FileMaker Bento 2 User’s Guide

Bento® 2

User’s Guide

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Edition: 02

1 Contents

Preface 7Welcome to Bento

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

Chapter 1 19 Overview of Bento

19 Home Dialog
21 Bento Window

Chapter 2 33 Using Libraries

33 About Libraries
34 Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates
36 Creating a New Blank Library
36 Creating a Library by Importing
36 Deleting Records from a Library
37 Deleting a Library

Chapter 3 39 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

39 Displaying the Address Book and iCal Libraries
40 Address Book Library
43 iCal Events and iCal Tasks Libraries

Chapter 4 47 Using Collections

47 About Collections
48 Creating Collections
48 Removing Records from a Collection
49 Deleting a Collection
49 About Smart Collections
50 Creating Smart Collections
50 Working with Smart Collections
50 Changing a Smart Collection

3

Chapter 5 51 Using Form View

51 About Forms
52 Viewing a Form and a Table at the Same Time
52 Creating Records in Form View
52 Editing Records in Form View
53 Duplicating Records in Form View
53 Deleting Records in Form View
54 Creating Forms
54 Deleting Forms
54 Duplicating Forms
54 Renaming Forms
55 Adding Fields to a Form
55 Tabbing Between Fields
55 Moving Fields and Objects on Forms
56 Resizing Fields and Objects
56 Removing Fields from a Form
56 Customizing Form Layouts

Chapter 6 61 Using Table View

61 About Table View
62 Selecting Records in Table View
62 Creating Records in Table View
63 Editing Records in Table View
64 Duplicating Records in Table View
64 Deleting Records in Table View
64 Sorting Records
65 Working with Fields and Columns in Table View
67 Summarizing Column Data

Chapter 7 69 Using Fields

69 About Fields
72 Creating Fields
78 Navigating to Related Records
79 Using the Fields Pane
80 Working with List Fields
82 Working with Media Fields

Chapter 8 85 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

85 About Comma-Separated and Tab-Separated Files
88 Importing Information into Bento
94 Exporting Information from Bento
97 Printing Information

4 Contents

Chapter 9 99 Backing Up and Restoring Information

100 About Bento Backup Files
101 Using the Back Up Reminder
101 Changing the Back Up Reminder
102 Creating a Backup File
102 Reverting from a Backup File
103 Using Time Machine with Bento

Chapter 10 105 Using Bento with Bento for iPhone and iPod touch

105 Syncing Information Between Bento and Bento for iPhone

Appendix A 109 Keyboard Shortcuts

Index 113

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 X. 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 20 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), tab-separated values
(TAB), Numbers, or Excel file, and then import the file into Bento. Bento creates the
fields needed to hold your data and creates records for each row of data in the file.

12 Preface Welcome to Bento

Drag the selected

records to the

Libraries pane.

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 Libraries pane.

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

Preface Welcome to Bento 13

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.

14 Preface Welcome to Bento

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.

Preface Welcome to Bento 15

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 33

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 47

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 pane

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,”

Syncing information between Bento and Bento for
iPhone

Using keyboard shortcuts Appendix A, “Keyboard Shortcuts,” on page 109

Chapter 3, “Using the Address Book and iCal
Libraries,” on page 39

Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 51

Chapter 6, “Using Table View,” on page 61

Chapter 7, “Using Fields,” on page 69

page 85

on page 99

Chapter 10, “Using Bento with Bento for iPhone and
iPod touch,” on page 105

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 a demonstration of what you can do with Bento, view the tutorials.

To access the tutorials:

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

16 Preface Welcome to Bento

Bento Forum

Visit the Bento forum to get technical support, tips, report problems, and share with
others how you use Bento.

To access the Bento forum:

Choose Help > Bento Forum.

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.

Preface Welcome to Bento 17

18 Preface Welcome to Bento

1 Overview of Bento

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.

1

This chapter provides an overview of Bento features.

This chapter is a description of what you see when you start using Bento. It introduces
the Home dialog and describes the sections of the Bento window, including the
Libraries pane, the Fields pane, and the records area where you can display your
information in table view, form views, or split view.

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.

19

Clear this checkbox if

you don’t need the

Home dialog.

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

> Preferences and clear the “Display

Home dialog” checkbox.

20 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

Libraries pane Records area

Fields pane

Bento Window

The Bento window contains two main sections:

1 The left side of the window contains the Libraries pane and the Fields pane.

1 The right side of the window displays the records in Bento. You can display record

data in table view, form view, or split view.

By default, both sections of the Bento window are displayed. To hide the Libraries
pane and Fields pane, choose View

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 21

> Hide Libraries & Fields Pane.

Address Book

Library

iCal Events

Library

Collections of
Address Book
records

Collection of
iCal Events

Collection of
records from

Projec ts

New Library

New Collection

Projects Library

iCal Tasks Library

Libraries Pane

The Libraries pane 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 Libraries pane, click the New Library button.

See Chapter 2, “Using Libraries,” on page 33.

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 Libraries pane, click the New Collection button.

See Chapter 4, “Using Collections,” on page 47.

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 40.

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 43.

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 43.

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 a new collection.

Creating a collection is as easy as creating a playlist in iTunes. Select the records in
the library and use the New Collection from Selection menu item, or drag the
selected records to the Libraries pane.

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 47.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 23

Creating Libraries

Bento comes with more than 20 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 34.

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.

Split view lets you view a record as a row in a table and in a page-like format at the same time.

Records Area

On the right side of the Bento window, you can display information stored in Bento in
either table view, a form view, or split view.

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.

1 Split view shows the selected record in both form view and table view at the same

time.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 25

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 (fields) 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 61.

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 51.

Split View

To view the selected record in form view and table view at the same time, use split
view.

26 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

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 56.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 27

Form view buttons New form Delete form

Previous record

Show or hide
split view

Next record Search field

Table view

Navigation Bar

The navigation bar 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 Click to show or hide records in both form view and table view at the same

time.

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.

Search Field and Advanced Find

1 Use the Search field to do a simple search for text in all field types except media,

related records list, file list, and message list.

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.

28 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

1. Type “M”and the result is 29 records. 2. Type “Ma” and the result is 12 records.

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

Bento searches across all the applicable fields of the selected library or collection.
Bento lets you know how many records match the search string, and updates the
current view to display the matching records for those fields that are selected in table
view or have been added to a form in form view. Since Bento searches all fields, the
number of records found may not match the number of records that are displayed.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 29

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 Sm art

Collections” on page 49.

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.

30 Chapter 1 Overview of Bento

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.

In form view

In table view

Select an

unchecked field to

show it as a

column in table

view.

Address subfields
can’t be added to the
form individually.

Fields Pane

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

1 In a form view, use the Fields pane to add fields to the current form by dragging a

field name with

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

1 In split view, the Fields pane indicates the fields that can be added to the current

form or can be displayed in table view.

to the form.

See “Using the Fields Pane” on page 79.

Chapter 1 Overview of Bento 31

32 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 39.

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), tab-separated

(TAB), Numbers, Excel, or library template 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.

33

Bento provides several 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 61.

1 Split view shows a record in form view and table view at the same time.

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 88.

“Creating a Library Using the Bento Templates.”

Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 51.

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

34 Chapter 2 Using Libraries

“Importing Information into Bento” on page 88.

To create a library using the Bento templates:

1 Choose File > New Library from Template.

2 In the New Library dialog, select a template category in the left column, then select

the template.

Select “Blank” if none of the templates meet your needs. You can create all of the
fields yourself with the Blank library.

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

Bento creates the library and opens it 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 52.

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

“Adding Fields to a Form” on page 55.

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

fields. See

Chapter 2 Using Libraries 35

“Removing Fields from a Form” on page 56.

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

“Customizing Form Layouts” on page 56.

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

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 56.

Chapter 5, “Using Form View,” on page 51

Creating a New Blank Library

You can get started quickly by creating a blank library, then add data to it as you
would in a spreadsheet.

To create a new blank library:

1 Choose File > New Blank Library.

Bento creates a library with a default name and opens it in table view.

2 Double-click the library name to rename it.

3 Click in the highlighted cell to start entering or pasting data.

See “Editing Records in Table View” on page 63 and “Copying and Pasting Data in
Table View” on page 63.

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 88.

Deleting Records from a Library

To delete records from a library:

1 Select the library.

2 Select the records and press Command-Delete.

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

36 Chapter 2 Using Libraries

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, see
Libraries” on page 39.

“Displaying the Address Book and iCal

Chapter 2 Using Libraries 37

38 Chapter 2 Using Libraries

3 Using the Address Book and iCal

Libraries

3

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 events from the iCal application

1 iCal Tasks library, which displays to-do items 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.

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.”

39

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.

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.

40 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

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
the Address Book application.

Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries 41

Collections from the Bento Address Book library are not added to

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 address list
First name
Home page

IM account: Home, Work, Other
IM account list
Is Company
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 in Bento.

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 and may involve fields in the Address Book application that are not available
to 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 99 for information on creating a Bento backup file.

42 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

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 85 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.

Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries 43

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 fields in the Bento iCal Events library update the iCal application.

1 All Day

1 Calendar

1 End date

1 Location

1 Note

1 Start date

1 Title

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 fields in the Bento iCal Task library update the iCal application.

1 Calendar

1 Completion date

1 Due date

1 Note

1 Priority

1 Title

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 7, “Using Fields,” for information on

44 Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries

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 99 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 85 for information on importing and exporting.

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

Chapter 8, “Importing, Exporting, and

Chapter 3 Using the Address Book and iCal Libraries 45

46 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.

47

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 Libraries pane.

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 Libraries pane.

Removing Records from a Collection

To remove records from a collection:

1 Select the collection.

2 Select the records and press the Delete key.

48 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 removed 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
automatically 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 Libraries
pane.

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.

Chapter 4 Using Collections 49

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 63 and “Duplicating Records in Table View”
on page 64.

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
Libraries pane.

50 Chapter 4 Using Collections

5 Using Form View

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

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 create and use
multiple forms, or pages, to display different information about that record.

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

If you want to see more than one record at a time, or scan and sort your information
quickly, use table view instead. See

51

Chapter 6, “Using Table View.”

Forms can also display records from other libraries or collections in related records list
fields. For example, you can display a list of people who are attending an event on a
form in the iCal Event library. See

“Creating Related Records List Fields” on page 76.

Viewing a Form and a Table at the Same Time

You can view a selected record in form view and table view at the same time. Select
the record, then choose View > Split View.

Creating Records in Form View

You can create records in either form view or table view. For table view instructions,
see

“Creating Records in Table View” on page 62.

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 View > 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.

Tip: To quickly create a record, Control-click in a blank area on the form and choose
New Record from the pop-up menu.

Editing Records in Form View

To edit a record:

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

2 Navigate to the desired record.

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

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

4 Click the field you want to change, modify the data, then click outside the field or

press Tab to save the change.

52 Chapter 5 Using Form View

Adding the Current Date and Time to a Field

When editing a record, you can add the current date and time to a date, time, or text
field.

To add the current date and time to a field:

1 Click in the date, time, or text field.

2 Choose Insert > Current Date and Time.

If the field type is You see the current

Date Date. Set the “Display Time” option to also display the time.

Time Time

Tex t Da te a nd t ime

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.

Deleting Records in Form View

To permanently delete a selected record from a library:

1 Select the library.

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

3 Select the record.

4 Choose Records > Delete Record or press Command-Delete.

In the dialog, 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 Record.

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

Note: if you delete a record from the Address Book library, the record is also deleted in
the Address Book application. If you delete a record from the iCal Events or iCal Tasks
library, the record is also deleted in the iCal application.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 53

Creating Forms

To create a form:

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

2 Click in the navigation bar or choose Forms > New Form.

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

3 Add fields to the blank form.

See “Adding Fields to a Form” on page 55.

4 Create records.

See “Creating Records in Form View” on page 52.

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 or choose Forms > Delete Form.

If there is only one form, you can’t delete it.

Duplicating Forms

To duplicate a form:

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

2 Choose Forms > 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.

54 Chapter 5 Using Form View

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 View > Form Name.

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

To move a field, see “Moving Fields and Objects on Forms” on page 55. To resize a
field, see “Resizing Fields and Objects” on page 56. To create a field, choose Insert >
New Field. See “Creating Fields” on page 72.

Tabbing Between Fields

To tab 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, and within each column if

you have added a column divider. Press Shift-Tab to move in the reverse direction.

Note: To enable the Tab key to move to all controls, make sure “All controls” is
selected in the Mac OS X Keyboard and Mouse preferences (Keyboard Shortcuts tab).

Moving Fields and Objects on Forms

To move one field or object:

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

2 Move your mouse near the field label or the edges of the field or object. When the

cursor changes into a hand, click to select the field or object, then drag it to a new
location.

Bento allows you to drag fields above, below, next to, or between other objects on
the form.

To move multiple fields or objects:

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

2 Command-click or Shift-click to select multiple fields or objects.

Tip: To quickly select many fields and objects, click in an empty part of the form, and
while holding down the mouse button, drag to select multiple items.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 55

Resizing Fields and Objects

Any field and any object can be resized.

To resize a field:

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

2 Select the field or object.

3 Move the cursor to one of the handles. When the cursor changes to a double arrow,

drag to change the size.

Removing Fields from a Form

To remove a field from a form:

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

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

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

Customizing Form Layouts

You can quickly change the appearance of a form.

Changing the Theme

You can change a form’s theme (the coordinated colors, layout, and text attributes) at
any time. 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 View > Form Name.

2 Choose Forms > Choose Theme.

3 In the Theme Chooser, select a theme, then click OK.

You see a ripple effect as the theme changes. If you don’t want the ripple effect,
choose Bento

If you want to preview a theme before applying it to your form, click Try It.

56 Chapter 5 Using Form View

> Preferences, then clear “Display animation.”

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

2 Position the cursor over a column divider, then drag left or right.

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

Changing the Position and Size 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 View > Form Name.

2 Choose Forms > Labels.

3 Select Above or Beside.

To change the size of text in labels:

1 Choose Forms > Labels.

2 Select Small, Medium, or Large.

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

2 Select the fields by clicking near the field labels.

Command-click or Shift-click to select multiple fields.

3 Choose Forms > Text Size.

4 Select a size from the list: Smallest, Small, Medium, Large, Largest.

Changing the Shading of Fields

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

To change the shading of fields:

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

2 Select the fields by clicking near the field labels.

Command-click or Shift-click to select multiple fields.

3 Choose Forms > Shading.

4 Select a level of shading: None, Light, or Dark.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 57

Aligning the Right Edges of Fields

You can align the rightmost edges of selected fields within a column.

To align the right edges of fields:

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

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

Command-click or Shift-click to select multiple fields.

Tip: To quickly align the right edges of many fields, click in an empty part of the form,
and while holding down the mouse button, drag to select multiple items.

3 Choose Forms > Align Right Edges.

Adding Text Boxes

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

To add a text box:

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

2 Choose Insert > Text Box.

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

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

Adding Horizontal Separators

A horizontal separator is an object you can add to a form. Separators help organize
forms by visually separating the items above and below the separator. The
appearance of the horizontal separator is defined by the theme applied to the form.
You can change the horizontal separator's width but not its height.

To add a horizontal separator:

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

2 Choose Insert > Horizontal Separator.

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

Adding Column Dividers

You can divide up space on a form with column dividers.

To add a column divider:

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

2 Choose Insert > Column Divider.

3 Drag the column divider to the desired location on the form.

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

2 Choose Insert > Spacer.

3 Drag the spacer to the desired location on the form.

Drag the right or bottom edge of the spacer to change its width or height.

4 Choose Forms > Shading.

5 Select a level of shading.

Chapter 5 Using Form View 59

60 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, summarize, and display data in columns.

About Table View

In table view, you can see your records in rows with the fields in columns (in a format
similar to a spreadsheet).

To go to table view, 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 using sort commands in the

column header pop-up menu

1 duplicate one or more records

1 delete multiple records

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

1 enter, select, copy, and paste values in one or more cells, in a spreadsheet-like

manner

61

1 summarize and display data

1 select and drag multiple records to create new collections within one 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, file list, and message list.
See

“Working with Media Fields” on page 82 and “List Fields” on page 71.

Viewing a Table and Form at the Same Time

You can view a selected record in table view and form view at the same time. Select
the record, then choose View > Split View.

Setting Table View Text Size

You can change the size of text for displaying records in table view.

To change the size of text used in table view:

1 Choose Bento > Preferences.

2 For “Table View Text,” select Small or Large.

Selecting Records in Table View

To select one record in table view:

Click a row number.

To select multiple records in table view:

Click a row number, then Shift-click the last row you want to include in the selection.
Or Command-click individual rows to include in the selection.

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. Or click in the last empty row and start

typing.

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

3 Type data in the columns.

If you type data in the last column, Bento creates a new field with the default name
Field.

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.

62 Chapter 6 Using Table View

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.

Press Command-Return to insert a line break in a text field.

Copying and Pasting Data in Table View

You can copy and paste data between Bento records in the same or other libraries as
well as between Bento and spreadsheet applications such as Numbers and Excel.

To co py dat a:

1 Do one of the following:

1 In Bento, select one or more rows of data by clicking the row number. To select

adjacent rows, select one row, then hold down the Shift key as you select adjacent
rows. To select nonadjacent rows, hold down the Command key as you select rows.

1 Drag a selected block of data from a spreadsheet application to Bento.

Note: In your spreadsheet application, you may need to switch rows of cells to
columns or columns to rows before copying the data.

2 Choose Edit > Copy.

Bento copies the selected data to the Clipboard.

To pas te dat a:

1 Click a cell.

2 Choose Edit > Paste.

Bento creates additional records and columns as necessary.

Note: When pasting into existing fields, Bento pastes as many values as possible. If the
data being pasted can't be entered in a certain field type, that data is rejected.

To paste data into new columns:

1 Click a cell in the empty column after the last column of data.

2 Choose Edit > Paste.

Bento creates new text fields, and additional records as necessary.

Chapter 6 Using Table View 63

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, the record is created in the parent library
and displayed in the collection.

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

Command-Delete.

In the dialog, 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

Command-Delete.

In the dialog, 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 library.

Sorting Records

To sort records:

Click the pop-up menu in a column header, then choose Sort Ascending or Sort
Descending.

If you want to sort two or more fields, sort by the least significant field first, followed
by the more important field or fields. For example, to sort records by last name and
first name, first sort by the First Name field, then by the Last Name field.

64 Chapter 6 Using Table View

Working with Fields and Columns in Table View

Creating Fields in Table View

To create a field in table view:

1 For blank libraries, the first field is automatically created with the default name New

Field.

2 Double-click the column header and type a new name for the field, then press Return.

3 Enter data in the field.

Bento creates a text field by default. You can change the field to another type. See
“Changing the Field Type” on page 66.

4 Press Tab to create another field, where you can continue typing in the same record.

5 Repeat steps 2-4 to create as many fields as you want.

Adding Fields in Table View

To add a field before or after a column:

1 Click in a column header.

2 Choose Add Field Before or Add Field After.

A new column is inserted before or after the current column with the default name
Field.

3 Type a new name for the field.

Changing Options for a Field

To change field options:

1 Click in a column header.

2 Choose Edit Field.

3 Change the field name or set options.

Duplicating Fields

To duplicate a field:

1 Click in a column header.

2 Choose Duplicate Field.

Chapter 6 Using Table View 65

Select

checkboxes

to display

fields.

Changing the Field Type

You can change the type of some fields to another. For more information see
“Changing an Existing Field from One Type to Another” on page 80.

To change the field type:

1 Click in a column header.

2 Choose Change To, then select a field type from the list.

Showing and Hiding Columns

To hid e colu mns:

1 Click in a column header.

2 Choose Hide Field.

To show or hide columns using the Fields pane:

In the Fields pane, select a field’s checkbox to display the field in table view. 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 display more data, hide the Libraries and Fields pane. Choose View > Hide
Libraries & Fields Pane.

Deleting Fields in Table View

To delete a field in table view:

1 Click in a column header.

2 Choose Delete Field.

66 Chapter 6 Using Table View

3 In the dialog, click Delete.

The fields and their data are permanently removed from the library.

Drag header to
reorder column.

Drag header edge to
resize column.

Fill handle

Reordering Columns

To re order a colu mn:

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

Resizing Columns

To resize a column:

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

Filling Fields Automatically

Bento lets you use the content in one or more rows to automatically add or replace
records below the selected fields.

To fill fields automatically:

1 Select one or more fields in one or more records.

2 Drag the fill handle to copy the fields’ values downward as far as you drag.

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.

Chapter 6 Using Table View 67

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 an entry 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.

68 Chapter 6 Using Table View

7 Using Fields

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 pane, and work with file list fields, message list fields, and media
fields.

About Fields

Each library contains a set of fields. Each field allows you to store a particular kind of
data. In the record pictured below, there are several 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 contains a list of vendors that worked
on a particular project. The Phone Number field contains a phone number.

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

69

Tab le vi ewForm view

Tex t fi eld

Fields

Date field

Currency field

Related records

list field

Choice field

Display phone

number in large

type

From address, email, IM account, phone number, and URL fields you can perform
tasks such as sending an email message, getting directions to the address in the
selected field, or displaying a phone number in large type.

70 Chapter 7 Using Fields

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 Provide an on-off type of choice

Media Store image, movie, and sound files

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

Message list Display emails, notes, and RSS articles from the Mac OS X Mail application

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, minutes, and seconds, AM or PM

Field Type Purpose

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

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

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

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 components 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

display the time.

addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and concatenation (joining
two or more words or sentences).

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 93.

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.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 71

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 values stored in list fields in form view but not in table view.

Creating Fields

Follow the steps below to create all types of fields, except calculation, file list,
message list, and related records list fields. For more information about those field
types, see
page 74, “Creating Message List Fields” on page 75, and “Creating Related Records

72 Chapter 7 Using Fields

List Fields” on page 76.

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.

“Creating Calculation Fields” on page 73, “Creating File List Fields” on

6 Repeat steps 2-5 to create additional fields.

7 Click Close.

The fields are added to the Fields pane.

8 In the Fields pane, add or display fields.

To Do this in the Fields pane

Add a field to a form in form view or split view Drag

Display a field as a column in table view or split view Select a field’s checkbox.

to the form.

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, file list, and
message 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

Chapter 7 Using Fields 73

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.

This is what you see in
the calculation field.

The formula for
the calculation

Operator buttons

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

6 Click Create.

The new field is added to the Fields pane.

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.

You can preview files that are stored in file list fields with Quick Look. See “Previewing
Files with Quick Look” on page 82.

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 pane.

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

See “Adding Fields to a Form” on page 55.

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

74 Chapter 7 Using Fields

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.

Creating Message List Fields

Use a message list field to store aliases to Mac OS X Mail messages, notes, and RSS
articles that are relevant to a specific record. For example, you can keep a log of
correspondence linked to a project or event.

To create a message list field:

1 Choose Insert > New Field.

2 Choose Message List.

3 Name the field.

4 Click Create, then Close.

The new field is added to the Fields pane.

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

See “Adding Fields to a Form” on page 55.

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

6 Add Mac OS X Mail items (messages, notes, and RSS articles) to the field.

See “Adding Mac OS X Mail Items to a Message List Field” on page 81.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 75

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 planning a holiday party and
wanted to display certain vendors on a form, you could create a related records list
field to display the vendor or vendors that you hired to supply party equipment.
These records come from the Vendors collection 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 > New Field.

3 Choose Related Records List.

4 Name the field.

76 Chapter 7 Using Fields

Related records list field

Column headers

5 Choose the data source from the list.

Only one instance of the data source can be used for a given library.

The data source can be a library, collection, or Smart 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 pane.

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.

If the data source is a Smart Collection, is disabled, since you can’t add records to a
Smart Collection.

9 Select the record you want to add, then drag it 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.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 77

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

records list field is also deleted.

1 If a record that appears in a related records list is deleted in its data source, the

record is also deleted from any other related records list it appears in.

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.

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.

Navigating to Related Records

You can view the details of a specific record stored in a related records list, and you
can quickly navigate among records stored in different related records lists.

To navigate among related records:

1 Click a record in a related records list field.

2 Click to go to the record in its library or collection and view the record’s details.

You can edit the record you are viewing.

3 As you navigate among records in different related records lists, you can quickly

return to the previously viewed related record by clicking .

However, once you select an item in the Libraries pane, Bento stops keeping track of
the related records you viewed and

disappears.

78 Chapter 7 Using Fields

Field has not been
added to the
current form.

Field has been
added to the
current form.

Field is

displayed in

table view.

Field is not

displayed in

table view.

List field has no

checkbox

because it can’t

be displayed in

table view.

In table view

In form view

Address subfields
can’t be added to
the form
individually.

Using the Fields Pane

The Fields pane displays an alphabetical list of the fields that are available for the
selected library or collection. Use the Fields pane 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 split
view, the Fields pane indicates the fields that can be added to the current form or can
be displayed in table view.

In the Fields pane 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 duplicate a field by clicking and choosing Duplicate

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

Chapter 7 Using Fields 79

Note: In the Fields pane 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, file list, and message list) because these fields can’t be displayed
in table view.

Changing an Existing Field from One Type to Another

You can change the type of some fields to another. See the table below.

Convert to:
Convert
from:

Tex t 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Number 1 1 1 1 1 1

Choice 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Checkbox 1 1 1

Time 1 1

Date 1 1

Duration 1 1

Currency 1 1 1

Rating 1 1 1

Tex t Number Choice Checkbox Ti me Date Duration Currency Rating Phone

Other list
fields

To change an existing field from one type to another:

1 Select a column name in table view.

2 Click .

3 Choose Change To, then select a field type from the list.

Working with List Fields

Each type of list field has a pop-up menu from which you can quickly perform actions
such as displaying the selected phone number in large type, getting directions to or
from the selected address, and displaying a map for the selected address.

Sending Emails

In form view, 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 View > Form Name.

2 Click next to the email address field.

If you see , the email address is not valid.

80 Chapter 7 Using Fields

3 The default email application opens and displays a blank email message addressed to

the name in the email address field.

4 Compose the message and send it.

Adding Mac OS X Mail Items to a Message List Field

In message list fields, you can store aliases to Mac OS X Mail messages, notes, and RSS
articles that are relevant to a specific record. For instructions on creating message list
fields, see

To add a Mac OS X Mail message, note or RSS article to a message list field:

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

2 In the bottom-left corner of the message list field, click to open the Mac OS X Mail

application.

3 In Mac OS X Mail, select a folder that contains messages, notes, or RSS articles.

4 Drag one or more items to the message list field.

Tip: Click to show the fields for the message list field in the Fields pane.

To open the items in Mac OS X Mail, see “Opening Files Stored in File List Fields and
Message List Fields” below.

“Creating Message List Fields” on page 75.

Opening Files Stored in File List Fields and Message List Fields

When browsing records, you can quickly open files or applications stored in file list
fields, and Mac OS X Mail messages, notes, and RSS articles stored in message list
fields.

To open files stored in a file list field or message list field:

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

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

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

4 The application associated with each item starts and displays the contents of the

items.

For example, if you double-click a PDF file and a QuickTime movie file, the Mac OS X
Preview and QuickTime Player applications start and display the PDF file and the
QuickTime movie file. If you double-click an email message, note, or RSS article, the
Mac OS X Mail application starts and displays the Mac OS X Mail item.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 81

Previewing Files with Quick Look

With Quick Look, you can quickly view the contents of an item in a file list field or
message list field without opening it.

To preview a file:

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

2 Select one or more items in a file list field or message list field.

3 Click or press the Space bar.

The content you see depends on the type of file. If it’s an image, you’ll see a smaller
version of it. If it’s a text document, you can read the text and scroll to see more. Use
the buttons along the bottom of the window to move from one item to the next.

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 72.

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 84.

82 Chapter 7 Using Fields

Adding Media Files

You can add sound, image, and movie files to media fields in each record. 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, iPhoto, or iTunes to the media field or click to

choose a file.

Except for iTunes files, when you add a media file, Bento copies it into the
bento.bentodb file. When you add an iTunes file to a media field, Bento creates an
alias to the file.

If you don’t want to copy the media file into Bento, hold down the Option key after
you start dragging the media file to the media field. An arrow
thumbnail. 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, select the image you want to add, then click Open.

appears on the

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.

Chapter 7 Using Fields 83

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 content in a media field:

1 Click in the media field.

2 Press the Delete key or choose Edit > Clear.

84 Chapter 7 Using Fields

8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

8

This chapter describes the various ways you can import
and export information so others can view or use it. You
can also print information to share it with others.

A good way to start using Bento is by importing information. Bento supports
importing information in a variety of file formats: comma-separated values (CSV) file,
tab-separated values (TAB) file, Numbers, Excel, Excel 2008, and library template. For
example, you can import 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, TAB, Numbers, Excel 2008, or library template 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. If you create a library with forms that you want to give to another
Bento user, you can export the library as a library template file.

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

About Comma-Separated and Tab-Separated Files

A comma-separated values file (CSV) or a tab-separated values file (TAB) is a file that
represents a table of data. Each column/field value is separated by a comma or a
semicolon (for CSV) or a tab character (for TAB). One record appears in each row of the
data file. Often, the first row of data in the CSV file represents the column names for
the table.

Note: Some locales may use a different separator in CSV files rather than commas. The
default separator is defined by your locale setting.

85

Exporting CSV and TAB 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 or TAB file.

1 If your Excel worksheet contains multiple tables, put each table in its own

worksheet, and make sure the column names are in the first row.

1 Note whether your CSV or TAB 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 or TAB 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 ClarisWorks and AppleWorks create tab-separated files when you select the ASCII

Text option in the Save As dialog. Make sure you add the TAB extension to the
filename when you save an AppleWorks 6 file that you plan to import into Bento.
For example, if you have an AppleWorks file named “MyData” save it as
“MyData.tab” so that Bento recognizes it as a tab-separated file.

Correcting CSV Files

If you are having difficulty importing a CSV file, open it in a text editor and do the
following:

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.

86 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 87

Click the pop-up to set
the field type. If you don’t
want to create the field,
choose “Do not create.”

Enter the name for the
new library.

Use the arrows to go to
the row that contains
column names, then
select “Use this record’s
values as column names.”

Choose a file. The
options you see here
vary according to the file
format of the selected
file.

Importing Information into Bento

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

Creating a Library by Importing

If the information you are importing does not belong in an existing library, then
create a library when you import the file.

88 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

To create a library by importing:

1 Choose File > Import > File.

2 Click Choose, then select the file you want to import in one of the following file

formats: .csv, .tab, .tsv, .numbers, .xls, .xlsx.

1 For .csv, .tab, or .tsv files, click “Choose the format,” then choose Comma separated,

Semicolon separated, or Tab separated.

1 For Numbers files, use the pop-up menus to select a sheet, then a table.

1 For Excel files, use the pop-up menu to select a worksheet.

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

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

names.

1 If the file contains a row with column names, click the arrow buttons to go to that

row and select “Use this record’s values as column names.”

Bento uses the values in this row as the new field names.

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

as column names.”

Bento assigns default names to each new field. 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 93.

6 Click Import.

When the import is done, Bento displays the records, which you can view in table
view, form view, or split view.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 89

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

Use the arrows to go to
the row that contains
column names, then
select “Use this record’s
values as column names.”

Choose a file. The options
you see here vary
according to the file
format of the selected file.

Importing into an Existing Library

If you want the information that you are importing to go into an existing library,
import the file into that library. Bento creates new records in the library.

You can also import a 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.

To import information into an existing library or collection:

1 Choose File > Import > File.

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2 Click Choose and choose the file you want to import in one of the following file

formats: .csv, .tab, .tsv, .numbers, .xls, .xlsx.

1 For CSV or TSV files, click “Choose the format,” then choose Comma separated,

Semicolon separated, or Tab separated.

1 For Numbers files, use the pop-up menus to select a sheet, then a table.

1 For Excel files, use the pop-up menu to select a worksheet.

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 file contains a row with values that you want to use as column

names.

1 If the file contains a row with column names, click the arrow buttons to go to that

row and select “Use this record’s values as column names.”

Bento reads the column names in the file, and attempts to match them to the field
names already defined in the library or collection you have selected. Bento maps
the column names to field names when their names match exactly. 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 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 If the new field’s name matches a column name in the file, Bento maps that column’s

records values to the new field. Otherwise, you can map your column values to the
new field manually.

For record values that are set to “Do not import,” click the pop-up menu and select
the column name or record value to manually map it to the adjacent field name.

6 If there is no field that you can map a given field to, you can create a field. To do this,

click Add Field. Bento opens the Create a Field dialog to allow you to add a field to the
library.

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 displays the records, which you can view in table
view, form view, or split view.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 91

Choose a library
template file.

Importing a Library Template

A library template file contains all of the forms, collections, Smart Collections, table
view settings, and related libraries (if any) of an exported library, but no records.

To import a library template:

1 Choose File > Import > Template.

2 Click Choose and choose a library template file.

3 Click Open.

4 Bento adds the library, collections, and Smart Collections contained in the library

template file to the Libraries pane. If the library template file contains multiple
libraries, all of them are added to the Libraries pane except for the default libraries
(Address Book, iCal Events, and iCal Tasks). For the default libraries, any fields that had
been added are imported.

Additional Ways to Import Information

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

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

data.”

1 Drag a library template file or data file (Text, Numbers, Excel format) to the Libraries

pane in Bento.

1 Drag a library template file or data file (Text, Numbers, Excel format) to a specific

library or collection in the Libraries pane in Bento.

1 Drag a library template file or data file (Text, Numbers, Excel format) to the Bento

application icon.

92 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

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

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

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

Any text

Japanese characters.

“True” for checked; “False” for not checked
“Yes” for checked; “No” 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

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.

Note: These formats vary depending on the current system date settings.

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, related records list, or message list.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 93

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 69 for additional information on field types.

Note: The message “Some values in some records can’t be imported” in the Import
dialog means that one or more record values are not valid for the type of field to
which you are importing the values. For example, you cannot import alphabetic text
into a number field or into a date field. You can either change the field type to match
the data, or proceed with import. If you proceed with import, the invalid values will
not be imported. Other options are to change the contents of the file or to import the
data into a Text field. Text fields accept all values.

Exporting Information from Bento

Bento can export information into a CSV, TAB, Numbers, or Excel 2008 file from a
library, from a collection, from a Smart Collection, or from the results of a search or
Advanced Find.

Bento can export a library into a library template file. This is a good way to preserve
the structure of an individual library or give a library to another Bento user. A library
template file contains all of the forms, collections, Smart Collections, table view
settings, and related libraries (if any) of an exported library, but no records. You can
give the library template file to other Bento users or import it later.

Exporting from a Library, Collection, or Smart Collection

When you export records from a library or collection, you can choose to export all the
values from all of the fields in table view or only those fields that are currently
displayed in table view.

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.

3 Click Numbers, Excel, Text, or Template.

To export a file compatible with versions of Excel earlier than Excel 2008, export a Text
file.

1 For Numbers, Excel, or Text, choose “All records” or “Only current records.”

1 For Template, choose the related libraries you want to include (if any).

94 Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing

You can include
related libraries that
are contained within
another library.

4 Choose how to export the data.

1 For Numbers, Excel, or Text, choose “All table view fields” or “Only fields displayed in

table view.”

1 For Text, choose Comma separated (.csv), Semicolon separated (.csv), or Tab

separated (.tab).

5 Click Next, then specify the filename and location for the file.

Bento exports the table view field data from the library, collection, or Smart
Collection into a 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 Follow steps 2-5 in “Exporting from a Library, Collection, or Smart Collection” on

page 94.

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

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 95

For files that you
export by dragging
them to the Finder,
select a file format.

Additional Ways to Export Information

In addition to the File > Export menu item, Bento provides another way to export
information as a file:

1 Drag a library or a collection icon from the Libraries pane 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 or the collection into a file with a name matching the library or collection
name and the file format matching the current Export Format setting in the
Preferences dialog.

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, IM account list fields, or message list fields. However, you can export data
from individual address, phone number, email, URL and IM account fields that are
displayed in table view.

1 Information displayed in a related records list field.

1 File aliases in file list fields.

1 Movie and sound files you have added to media fields. To export images, see

“Exporting Images” on page 84.

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Printing Information

You can print information from a library, from a collection, or from the results of a
search or Advanced Find.

Printing from Libraries and Collections

When you print records from a library or a collection, the selected view determines
the appearance of the printed output. In split view, the location of the cursor at the
time of printing determines the appearance of the printed records.

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 you want to print.

3 Choose File > Print.

4 Specify options for the printed output.

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

view) or to print all selected records (in table view).

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. This option prints in black and
white without any background color and saves ink.

1 When printing table view data, select “Fit to width” to scale the columns to fit on

one page.

1 When printing form view data, select “Print one record per page” to print one

record per page.

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

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.

Chapter 8 Importing, Exporting, and Printing 97

3 Specify which records in the subset to print.

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

view) or to print all selected records (in table view).

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.

Command-click or Shift-click to select multiple contacts.

3 Choose File > Print.

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

1 Layout tab: 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 tab: 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.

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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 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 94.

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.

99

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 The contents of the fields (for most media 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 fields

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.

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