
don’t need the Home dialog, choose Bento
Home dialog” checkbox.

> Preferences and clear the “Display

20 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

Source list Records area Fields list

Bento Window

The Bento window contains three main sections:

1 The left side of the window is the Source list.

1 The center area of the window displays the records in Bento. You can display record

data in table view or in form view.

1 The right side of the window is the Fields list.

By default, all three sections of the Bento window are displayed. To change the main
window display setting, click

1 Select “Show All” to display all three sections of the Bento window.

1 Select “Source and Records” to display the Source list and the records area.

1 Select “Records and Fields” to display the records area and the Fields list.

1 Select “Records Only” to display the records area.

and:

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 21

Address Book

Library

iCal Events

Library

Collections of
Address Book
records

Collection of
iCal Events

Collection of
records from

Projects

New Library

New Collection

Projects Library

iCal Tasks Library

Source List

The Source list displays the libraries and collections that are in Bento.

1 A library categorizes data by content. Bento provides several libraries by default.

The Address Book, iCal Tasks, and iCal Events libraries display data from the Address
Book and iCal applications. 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.

To add a library to the Source list, click the New Library button.

See Chapter 2, “Using Libraries,” on page 31.

1 A collection is set of records from a library. A collection is similar to an Address Book

group or to a playlist in iTunes. A collection contains records from its parent library.
A record from the library can be in more than one collection. For example, one
person might be both a friend and a co-worker. If you had one collection named
“Friends” and another named “Co-workers” you could add this person’s contact
record to both collections in the Address Book library.

To add a collection to the Source list, click the New Collection button.

See Chapter 4, “Using Collections,” on page 43.

22 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

Address Book and iCal Libraries

Bento displays the data you’ve already entered into the Mac OS X applications
Address Book and iCal using three libraries: Address Book, iCal Events, and iCal Tasks.

Address Book Library

The Address Book library displays contact information from the Mac OS X 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.

See “Address Book Library” on page 37.

iCal Events Library

The iCal Events library displays information from the events in the Mac OS X iCal
application. You can view those events in Bento, and use them with other data you
store in Bento. For example, you can display which iCal events are related to a specific
project by creating a relationship to iCal Events in a Projects library.

Enter new events in iCal or in Bento, and the information appears in both
applications.

See “iCal Events and iCal Tasks Libraries” on page 40.

iCal Tasks Library

The iCal Tasks library displays information from the To Do items in iCal. You can use
those tasks in your Bento libraries and collections. For example, you can display which
iCal tasks are related to a specific project by creating a relationship to iCal Tasks in a
Projects library.

Enter To Do items in iCal or task records in Bento, and the information appears in
both applications.

See “iCal Events and iCal Tasks Libraries” on page 40.

Collections

Create a collection when you want a subset of the records from a library. There are
two kinds of collections:

1 Collections are created by adding records from the library to the 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 Source list.

1 Smart Collections are created based on criteria you set up. Records that meet the

defined criteria appear in the Smart Collection.

See Chapter 4, “Using Collections,” on page 43.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 23

Creating Libraries

Bento comes with more than twenty library templates that make it easy for you to
create new libraries of information. A template defines the fields of information used
in each record of a library, which you can change based on your needs. Select the
library template that most closely matches the category of data you want to store.

See “Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates” on page 32.

24 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

Table view shows each record
as a row in a table.

Form view shows fields
from a single record.

Records Area

In the center area of the Bento window, you can display information stored in Bento
in either table view or in one of several form views.

1 Table view shows information in an entire library or collection in a spreadsheet-like

table, where each row in the table is a record in the library.

1 Form view shows fields from one record at a time, in arrangements that you can

customize, using beautiful themes.

Table View

To view the information in an entire library or collection in a spreadsheet-like table,
use table view.

In table view, you can work with your records in many ways, including:

1 Selecting the columns that you want to show.

1 Arranging the columns in any order.

1 Sorting records by selecting a specific column.

1 Analyzing data using a summary row.

See Chapter 6, “Using Table View,” on page 57.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 25

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 Address Book library to show birthdays,
and track whether you’ve sent a card or gift.

You can customize forms in many ways, including:

1 Selecting the fields that you want to show.

1 Arranging the fields on the form.

1 Changing the size of fields.

1 Changing the appearance of the form using themes.

See Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 47.

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 52.

26 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

Table view Form view buttons New Form Delete Form

Previous record

Customize Form

Next record

Search field

Navigation Bar

The navigation bar, visible in both form view and table view, contains several controls
that help you display information in Bento.

1 Click the “Table” button to see records in a spreadsheet-like view.

1 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.

1 To move through the records in a library or collection, click the Previous record and

Next record buttons (the arrow buttons).

To go to the first record, Option-click the Previous record button. To go to the last
record, Option-click the Next record button.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 27

1. Type “M” and the result is 21 records. 2. Type “Ma” and the result is 13 records.

3. Type “Mar ” and the result is 6 records. 4. Type “Mar y” and the result is 2 records.

Search Field and Advanced Find

1 Use the Search field to do a simple search for text in text fields.

1 Use Advanced Find to find a set of matching records by defining search values and

criteria for specific fields.

To use the Search field:

1 Select the library or collection.

2 Enter a text string into the Search field.

Bento searches across the text fields of the selected library or collection, and shows
the records that match the search string as you type. Bento lets you know how many
records match the search string, and updates the current view to display only the
matching records.

28 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

To use Advanced Find:

1 Select the library or collection.

2 In the search field, click and select Advanced Find, or press Command-F.

3 Specify what you want to find. Add or remove criteria as needed.

4 Click Find.

Bento performs the search, and displays the matching records.

1 To save the matching records as a Smart Collection, click Save. See “Abou t Smart

Collections” on page 45.

1 To close Advanced Find, click the X next to “Advanced Find” or press Command-F.

When you close Advanced Find, Bento shows all records.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 29

Drag to add

field to the

current form.

Field is already on

the current form.

Fields with selected
checkboxes are
already shown as
columns in table
view.

Delete a field.

Form view Table view

Locked fields
cannot be deleted
or renamed.

Select an
unchecked field to
add a column to
table view.

Add a field.

Additional field
commands.

Fields List

The Fields list on the right side of the Bento window displays the fields that are
defined for the selected library or collection.

1 In a form view, use the Fields list to add fields to the form.

1 In table view, use the Fields list to select which columns are shown.

See “Using the Fields List” on page 70.

30 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

2 Using Libraries

In Bento, you use libraries to organize your information.
You can use the libraries that Bento provides, and create
your own libraries using templates.

Bento contains three libraries that display data from other Mac OS X applications:

1 Address Book library, which displays contact records from the Address Book

application

1 iCal Events library, which displays events from the iCal application

1 iCal Tasks library, which displays To Do items from the iCal application

For information on these libraries, see Chapter 3, “Using the Address Book and iCal
Libraries,” on page 35.

2

You can also create libraries to hold your information:

1 By using the New Library dialog

1 By importing existing information from a comma-separated (CSV) file

This chapter describes how to use libraries to organize and manage your information.

About Libraries

Bento stores information in libraries. Libraries are composed of records, and libraries
are defined by the fields in the records.

For example, the Address Book library contains contact records. Contact records are
composed of the fields that are used to store information about contacts and to
update the Address Book application, such as names, phone numbers and addresses.

As another example, the Projects library records are composed of fields that are
useful for managing projects, such as fields for the project status, start and end dates,
and team member information.

31

Bento provides two ways for you to view the records of a library:

1 Form view shows fields from a single record. Each page shows one record at a time,

for example, a single contact record in the Address Book library. You can have more
than one form view for the library. See

1 Tabl e v iew shows the records in a table, for example, a list of the contacts in the

Address Book library. Each row in the table represents a single record in the library.
See

Chapter 6, “Using Table View,” on page 57.

The remainder of this chapter describes how to create and use libraries:

1 You can create your own libraries by using library templates. See the following

section,

1 You can create a library by importing your own data. See “Importing Information

into Bento” on page 78.

“Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates.”

Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 47.

Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates

Before you create a library, think about the type of information you want to manage
with the library. Do you want to manage schedules and dates? Do you want to
manage contact information? Are you looking for a way to bring tasks and
assignments together in an event planner? Or do you want to manage a list of things,
such as inventory or equipment lists?

Bento provides library templates that create the fields to manage specific kinds of
information. These templates also apply pre-designed themes to the form views.

By selecting the library template that most closely fits the type of information you
want to manage, you create the library you need more quickly. If you can't find a
template for the kind of information you want to store, you can use the “Blank”
template and create a library of your own. After you create a library from a template,
you can customize the form view by adding or removing fields and changing the
theme.

Tip: If you already have information from another application that you want to
include in Bento, see

“Importing Information into Bento” on page 78.

32 Chapter 2 Using Libraries

To create a library using the Bento templates:

1 Choose File > New Library.

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.

3 Enter a name for your library, and click Choose.

Bento creates the library, and opens the library in form view.

If you selected a template other than the Blank template, review the fields that are
defined for your new library.

1 If you are happy with the fields and form views in your new library, then you’re

ready to add records and enter information. See

“Editing Records in Form View” on

page 48.

1 If you need additional fields, then customize the library by adding fields. See

“Adding Fields to a Form” on page 50.

1 If there are fields defined for information that you do not need, then delete fields.

See

“Deleting Fields from a Form” on page 51.

Chapter 2 Using Libraries 33

1 If you want to change the layout of the fields on the form view, then see

“Customizing Form Layouts” on page 52.

1 If you want to change the appearance of the form view, then you can select a new

theme. See

If you are working in a library created from the Blank template, then the default view
is an untitled form with default fields and with the default library theme applied.
Double-click the form name in the navigation bar to rename the form, add fields and
customize the form layout, if you wish. See
for more information.

“Customizing Form Layouts” on page 52.

Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 47

Creating a Library by Importing

If you already have information from another application that you want to include in
Bento, then create a library and records in that library by importing your information.
See

“Importing Information into Bento” on page 78.

Deleting Records from a Library

To delete records from a library:

1 Select the library.

2 Select the records and press the Delete key.

When you press Delete, the records are permanently deleted from both the library
and any collection or related records lists that displayed them.

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 records list fields in other libraries based on this library are deleted also.

Note: You cannot delete the Address Book, iCal Events, or iCal Tasks libraries. If you do
not want to display these libraries, then see
Libraries” on page 36.

“Displaying the Address Book and iCal

34 Chapter 2 Using Libraries

3 Using the Address Book and iCal

Libraries

Bento provides libraries that display data from the
Mac

OS X Address Book and iCal applications. With these
libraries, you can manage contacts, events, and tasks
together, and display them as related records in other
libraries in Bento.

Bento contains three libraries that display data from other Mac OS X applications:

1 Address Book library, which displays information from the Address Book application

1 iCal Events library, which displays information from the iCal application

1 iCal Tasks library, which displays information from the iCal application

This chapter describes how to use these libraries to organize information about
contacts, events, and tasks, and how to add information from these libraries to your
own libraries.

3

35

Displaying the Address Book and iCal Libraries

Bento starts with an Address Book library, an iCal Events library, and an iCal Tasks
library. Even if the Address Book and iCal applications are not running, you see the
data from these applications in Bento.

Displaying the Address Book and iCal libraries is optional. When you first start using
Bento, these libraries are displayed by default.

If you turn off the display of these libraries in Bento, their records no longer appear in
Bento, but they still appear in the Address Book and iCal applications.

Displaying Data from the Address Book Application

To display the Address Book data in Bento:

1 In Bento, choose File > Address Book and iCal Setup.

2 Select “Display Address Book data in Bento.”

To turn off the display of Address Book data in Bento:

1 In Bento, choose File > Address Book and iCal Setup.

2 Clear “Display Address Book data in Bento.”

When you click OK, the Address Book library no longer appears in Bento.

If you have related records list fields based on the Address Book library, those related
records list fields are no longer displayed when you turn off the display of the Address
Book library.

Displaying Data from the iCal Application

To display the iCal data in Bento:

1 In Bento, choose File > Address Book and iCal Setup.

2 Select “Display iCal data in Bento.”

To turn off the display of iCal data in Bento:

1 In Bento, choose File > Address Book and iCal Setup.

2 Clear “Display iCal data in Bento.”

When you click OK, the iCal libraries no longer appear in Bento.

If you have related records list fields based on the iCal libraries, those related records
list fields are no longer displayed when you turn off the display of the iCal libraries.

36 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

Address Book Library

By default, Bento displays contact information and groups from the Mac OS X
Address Book application. When you make changes to records in the Bento Address
Book library, you are actually updating the records in the Address Book application.

You can use the Bento Address Book library to edit data from any application or
device that synchronizes with the Address Book application.

By displaying the Bento Address Book library, you add your contacts to Bento and
keep your contacts up-to-date, whether you edit the information in the Address Book
application or in Bento.

1 If you add a record in the Address Book library, then it is added to the Address Book

application.

1 If you delete a record in the Address Book library, then it is deleted from the

Address Book application.

1 For every group that you create in the Address Book application, Bento creates an

Address Book library collection

1 For every collection you create in the Address Book library, the Address Book

application creates an Address Book group.

Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries 37

The Address Book library
displays contact
information from the
Address Book application.

Address Book

groups display

as collections

in Bento.

If you delete a collection under the Address Book library, the associated Address Book
group is deleted also. Similarly, if you delete a group in the Address Book application,
the associated collection under the Address Book library is deleted also.

You can use the records in the Bento Address Book library just like the records in any
other library and collection in Bento. The only difference is that changes in the
Address Book library update information in the Address Book application.

Note: Bento does not display Smart Groups from the Address Book application.
Conversely, Smart

Collections from the Bento Address Book library are not added to

the Address Book application.

38 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

Bento Fields That Update the Address Book Application

The following fields in the Address Book library update information in the Address
Book application.

Address: Home, Work, Other
Address list
Birthday
Company name
Department
Email address: Home, Work, Other
Email list
First name
Home page

IM account: Home, Work, Other
IM account list
Job title
Last name
Maiden name
Middle name
Nickname
Note
Phone number: Work, Home, Mobile,
Main, Home fax, Work fax, Pager,
Other

Phone number list
Phonetic first name
Phonetic last name
Phonetic middle name
Prefix
Suffix
URL
URL list

You can add other fields to your Address Book library records in Bento, but your
additional fields are not added to the Address Book application. (See

Chapter 7,

“Using Fields,” for information on adding fields.)

Conversely, any custom field labels you have defined in the Address Book application
are not displayed in the Address Book library.

Troubleshooting Address Book Updates

This section describes some common issues with displaying data from the Address
Book application.

1 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.

1 Why don’t I see my Address Book library’s Smart Collections in the Address Book

application?

The criteria used to create Bento Smart Collections cannot be passed to the
Address Book application because the criteria may use fields that appear only in
Bento.

Other Address Book Considerations

1 When you create a Bento backup file, the data from the Address Book application is

not included in the Bento backup file. To back up the data from Address Book, use
the Address Book application.

If you add fields to the Address Book library, information from those additional
fields is included in the Bento backup file. See
Information,” on page 87 for information on creating a Bento backup file.

Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries 39

Chapter 9, “Backing Up and Restoring

The iCal Events library
displays event records
from the iCal application.

1 You can use import and export with the Address Book library. Records imported

into the Address Book library update the Address Book application. See

Chapter 8,
“Importing, Exporting, and Printing,” on page 75 for information on importing and
exporting.

iCal Events and iCal Tasks Libraries

iCal is a convenient application for keeping track of your events and tasks.

By default, Bento gets the calendar information from the iCal application and keeps
the information in your iCal Events and iCal Tasks libraries updated with iCal changes.
In addition, any changes you make in Bento update the iCal application information.

Bento creates a record for each event or task in the iCal application, for the iCal
calendars stored on your computer. By default, any events or tasks you create in
Bento are added to the Bento calendar in iCal, and you can reassign them to other
iCal calendars.

40 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

You can use the records in the iCal Events and iCal Tasks libraries just like the records
in any other libraries and collections in Bento. The only difference is that changes in
the iCal Events and iCal Tasks libraries update the information in the iCal application.

Note: Bento does not display information from the subscribed calendars in the iCal
application.

Bento Event Fields That Update the iCal Application

The following event fields update the iCal application.

1 All Day

1 End date

1 Location

1 Note

1 Start date

1 URL

Note: In the iCal application, the “URL” field is a text field. In order to correctly display
this value in Bento, the iCal Events library uses a text field as well, rather than using a
Bento URL field.

You can add other fields to your event records in Bento, but your additional fields do
not update the iCal application. See
adding fields.

Chapter 7, “Using Fields,” for information on

Bento Task Fields That Update the iCal Application

The following task fields update the iCal application.

1 Completion date

1 Due date

1 Note

1 Priority

1 Start date

1 URL

Note: In the iCal application, the “URL” field is a text field. In order to correctly display
this value in Bento, the iCal Tasks library uses a text field as well, rather than using a
Bento URL field.

You can add other fields to your task records in Bento, but your additional fields do
not update the iCal application. See
adding fields.

Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries 41

Chapter 7, “Using Fields,” for information on

Troubleshooting iCal Updates

This section describes some common issues with displaying data from the iCal
application.

1 Why don’t I see the collections from iCal Events or iCal Task libraries in the iCal

application?

The iCal application does not have a way to display a subset of the events or tasks
from a specific calendar.

1 Why don’t I see events or tasks from my subscribed calendars?

Subscribed calendars are stored on an external server; Bento displays information
for local calendars only.

1 How do I create a calendar in Bento?

When you create a calendar in the iCal application, it can be used as a calendar
selection in Bento. You cannot create a calendar in Bento.

Other iCal Considerations

1 When you create a Bento backup file, the data from the iCal application is not

included in the Bento backup file. To back up the data from iCal, use the iCal
application.

If you add fields to the iCal libraries, information from those added fields is included
in the Bento backup file. See
page 87 for information on creating a Bento backup file.

1 You can use import and export with the iCal libraries. Records imported into the

iCal libraries update the iCal application. See
Printing,” on page 75 for information on importing and exporting.

Chapter 9, “Backing Up and Restoring Information,” on

Chapter 8, “Importing, Exporting, and

42 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

4 Using Collections

Vendors collection in the
Address Book library

4

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.”
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:

1 Create a set of records for a special purpose. For example, you could create a

collection of the people invited to a specific event.

1 Sort records in a different order. For example, you could create a collection of

contacts to sort the contact records by last name.

1 Export the data from the records in the collection rather than from all the records in

the library.

A collection in Bento is similar to a playlist in iTunes. If you have used iTunes, you
know how convenient it is to use a playlist to create a compilation of songs and
videos. Collections in Bento give you the same convenience for grouping records
from a library.

A collection contains records from a single library. For example, you can put records
from the Address Book library in an Address Book collection such as Vendors. You
cannot put any other library’s records in the Vendors collection.

43

However, a record from a library can be added to any of the collections in a 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.

There are two kinds of collections:

1 collections

1 Smart Collections

You create collections by using the New Collection menu item, by selecting records
and using the New Collection from Selection menu item, or by dragging selected
records to an existing collection or to the Source list.

Smart Collections are created based on criteria you set up. Smart Collections update
as your library changes; records that meet the defined criteria appear in the Smart
Collection.

Creating Collections

Create a collection when you want to make a specific list of records.

To create a collection:

1 Select a library in which you want to make a collection.

2 Click or choose File > New Collection.

3 Type a name for the collection, then press Return.

4 Select the library you selected in step 1 again.

5 Click Table in the navigation bar or choose View > Table View to show the library in

table view.

6 Select the record you want to add to the collection. Drag the selected record to the

collection, or click and choose Add to Collection to add the selected record to
the collection.

To select multiple records, hold down the Command or Shift key while you click.

Tip: To quickly create a collection containing selected records, select the records,
then choose File > New Collection From Selection or drag the records to a blank
space in the Source list.

Removing Records from a Collection

To remove records from a collection:

1 Select the collection.

2 Select the records and press the Delete key.

44 Chapter 4 Using Collections

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. The records are deleted from the
collection but not from the library.

Note: If you delete a library or collection that one or more related records lists are
based on, those related records lists are also deleted.

About Smart Collections

Create a Smart Collection when you want a collection that contains records that meet
criteria you define. Smart Collections show all the records that meet the criteria.

For example, you could create a Smart Collection of contacts who live in the same
city. When you add a new contact record for a person who lives in that city, Bento
adds that contact record to your Smart Collection.

Or you could create a Smart Collection of event records that are due in the same
week. If you add or modify a record so that it meets the criteria, that record appears in
the Smart Collection the next time you click the Smart Collection in the Source list.

Because a Smart Collection is a set of records that match defined criteria, it is different
from a collection in the following ways:

1 You cannot manually add records to or remove records from Smart Collections. To

remove certain records from the Smart Collection, edit the criteria or modify the
records’ values so that they no longer meet the criteria.

1 You can create Smart Collections in the Address Book library, but Smart Collections

do not appear in the Address Book application.

1 You can create Smart Collections in the iCal Tasks and iCal Events libraries, but

Smart Collections do not appear in the iCal application.

1 You cannot import records into a Smart Collection.

1 You cannot use Smart Collections as the basis for a related records list. See

“Creating Related Records List Fields” on page 68.

Chapter 4 Using Collections 45

Select the criteria

Creating Smart Collections

You can create a Smart Collection that adds records to or removes records from a
collection according to criteria that you define.

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

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.

3 Click Save.

Tip: You can also create a Smart Collection by clicking Save after you specify the
criteria for an Advanced Find. See

to add additional criteria.

“Search Field and Advanced Find” on page 28.

Working with Smart Collections

After you create a Smart Collection, you can edit and duplicate records within it. See
“Editing Records in Table View” on page 58 and “Duplicating Records in Table View”
on page 58.

Changing a Smart Collection

When you change a Smart Collection, Bento updates the collection based on the
criteria that you define.

To change a Smart Collection:

1 Select the Smart Collection and choose File > Edit Smart Collection.

2 Use the pop-up menus and entry fields to modify, add, or delete the criteria.

3 Click Find to see if the new criteria produce the records you want.

4 Click Save.

Note: To discard the changes you made to the criteria, click any other item in the
Source list.

46 Chapter 4 Using Collections

5 Using Form View

The same record displayed in another form
view, using a different organization of fields

Field

Field label

A record displayed in one form view

5

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 contact in
the Address Book library or a task in the iCal Tasks library.

With forms, you can see the fields for an individual record. You can use multiple
forms, or pages, in any library or collection.

For a given library or collection, you can use any of its fields on any of its forms.

If you want to scan and sort your information quickly, use table view instead. See
Chapter 6, “Using Table View.”

Forms can display records from other libraries or collections in related records list
fields. See

47

“Creating Related Records List Fields” on page 68.

Creating Records in Form View

You can create records in form view or table view.

To create a record for a library or collection:

1 Select the library or collection you want to add a record to.

2 Click a form name in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Choose Records > New Record.

4 Type data in the fields.

5 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.

If you add a record to a collection and if the collection is in a library that you created,
the record is added to the associated library also.

Tip: To quickly create a record, right-click in an empty space on the form.

Editing Records in Form View

To edit a record:

1 Select the form that contains the record you want to edit.

2 Navigate to the desired record, then click the field you want to change.

Press Tab or Shift-Tab to move from field to field.

3 Modify the data, then click outside the field or press Tab.

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.

Time Time

Tex t Da te a nd t ime

48 Chapter 5 Using Form View

Sending Emails

When browsing records, you can quickly send emails to your family, friends, or
colleagues.

To send an email:

1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

2 Click next to the email address field.

3 The default email application opens and displays a pre-addressed, blank email

message.

4 Compose the message and send it.

Duplicating Records in Form View

To quickly add a record with the same or similar data as an existing record:

1 Navigate to the record you want to duplicate.

2 Choose Records > Duplicate Record.

If you duplicated a record in a collection, a new record is added to the associated
library also.

Deleting Records in Form View

To permanently delete selected records from a library:

1 Select the library.

2 Select the records, then choose Records > Delete Selected Records or press the

Delete key.

In the dialog box, click Delete.

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 Selected Record.

If you click Remove from Collection, the record is removed only from the collection,
not the associated library. If you click Delete, the record is permanently removed from
both the library and the collection.

Note: if you delete a record from the Address Book library, the record is also deleted
in the Address Book application.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 49

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 Insert > New Form.

In the Form name dialog, type a name, then click OK.

3 Move fields to the form and create records.

Deleting Forms

To del ete a fo rm:

1 Select the library or collection you want to delete a form from.

2 Click in the navigation bar.

Adding Fields to a Form

To add a field to a form:

1 Select a library or collection.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Drag a field from the Fields list to the desired location on the form.

To move or resize the field, choose View > Customize Form.

To create a field, choose Insert > New Field. See “Creating Fields” on page 65.

Moving Between Fields

To move between fields on a form:

1 Select a library or collection.

2 Select a form.

3 Click in a field, then press Tab to move from field to field, within each column. Press

Shift-Tab to move in the reverse direction.

Moving Fields and Objects on Forms

To move one field or object:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

50 Chapter 5 Using Form View

3 Select the field or object, then drag it to a new location.

If you drag a field into an empty space, Bento positions the field below the nearest
field.

Bento allows you to drag fields above, below, next to, or between other objects on
the form. While moving an object, notice the dark line that indicates the object’s
position when you stop dragging it.

To move multiple fields or objects:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Command-click to select fields or objects that aren’t next to each other. Shift-click to

select contiguous fields or objects. The border of the selected fields or objects is
highlighted in blue.

Tip: To quickly select a large number of fields and objects, press Option and drag
diagonally.

Resizing Fields and Objects

Any field can be resized except checkbox fields. Any object can be resized except text
boxes.

To resize a field:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Select the field.

4 Move the cursor to the right or bottom edge of the field. When the cursor changes to

, drag the field to the desired size.

Deleting Fields from a Form

To delete a field from a form:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Select the field, then press the Delete key or drag the field off the form.

Tip: To quickly delete a field, right-click the field label.

The data in the field is still in Bento even though the field is no longer displayed on
the form.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 51

Duplicating Forms

To duplicate a form:

1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

2 Choose Insert > Duplicate Form.

Renaming Forms

To re name a f orm:

1 Double-click the form name at the top of the window.

2 In the Form name dialog, type a new name, then click OK.

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. For example, you can use a light-colored theme for printing records.

To change a form’s theme:

1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

2 Choose Format > Theme.

3 Select a theme from the list.

Changing the Number of Columns on a Form

You can divide up space on a form with columns, similar to a how a newsletter uses
columns. You can display up to five columns on a form.

To change the number of columns:

1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

2 Choose Format > Columns.

3 Select a number from the list.

Resizing Column Widths

You can change the width of columns. Increase the width to accommodate wider
fields or to increase the amount of blank space between columns.

To resize the width of a column:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

52 Chapter 5 Using Form View

3 Position the cursor in the middle of the space between two columns, then drag left or

right.

4 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

To resize fields that touch a column’s right edge, hold down the Option key as you
change the column width.

Changing the Position of 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 > Form Name.

2 Choose Format > Labels.

3 Select Above or Beside.

Changing the Size of Text

You can change the size of text that is displayed in fields.

To change the size of text in fields:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Select the fields.

4 Choose Format > Text Size.

5 Select a size from the list.

6 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

Changing the Shading of Fields

You can change the level of shading that is displayed behind fields.

To change the shading of fields:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Select the fields.

4 Choose Format > Shading.

5 Select a level of shading.

6 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 53

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 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Select the fields whose right edges you want to align within a column.

Command-click to select fields that aren’t next to each other. Shift-click to select
contiguous fields. The border of selected fields is highlighted in blue.

4 Choose Format > Align Right Edges.

5 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

Adding Text boxes

Add a text box if you want text such as a heading on your form.

To add a text box:

1 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Choose Insert > Text box.

An untitled box appears at the bottom of the last column.

4 Drag the text box to the desired location, double-click in the text box, and start typing.

Note: You c an’ t res ize a text b ox.

5 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

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 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Choose Insert > Horizontal Separator.

4 Drag the horizontal separator to the desired location on the form.

5 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

54 Chapter 5 Using Form View

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 Click in the navigation bar or choose View > Customize Form.

2 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

3 Choose Insert > Spacer.

4 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.

5 Choose Format > Shading.

6 Select a level of shading.

7 When you’ve finished making changes, click in the navigation bar or choose

View > Customize Form to work with your data again.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 55

56 Chapter 5 Using Form View

6 Using Table View

One record

One field

6

In Bento, you use table view to display data 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 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).

To go to table view, click Table in the navigation bar or choose View > Table View.

Table view gives you flexibility while working with your data. For example, you can:

1 see more than one record at a time

1 choose which fields are displayed as columns

1 sort records in ascending or descending order by clicking column headers

1 duplicate a record

1 delete multiple records

1 select multiple records to drag to other collections within the same library

In table view, you cannot see media fields or any of the list field types: address, email
address, phone number, IM account, URL, related records list, and file list. See
“Working with Media Fields” on page 71 and “List Fields” on page 64.

57

Creating Records in Table View

You can create records in table view or form view.

To create a record for a library or collection:

1 Select the library or collection you want to add a record to.

2 In table view, choose Records > New Record.

At the bottom of the window, the record count increases.

3 Type data in the columns.

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.

If you add a record to a collection, the record is added to the associated library also.

Tip: To quickly create a record, double-click in an empty row.

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.

Editing Records in Table View

To edit a record:

1 Select the library or collection that contains the record you want to edit.

2 Double-click a field (table cell). 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.

Duplicating Records in Table View

To quickly add a record with the same or similar data as an existing record:

1 Select the library or collection.

2 Select one or more records, then choose Records > Duplicate Record.

If you duplicated a record in a collection, a new record is added to the associated
library also.

58 Chapter 6 Using Table View

Deleting Records in Table View

To permanently delete selected records from a library:

1 Select the library.

2 Select the records, then choose Records > Delete Selected Records or press the

Delete key.

In the dialog box, click Delete.

To permanently delete selected records from a collection:

1 Select the collection.

2 Select the records, then choose Records > Remove Selected Records or press the

Delete key.

In the dialog box, if you click Delete, the records are permanently removed from both
the library and the collection. If you click “Remove from Collection,” the records are
removed only from the collection, not the associated library.

Sorting Records

To sort records:

Click a column header. Click it again to reverse the sort order.

The column clicked last is the first field on which the records are sorted. Any column
headers you clicked previously become the second sort field, the third sort field, and
so on.

Tip: You can quickly identify which column is the currently sorted one by the triangle
in the column header.

Chapter 6 Using Table View 59

Drag header to
reorder column.

Drag header edge to
resize column.

Select
checkboxes
to display
fields.

Working with Fields in Table View

To re order a colu mn:

Drag the column header left or right to a new location.

To resize a column:

Drag the edge of a column header to the width you want.

To show or hide columns:

In the Fields list, select a field’s checkbox to display the field in table view. Clear the
checkbox to hide the field in table view. When you hide a field in table view, the field
and its data are not deleted from the library or collection.

Tip: To view more columns, hide the Fields list. Choose View > Show, then choose an
option.

Summarizing Column Data

The summary row provides an easy way to perform basic operations on the values in
a column and display the results. The summary row is located at the bottom of table
view and at the bottom of related records list fields.

To show or hide the summary row, choose View > Show Summary Row or Hide
Summary Row.

60 Chapter 6 Using Table View

Choose Sum in the summary row to
calculate the total of the amounts
listed in the Budget column.

Depending on the field type, the following functions are available.

Name Purpose

Sum Calculates the total of the values in the selected field

Count Reports the number of items that have a value in the selected field

Average Reports the average of the values in the selected field

Maximum Reports the highest value of the values in the selected field

Minimum Reports the lowest value of the values in the selected field

You can use the Count function on any type of field. You can use the Sum, Average,
Maximum, and Minimum functions on fields of the following types: Number,
Currency, Duration, Rating, Automatic Counter, and Calculation (when the result is
number, currency, or duration). You can also use the Minimum and Maximum
functions on Date and Time fields.

To calculate a summary for a column:

Click in the summary row of the selected column, then choose a function from the
pop-up menu. The name of the function and the results are displayed in the summary
row.

When you do a search or an Advanced Find, the summary is recalculated based on
the records that are found.

Chapter 6 Using Table View 61

62 Chapter 6 Using Table View

7 Using Fields

Table viewForm view

Tex t fi eld

Fields

Date field

Currency field

Related records

list field

Choice field

7

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, and lists of files.

This chapter describes the purpose of the field types, how to create and modify fields,
how to use the Fields list in table view or form view, and work with file list fields and
media fields.

About Fields

Each library or collection contains a set of fields. Each field allows you to store a
particular kind of data. In the record pictured below, there are seven fields. The
Project Name field contains text. The Start and End fields contain dates. The Status
and Priority fields contain pop-up menus that allow you to make a choice from a list.
The Budget field stores an amount of money. The Vendors field stores information
from other records that are related to the current record.

Once you have created a field, you can use it on multiple forms within the same
library or collection.

63

Field Types

These are the types of fields you can create in Bento:

Field Type Purpose

Tex t Store anything you type*

Number Store numeric data**

Choice Create a pop-up menu in order to select an item from a list

Checkbox Store status information

Media Store image, movie, and sound files

File list Store aliases to other files or folders that are on your computer

Related records list Store records from another library or collection that are related to the

current record

Time Store a time of day, in hours and minutes

Date Store a date and time value. Displays the date by default and can also

display the time.

Duration Store an amount of time in weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds

Calculation Display the result of a specified calculation. Supported operators are

addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and concatenation (joining
two or more strings of text).

Currency Store an amount of money

Automatic counter Assign a higher number to each new record

Rating Set the rating value of an item by clicking stars in the field

Address Store all parts of a single street address

Phone number Store a phone number, including the area code

Email address Store an email address

URL Store a website, FTP site, or AFP site address***

IM account Store an IM account and service name

Notes:
*Maximum text field size is approximately 2 GB.
**The largest number supported is 263.
***The URL field does not support URL values that contain Japanese

characters.

For a list of field types that you can import data into, see “Field Types Supported for
Import” on page 82.

List Fields

When you create address, phone number, email address, URL, and IM account fields,
Bento creates an associated list field that lets you store multiple addresses, phone
numbers, and so on for one record. When you enter data in one of these field types,
Bento displays the same data in the associated list field.

64 Chapter 7 Using Fields

On Form 1, you enter data in
phone number fields.

On Form 2, Bento displays the data in the
phone number list field that you entered in
the phone number fields.

Phone number list field

Phone

number

fields

Form 1 Form 2

For example, if you create a phone number field named “Home Phone Number” in a
library that does not yet contain a phone number field, Bento creates a list field
named “Phone Number List.” If you then add other phone number fields to the same
library, when you enter data in the phone number fields, Bento displays the data in
the field named “Phone Number List.”

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. You can see list fields in the records area in form view but not in table view.

Creating Fields

Follow the steps below to create all types of fields, except calculation, file list, and
related records list fields. For more information about those field types, see
Calculation Fields” on page 66, “Creating File List Fields” on page 67, and “Creating
Related Records List Fields” on page 68.

To create fields:

1 Choose Insert > New Field.

2 Choose a field type.

3 Name the field.

The name must be unique within the library.

4 Set the options on the field, if any.

5 Click Create and Continue or press Command-Enter.

6 Repeat steps 2-5 to create additional fields.

7 Click Close.

The fields are added to the Fields list.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 65

“Creating

This is what you see in
the calculation field.

The formula for
the calculation

Operator buttons

8 If you are looking at records in form view, you can drag a field to a form. If you are

looking at records in table view, you can select a field’s checkbox to display the field
as a column.

Note: In table view, you cannot see media fields or any of the list field types: address,
email address, phone number, IM account, URL, related records list, and file list.

After you have created a field, you can enter data into it, one record at a time.

Creating Calculation Fields

To create a calculation field:

1 Choose Insert > New Field.

2 Choose Calculation.

3 Click Continue.

4 Name the field.

5 Build a formula for your calculation.

To ad d Do this

A reference to a
field

A mathematical
or text operator

The current date Click Today to insert the current date.

The current time Click Now to insert the current time.

A pre-formatted
value

In the Available Fields list, double-click a field name.

Click an operator button or type an operator in the formula.

Click Value, then select a value from the list. Replace the pre-formatted value with the
value you want.

Choose the correct data type for the result you want and set any other options.

66 Chapter 7 Using Fields

6 Click Create.

The new field is added to the Fields list.

Tip: If you are unfamiliar with creating calculations, click Show Examples to see and
experiment with examples of calculations.

Creating File List Fields

Use a file list field to store a list of aliases to files or folders on your computer. Each
alias contains a path to a specific file or folder in a specific location on your hard drive.

If you move or rename a file or folder that an alias refers to, the alias is broken. If you
try to open the file or folder, you can navigate to it or remove the alias from the list.

You can quickly open files or applications that are stored in file list fields. For example,
you could store a PDF file of a resume in the record for a prospective employee.

To create a file list field and add files to it:

1 Choose Insert > New Field.

2 Choose File List.

3 Name the field.

4 Click Create, then Close.

The new field is added to the Fields list.

5 In form view, drag the field to a form.

See “Adding Fields to a Form” on page 50.

Note: You can see file list fields in form view but not in table view.

6 In the bottom-left corner of the table for the file list field, click or choose

Insert > File.

7 In the Open dialog, navigate to the file you want to include in the file list field, then

click Select.

You can also drag files from the Finder to the file list field.

8 Click or double-click an alias in the file list field to open the file.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 67

1. Drag the Vendors
collection onto the
Projects form.

2. Bento creates a new
related records list field on
the form.

3. Add the selected vendor to the related
records list.

Creating Related Records List Fields

Use a related records list field to display records that are related to the current record
you are viewing. These related records are from another library or collection.

For example, if you created a Projects library to manage party planning and wanted
to display certain vendors on a form, you could create a related records list field to
display the contacts listed in a collection named Vendors under the Address Book
library. If you add a new record in the related records list, the record is displayed there
but is stored in the Vendors collection.

You can create a related records list by dragging a library or collection to a form, as
illustrated above, or you can use menu commands, as outlined below.

You can see related records lists in form view but not in table view.

To create a related records list field:

1 Select the library or collection you want to add related records to.

2 Choose Insert > Related Records List.

3 Choose Related Records List.

4 Name the field.

5 Choose the data source from the list.

The data source can be a library or a collection. If you select a library, you can add any
record from the library to the related records list field. If you select a collection, you
can only add records from that collection to the related records list field.

6 Click Create, then Close.

The new field is added to the Fields list.

68 Chapter 7 Using Fields

Related records list field

Column headers

7 Drag the field to the form you want.

You see an empty related records list field with column headers.

8 Click to display records from the data source you specified in step 5.

9 Select the records you want to add, then drag them to the related records list or click

Add to List.

10 Press Esc to close the library or collection window.

1 To remove a record from the related records list, click . This removes the record

from the related records list only. The record still remains in the data source (the
library or collection) that the related records list is based on.

1 If you delete a library or collection that a related records list is based on, the related

records list field is also deleted.

Using the Address Book or iCal Library as a Data Source

You can create related records lists that display records from the Bento Address Book
library or an Address Book collection. If you add Address Book records to the related
records list and make changes to the records, you are actually updating the data in
the Address Book application.

If you delete a contact record from the Address Book application, it is removed from
any related records list where it appeared in Bento.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 69

Field has not

been added to

the current form.

Field has been

added to the

current form.

Locked field

Locked field

Field is displayed in

table view.

Field is not displayed

in table view.

List field (address, email

address, phone number,

IM account, URL, related

records list, file list) has no

checkbox because it can’t

be displayed in table view.

Fields list in table viewFields list in form view

You can create related records lists that display records from the Bento iCal Events
and iCal Tasks libraries. If you change an iCal Event or iCal Task record in a related
records list, you are actually updating the data in the iCal application.

If you delete an event or task record from the iCal application, it is removed from any
related records list where it appeared in Bento.

Using the Fields List

The Fields list displays an alphabetical list of the fields that are available for the
selected library or collection. Use the Fields list to select the fields that you want to
add to the current form (in form view) or to display as columns (in table view).

In the Fields list you can:

1 create a field by clicking

1 drag a field with to a form

1 select a field’s checkbox to display the field in table view

1 double-click field names to modify names and settings. Some fields are locked .

You can’t modify their names or settings because they are shared with Address
Book and iCal or are reserved by Bento.

1 delete a field and its data by clicking . When you delete a field, it is deleted from

the library and from collections and related records list fields that use it. You can’t
delete fields that are used for displaying data from Address Book and iCal, locked

70 Chapter 7 Using Fields

fields, address subfields (for example, street, city, and country fields), and the Date
Created and Date Modified fields.

Note: In the Fields list in table view, there is no checkbox next to media fields or any
of the list field types (address, email address, phone number, IM account, URL,
related records list, and file list) because these fields can’t be displayed in table
view.

Opening Files Stored in File List Fields

When browsing records, you can quickly open files or applications that are stored in
file list fields.

To open files stored in a file list field:

1 Select a form in the navigation bar or choose View > Form > Form Name.

2 Select one or more items in the file list field.

3 Click or double-click the files you want to open.

4 The application associated with each file starts.

For example, if you double-click a PDF file and a QuickTime movie file, the Mac OS X
Preview and QuickTime Player applications start.

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.

Taking Photos

If your computer has an internal or external iSight camera, you can take pictures with
it to use in your forms.

To take a photo:

1 Click an empty media field.

For information about how to create a media field, see “Creating Fields” on page 65.

2 Click .

3 In the window, click , then wait for the image to appear.

4 Optional: Click , then select a special effect to apply to the photo.

5 Click Set to save and load the image into the media field.

Tip: To back up a photo, export it. For more information, see “Exporting Images” on
page 73.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 71

Adding Media Files

You can add sound, image, and movie files to your forms. Image files include images
from the web or other applications.

To add a media file:

1 Click in the media field.

2 Drag a media file from the Finder or iPhoto to the media field or click to choose a

file.

You can’t drag a file from iTunes to the media field.

When you add a media file, Bento copies it into the bento.bentodb file.

If you don’t want to copy the media file into Bento, hold down the Option key while
you drag the media file to the media field. Bento creates an alias that contains a path
to a specific file in a specific location on your hard drive. If you use an alias for the
media file, and then move or rename the original media file, the alias to it is broken.

3 In the Open dialog, click the Music, Photos, or Movies folder.

4 Select the image you want to add, then click Open.

Playing a Movie or Sound File

Playing a movie or sound file in Bento is similar to how you play a movie or sound file
in QuickTime Player.

To play a movie or sound file:

1 Click in the media field.

2 Click in the playbar.

Drag the slider up or down to adjust the volume.

3 To stop playing the movie or sound file, click again. To pause the movie or sound

file, click .

Positioning Images

You can move an image in any direction within a media field.

To position an image:

1 Click in the media field.

2 Drag the image within the field.

If you drag the image out of view, click to bring it back into view.

72 Chapter 7 Using Fields

Resizing Images

You can resize an image within the media field or make it exactly fit the field.

To resize an image:

1 Click in the media field.

2 Drag the zoom slider to zoom in or out on the image.

3 Click 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.

2 Click .

3 In the Save As dialog, navigate to the folder where you want to save the image file.

4 Type a name, then click Save.

Deleting Media Files

When you delete a media file from a record, it is permanently deleted from its library
and from any collections within the same library.

To delete a media file:

1 Click in the media field.

2 Press the Delete key or choose Edit > Delete.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 73

74 Chapter 7 Using Fields

8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

8

Bento lets you import and export information as comma­separated values files. You can also print information to
share it with others.

A good way to start using Bento is by importing information. Bento supports the
comma-separated value (CSV) text file format. For example, you can import CSV files
created from spreadsheets, exported from other databases, or downloaded from
banking or stock websites.

If you need to share your information, you can export your Bento information as a
CSV file. You can export records from a library or from a collection. You can also
export a group of records from search or Advanced Find.

Bento lets you print information from both form view and table view, and from search
and Advanced Find.

About Comma-Separated Files

A comma-separated file, also known as a “comma-separated value” or CSV file, is a
text file that represents a table of data. Each line in the CSV file represents a row of
data (a record) in the table. The CSV file format uses commas to separate values in
each row. Often, the first row of data in the CSV file represents the column names for
the table.

Many applications let you export information in the CSV file format. Bento lets you
import and export information in the CSV file format.

Note: Some locales may use a different separator in CSV files rather than commas.
Bento supports the separator that is defined by your locale setting.

75

Exporting CSV Files from Other Applications

For the best results when importing information into Bento, follow these guidelines:

1 Export your data from the other application as a CSV file. If you have multiple

worksheets in a single spreadsheet file or multiple tables in a database, export each
one into a separate CSV file.

1 If your CSV file contains multiple tables because you are unable to export individual

tables, then split the file into separate CSV files, creating one file for each table.

1 Note whether your CSV file contains a row with the column names. Bento can use

the values in that row as field names when you import the information into a new
library. In Bento, these field names appear as labels in form view and as column
names in table view.

1 Make a note of the order of the fields in the CSV file. If the file doesn’t contain a row

with the column names, you can refer to your notes to manually name the fields
when you import the file.

1 If your application is not able to export information in the CSV file format, check

whether it can export a tab-delimited file instead. Create the tab-delimited file, and
then import the tab-delimited file into an application that can create a CSV file,
such as Microsoft Excel, FileMaker Pro, or Numbers. Or use a text editor to replace
the tab characters in the tab-delimited file with commas.

Correcting CSV Files

In the following cases, you may want to correct the data in the CSV file:

1 Put double quotation marks around field values that have embedded commas.

For example: “10,000 Donors“

1 Put double quotation marks around field values with leading or trailing spaces.

1 Put double quotation marks around field values that contain embedded line-

breaks.

76 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

Example of a comma separated (CSV) file

1 Put double quotation marks around field values that contain double quotation

marks. Change the embedded double quotation marks into a pair of consecutive
double quotation marks.

For example: “She said ““I will be there”” in her email.“

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 77

Click pop-up to
change the field type
from the default of
“Text” or to set to “Do
not import.”

Enter the name for
the new library.

Indicate whether the
CSV file has a row with
column names.

Use arrows to go to the
row that has column
names.

Importing Information into Bento

When you import information into Bento, you can either create a library or import the
information into a library or collection you already have.

Creating a Library by Importing

If the information you are importing does not belong in a library you already have,
then create a library when you import the CSV file.

To create a library by importing:

1 Choose File > Import.

2 Click “Choose” and choose the CSV file you want to import.

3 For “Choose a Target,” choose New Library, and enter a unique name for the library.

78 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

4 Indicate whether the CSV file contains a row with values that you want to use as field

names.

1 If the CSV 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 uses the values in this row as the new field names.

1 If the CSV file does not contain a row with column names, clear “Use this record’s

values as column names.”

Bento sets the field names to default values. To change a default field name,
double-click the field name and type a unique name.

5 Bento sets the field types to “Text” by default. To change a field’s type, click the pop-

up menu and select a new field type.

1 If there is a column that you do not want to import, click the pop-up menu and

select “Do not create.“

1 For information on the field types supported for import, see “Field Types Supported

for Import” on page 82.

6 Click Import.

When the import is done, Bento opens the library in form view.

1 To name the form view, double-click the “Untitled Form” button in the navigation

bar.

1 To apply a theme to the form view, choose Format > Theme.

1 To see all the records that were imported, click the “Table” button.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 79

Click the pop-up and
select a field name to
manually map the
fields set to “Do not
import.”

Indicate whether the
CSV file has a row with
column names.

Use arrows to go to the
row that has column
names.

Importing into a Library

If you want the information that you are importing to go into a library you already
have, then import the CSV file into that library. Bento creates new records in the
library.

You can also import a CSV file into a collection. When you choose a collection as the
target for the import, Bento creates new records in the library that contains that
collection, and adds the new records to the collection.

80 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

To import information into a library or collection:

1 Choose File > Import.

2 Click “Choose” and choose the CSV file you want to import.

3 For “Choose a Target,” choose the library or collection that you want your information

to be added to.

The example above shows the “Address Book” library as a target library.

4 Indicate whether the CSV file contains a row with values that you want to use as

column names.

1 If the CSV 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 CSV 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.) For any
names that do not match, Bento sets the field name to “Do not import” and you
need to map the fields to the columns manually. You can also manually map the
record values that Bento has matched.

1 If the CSV file does not contain a row with column names, clear “Use this record’s

values as column names.”

Without column names, Bento has no way to map the record values to the column
names. Bento sets the column names to “Do not import” and you need to map the
fields to the columns manually.

5 To manually map the record values set to “Do not import,” click the pop-up menu and

select the field name for the import.

6 If there is no field that matches, you can create a field. To create a field, click “Add

Field.” Bento opens the New Field dialog to allow you to add a field to the library.

If the new field’s name matches a column name in the CSV file, Bento maps that
column’s records values to the new field. Otherwise, you can map your column values
to the new field manually.

7 (Optional) See how the record values are mapped to the field names by clicking the

arrow buttons to move through the record contents.

8 Click Import.

When the import is done, Bento opens the library in form view.

To see all the records that were imported, click the “Table” button.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 81

Additional Ways to Import Information

In addition to the File > Import menu item, Bento provides the following ways to
import information:

1 Choose File > New Library to open the New Library dialog. Then click “Import data.”

1 Drag the CSV document icon to the Source list in Bento.

1 Drag the CSV document icon to a specific library or collection in the Source list in

Bento.

1 Drag the CSV document icon to the Bento application icon.

Field Types Supported for Import

You can import into these field types: text, choice, checkbox, number, rating,
currency, time, date, duration, address, phone number, email address, URL, and IM
account.

For this field type This data can be imported

text
choice
address
phone number
IM account

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

checkbox “1” for checked; “0” for not checked

number
currency

rating A number between 0 and 10

time Numeric data in the form HH, HH:MM, or HH:MM:SS, optionally with

Any text

Japanese characters.

“True” for checked; “False” for not checked

Numeric data

“AM” or “PM” where:

1 HH represents the hour (between 0 and 24, if you don’t use “AM” or

“PM”, or between 0 and 12 if you use “AM” or “PM”)

1 MM is minutes (between 0 and 59)
1 SS is seconds (between 0 and 59).

For example: 12:59:59 PM

82 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

For this field type This data can be imported

date Numeric data in the form DD, MM/DD, or MM/DD/YYYY, where:

1 DD is the day (between 1 and 31, as valid for the month)
1 MM is the month (between 1 and 12)
1 YYYY is the year (between 1 and 9999).

A date field can also contain a “time” value, as described for the time
field.

duration Text representing a duration in weeks, days, hours, minutes, and

seconds. The text may use the following abbreviations:

1 w for weeks
1 d for days
1 h for hours
1 m for minutes
1 s for seconds

For example, the following are all valid duration text:

1 8 days, 5 hours
1 8d,5h
1 8d5h

You cannot import into these field types: file list, media, automatic counter,
calculation, or related records list.

When you import into an address, phone number, email, URL, or IM account field, the
data is automatically added to the associated address list, phone number list, email
address list, URL list or IM account list field.

See Chapter 7, “Using Fields,” on page 63 for additional information on field types.

Note: The message “Some values in some records can’t be imported” means that one
or more record values are not valid for the type of field that has been selected for
import. For example, you cannot import alphabetic text into a number field or into a
date field. You can either change the contents of the CSV file, change the field type to
match the data, or proceed with import. If you proceed with import, some of the
values will not be imported.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 83

Exporting Information from Bento

Bento can export information into a CSV file from a library, from a collection, from a
Smart Collection, or from the results of a search or Advanced Find.

Exporting from a Library, Collection, or Smart Collection

When you export records from a library or collection, the information in all of the
fields in the library or collection is exported.

To export from a library, collection, or Smart Collection:

1 Select the library, collection, or Smart Collection that contains the information you

want to export.

2 Choose File > Export and specify the filename and location for the CSV file.

Bento exports the field data from the library, collection, or Smart Collection into a CSV
file with the name you specify.

Exporting from Search or Advanced Find

If you want to export a subset of records, you can use search or Advanced Find to
narrow the set of records in a library or collection, and then export the records.

To export from 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 28.

1 For search, the set of records that matches the criteria is displayed as you type the

search string.

1 For Advanced Find, click Find to display the set of records that matches the criteria.

2 Choose File > Export and specify the filename and location for the CSV file.

Bento exports the field data from the subset of records into a CSV file with the name
you specify.

Additional Ways to Export Information

In addition to the File > Export menu item, Bento provides the following ways to
export information as a CSV file:

1 Drag a library icon from the Source list in Bento to the desktop or to any folder in a

Finder window. Bento exports the field data from all the records in the library into a
CSV file with a name matching the library name and a “.csv” extension.

1 Drag a collection icon from the Source list in Bento to the desktop or to any folder

in a Finder window. Bento exports the field data from all the records in the
collection into a CSV file with a name matching the collection name and a “.csv”
extension.

84 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

Export Considerations for Specific Field Types

You cannot export:

1 Contents of address list fields, phone number list fields, email list fields, URL list

fields, or IM account list fields. (You can export data from individual address, phone
number, email, URL and IM account fields.)

1 Information displayed in a related records list field.

1 File aliases in file list fields.

1 Binary contents of media fields.

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 table or form view
determines the appearance of the printed output.

To print records from a library or collection:

1 Select the library or collection that contains the information you want to print.

2 Select the form or table view that contains the fields that you want to print.

3 Choose File > Print.

4 Click the arrow next to “Printer” to specify other options for the printed output.

1 Select “Selected records only” in form view to print the currently viewed record

only or in table view to print all selected records.

1 Select “All displayed records” to print all of the records in the currently viewed

library or collection.

1 Select “Don’t print background” to print without the background in form view or

without the alternating row colors in table view.

1 For table view, select “Fit to page” to scale the columns and rows to fit on one page.

1 Select additional options to include the title banner, page numbers, date, and time.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 85

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 28.

1 For search, the set of records that matches the criteria is displayed as you type the

search string.

1 For Advanced Find, click Find to display the set of records that matches the criteria.

2 Choose File > Print.

3 Click the arrow next to “Printer” to specify how many records you want to print.

1 Select “Selected records only” in form view to print the currently viewed record

only or in table view to print all selected records.

1 Select “All displayed records” to print all of the records in the current subset.

Printing Mailing Labels

When you use the Bento Address Book library, your contact records update the data
in the Address Book application.

To print address labels:

1 Open the Address Book application.

2 In the Address Book application, select All or a group in the Group column, or select

specific contacts that you want to print.

3 Choose File > Print.

4 Choose Mailing Labels from the Style pop-up menu, then set the print options.

1 Layout: Choose a type of label from the Page pop-up menus. Select “Define

Custom” to set the page margins and gutter space between labels, and to specify
how many labels to print on a page.

1 Label: Choose which addresses to use from the Addresses pop-up menu. Choose

the order in which to print the labels using the “Print in” pop-up menu. Add a small
graphic to the labels by clicking the Image Set button. Change the font by clicking
the Font Set button.

For more information, see the Address Book Help.

86 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

9 Backing Up and Restoring

Information

9

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 revert 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. Revert is just as easy to use; you select the backup file
from which you want to restore data.

Because it’s a good idea to regularly back up your data, Bento provides an optional
reminder to periodically to back up your data.

Note: Backup and revert features apply to all of your data in Bento. If you want to save
the data from an individual library or collection, use the export feature described in
“Exporting Information from Bento” on page 84.

You can also use the Mac OS X application technology called Time Machine to back
up and restore your Bento data.

Tip: To save a copy of your backup file, copy it to another location, such as an external
hard disk or a CD.

87

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 Address Book

and iCal applications. You should back up your Address Book and iCal data whenever
you back up your Bento data.

1 To create a backup of the data in the Address Book application, use the Address

Book application’s archive feature.

1 To create a backup of the data in the iCal application, use the iCal application’s

backup feature.

However, if you add fields to the records in the Address Book library, the iCal Events
library, or the iCal Task library, then the data in those additional fields is included in
the Bento backup file.

How Field Types Are Backed Up

Consider the following when you back up file list fields, media fields, or related
records list fields.

For Bento backs up

File list fields The listed filenames and locations, but not the contents of the files.

Media fields For most media fields, Bento backs up the contents of the fields because Bento stores

copies of the media files.
However, if you use aliases to media files rather than copying the media files into
bento.bentodb, Bento backs up the filenames and locations of the files that are added

to media fields, but not the contents of the files. You should back up these media files
to a location in the Finder.

Related records
list field

The data shown in related records lists, because these fields show data from libraries
and collections.

However, Bento does not back up the data from the Address Book, iCal Events, and
iCal Tasks libraries. If you use related records lists that reference those libraries, then
the data is dependent on what is available in the Address Book and iCal applications.

88 Chapter 9 Backing Up and Restoring Information

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.

2 Select “Display a reminder to back up” and set the frequency for how often you want

to see a reminder to back up your data. You can get a reminder to back up your data
either every week or every month.

To turn off the back up reminder:

1 Choose Bento > Preferences.

2 Clear “Display a reminder to back up.”

Chapter 9 Backing Up and Restoring Information 89

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.

4 (Optional) If you display Address Book and iCal application data in Bento, you should

back up the data in those applications next. The Bento backup file does not include
data from those applications.

Reverting from a Backup File

When you revert data from a Bento backup file, you replace the data that is in Bento
with the contents of the Bento backup file. Any additions you have made in Bento
since you created the backup file are lost. Any deleted records are recovered.

To revert data from a backup file:

1 (Optional) If you display Address Book and iCal application data in Bento, you should

restore the data from those applications’ backup files first. The Bento backup file does
not include data from those applications.

2 Choose File > Revert to Bento Backup and locate the backup file.

3 Click Open.

4 When Bento displays a confirmation dialog, click Continue. Bento loads the contents

of the Bento backup file.

90 Chapter 9 Backing Up and Restoring Information

Using Time Machine with Bento

Time Machine is the Mac OS X application that backs up your computer on a regular
basis.

To use Time Machine to back up your Bento data, set the backup options so that Time
Machine backs up the user's Library folder. Then 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.

2 In the Time Machine preferences, slide the switch to ON and choose a backup disk.

3 Click Options. Make sure that the user's Library folder is included in the list of items

that are backed up by Time Machine.

To restore Bento data using Time Machine:

1 (Optional) If you display Address Book and iCal application data in Bento, restore the

data from those applications’ backup files first. The Bento backup file does not
include data from those applications.

2 Open a Finder window to the user’s Library folder for Bento:

Library/Application Support/Bento/

3 Open Time Machine from the Dock or the Applications folder.

4 Use the arrows or the timeline along the right side of your screen to browse through

all the backups that Time Machine has created.

5 When you find the date for the data you want to restore, select the file bento.bentodb

and then click Restore.

The restored bento.bentodb file is copied to Library/Application Support/Bento/,
replacing all of the data that is in Bento.

6 Open Bento. Bento loads the contents of the restored bento.bentodb file.

Chapter 9 Backing Up and Restoring Information 91

92 Chapter 9 Backing Up and Restoring Information

A 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.”

To set full keyboard access to all controls:

1 Open System Preferences (choose Apple Menu > System Preferences).

2 Open “Keyboard & Mouse” preferences.

3 Click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.

4 Under Full keyboard access, select “All controls.”

Action Shortcut

Working w ith Form View

Customize form Option-Command-C

Move to next field Ta b

Move to previous field Shift-Tab

Rename form Double-click form name

Select multiple fields Select one field, then Shift-click another field to select all fields in

Extend field selection With fields selected, Command-click field to add a field to selection,

93

between

if it is not selected, or to remove a field from selection, if it is selected

Action Shortcut

Working with Table View

Edit a selected record Enter

Extend selection upward Shift-up arrow

Extend selection downward Shift-down arrow

Move to previous record Up arrow

Move to the next record Down arrow

Show or hide summary row Command-R

Select multiple records Select one record, then Shift-click another record to select all records

in between

Extend record selection With records selected, Command-click record to add a record to

Move to next field Ta b

Move to previous field Shift-Tab

Working with Records

Add record Command-N

Duplicate record Shift-Command-D

Delete record (Library)
Remove record (Collection)

Go to next record Command-right bracket (])

Go to previous record Command-left bracket ([)

Go to first record Option-Command-left bracket ([)

Go to last record Option-Command-right bracket (])

selection, if it is not selected, or to remove a record from selection, if
it is selected

Command-Delete

Work ing wit h Text and Obj ects

Select all text within selected
object

Deselect all text within selected
object

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

94 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts

Command-A

Shift-Command-A

Action Shortcut

General

Create library (opens New Library
dialog)

Create collection Shift-Command-N

Create Smart Collection Option-Command-N

Show or hide Advanced Find Command-F

Use search field Option-Command-F

Show Source list, records area, and
Fields list

Show Source list and records area Command-2

Show records area and Fields list Command-3

Show records area only Command-4

Move to next area of main window
(to the right)

Move to previous area of main
window (to the left)

Import CSV file Shift-Command-I

Export current library or collection
as CSV file

Print current library or collection in
the current view

Undo last action Command-Z

Redo last undone action Shift-Command-Z

Close window Esc

Minimize window Command-M

Show preferences Command-comma (,)

Show Bento Help Command-question mark (?)

Hide Bento Command-H

Hide other windows Option-Command-H

Quit Bento Command-Q

Command-L

Command-1

Control-Option-right arrow

Control-Option-left arrow

Shift-Command-E

Command-P

Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 95

96 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts

Index

Index

A

Address Book application 8, 23

Address Book groups 37
displaying data from 35

Address Book library 8

described 23, 31, 37
fields updated in Address Book application 39
hiding 36

Advanced Find 29
aliases to files or folders 67
aligning fields on forms 54
archiving. See backing up
Average function 61

B

backing up

described 87
turning off reminder 89

back ups, reverting from 90
bento.bentodb 72, 91
Blank template 34

C

calculation fields 64

creating 66

calculations, setting up 66
calendars, displaying 40
calendars, subscribed 41
cards. See forms
choice fields 64
collections 13

adding to Source list 22
and Address Book groups 37
creating 44
deleting 45
described 23, 43
displaying different data from 47
importing to 80
relating records in different 68
viewing fields in 30

color of form, changing 52

column names 79
columns, page layout 52
columns in table view See also fields

changing order and width 60
described 57
showing or hiding 60

comma-separated value files 12

described 75

contacts

Address Book application 35
displaying 37
emailing 49

related 68
copying records 49, 58
Count function 61
creating

collections 44

fields 65, 70

forms 50

libraries 32

records in form view 48

records in table view 58

Smart Collections 46
CSV files 12

described 75
current date and time 48
customizing forms 50

D

databases, importing from 76
data sources, specifying for related records 68
dates

current 48

displaying 40
deleting

collections 45

fields and data 70

fields from form 51

libraries 34

media files 73

records 34, 49, 59

97

E

emails 49
events

displaying 40
iCal application 35

exporting 84

F

field labels 47

moving 53

field names 65

changing 70
setting up during import 79

fields

adding to a form 50
aligning on forms 54
calculating data in 64, 66
creating 65, 70
deleting data from 70
deleting from form 51
described 63
displayed from Address Book 39
displayed from iCal 41
in current library 30
in different form views 47
in form view 63
in table view 57, 63
list fields 64
locked 70
media fields 71
resizing 51
selecting 51

Fields list 21

described 30, 70
hiding 21, 60
using to hide fields in table view 60

field types

and exporting 85
and importing 82
choosing 65
described 64

file list fields 64

creating 67

opening files from 71
FileMaker Pro 76
finding records 28
format, changing 52
forms

adding fields to 50

adding media files to 72

adding objects to 54

changing themes 52

creating 50

customizing 50
formulas 66

form view

described 26, 32, 47
Overview and Details buttons 27

G

groups, Address Book

and Bento collections 37

H

Home dialog 20

hiding 20

I

iCal application 9, 23

displaying data from 35

iCal Events library 9

described 23, 31, 40

fields updated in iCal application 41
iCal libraries, hiding 36
iCal Tasks library

described 23, 31, 40

fields displayed in iCal application 41
images 71

moving and resizing 72

saving 73
importing 12

described 75

into existing library 80

into new library 78

preparing for 76
iSight cameras 71
iTunes playlists 43

J

JPEGs 71

K

keyboard shortcuts 93

L

labels

field 47

mailing 86
layouts. See forms
libraries 11

adding to Source list 22

creating by importing 34, 78

creating by using templates 32

deleting 34

described 22, 31, 35

displaying different data from 47

importing to existing 80

relating records in different 68

viewing fields in 30
library templates. See templates

98 Index

list fields 64
locked fields 70

M

mailing labels 86
mapping fields 81
Maximum function 61
media fields 71
media files, deleting 73
Microsoft Excel 76
Minimum function 61
movies 72
MP3 files 71
music 72

N

navigation bar 27
Numbers 76

O

objects

selecting on form 51
text boxes 54

operators 66

P

PDF files 67
photos 71
printing 85

mailing labels 86
selected records 86

Q

QuickTime 71

R

records

adding 48, 58, 80
adding media files to 72
adding to collections 44
calculating data in 64
deleting 34, 49, 59
duplicating 49, 58
finding 28
in form view 47
in table view 57
related 68
removing 44

sorting 59
records area 21
related records list fields 64

creating 68
related records lists 15, 68

and Address Book application 69

and iCal application 70

relationships 15, 68
removing records from collection 44
reverting data 90
rows in table view. See records

S

searching 28
sending emails 49
separators, horizontal 54
Smart Collections 38

creating 46

described 23, 45
Smart Groups 38
sorting records 59
sound files 72
Source list 21

described 22

hiding 21
spacers 55
spreadsheet format. See table view
spreadsheets, importing from 76
subscribed calendars 41
Sum function 61
summary row 60

T

tab-delimited files 76
table view

changing columns in 60

described 25, 32, 57
tasks

displaying 40

iCal application 35
technical support 18
templates 10

Blank template 34

creating libraries with 32

described 24
text, changing size 53
text boxes 54
themes

changing for a form 52

described 26
time, current 48
Time Machine 87, 91
to do lists. See tasks
troubleshooting

Address Book updates 39

iCal updates 42
tutorial 17

V

views, described 25

Index 99

100 Index