Category: FileMaker 14

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FileMaker 14 FileMaker 15 FileMaker Facts Macintosh macOS Sierra Windows

FileMaker Pro OSX and Windows Operating System Requirements by Version

filemaker_osx_windows_requirements_cropped

Recently I discovered this great page on the FileMaker Inc. site that I thought would be useful to many. The above screenshot is just the top part of this long table on the FileMaker Site that goes back to FileMaker Pro 5.5 amazingly enough.

Since individuals and firms often have Macs and PCs of different vintages, it might take some time to figure out if any computers need to be replaced or updated to accommodate a particular version of FileMaker Pro. In my case most of my clients are Mac-based, but lots of the firms I work with have at least one PC somewhere and they want to use it too.

Since I need this information, I copied and formatted the information into an Apple note in my FileMaker folder, so I could always have access to it. I hope you find this table helpful too. You could always just stash the URL above somewhere handy like I did at the top of my Apple Note.

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FileMaker 11 FileMaker 13 FileMaker 14 FileMaker News OS X El Capitan

FileMaker Pro 14 Update will address El Capitan Compatibility Issues

FileMaker 14 Update in the Works

FileMaker Inc. announced today that they are working on an update

FileMaker, Inc. is planning to release updates to address compatibility issues with OS X El Capitan as well as other general bug fixes. FileMaker, recommends that you wait for these updates before using FileMaker with OS X El Capitan.

Unfortunately, there is no word yet on when that update is expected to be released. I’ve so far heard mixed reviews from those using FileMaker 14 on the El Capitan Gold Master. Some have had good luck. Others warn of danger damaging files. So, I would take FileMaker Inc.’s advice and wait for this impending upgrade to FileMaker 14.

FileMaker 13 and Prior Versions of FileMaker Pro

FileMaker Inc. also had something to say about prior versions of FileMaker Pro:

FileMaker 13 and earlier versions of FileMaker have not been tested or certified with OS X El Capitan).  These products were developed and released before OS X El Capitan became available.

While these earlier versions may install and run, you may encounter installation and stability issues for which there is no resolution.

My experience on previous OS X Upgrades and FileMaker is that this is likely to be the last official word from FileMaker Inc. on these pre-14 versions of FileMaker.

I will be keeping up on this issue informally with other FileMaker consultants and developers to determine the safety of running prior versions of FileMaker under OS X 10.11 El Capitan. As I mentioned in the previous post today, it may work to run FileMaker 13 and prior as a guest under El Capitan but may never work safely running earlier versions of FileMaker under El Capitan. FileMaker Inc. won’t commit to the safety of such an undertaking.

I advise you to avoid upgrading a Mac to El Capitan if you need to run your own FileMaker files locally on that computer. Around Tokerud Consulting Group, we have Macs all the way back to one of the first Mac minis that can still run OS 9 Classic so that we can help folks who need to convert their FileMaker systems from all the way back to FileMaker II 1.0.

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FileMaker 13 FileMaker 14 OS X El Capitan

FileMaker Pro Users need to wait on OS X El Capitan Upgrades

FileMaker Pro 14?

Upgrading to OS X El Capitan might be the fun and exciting thing to do today – Day 1. It’s free and your Mac probably supports it. But, we don’t have a go ahead on FileMaker Pro 14 from FileMaker Inc. yet (10:20 am PDT). Sometime within a week and possibly later today, we may hear whether FileMaker Pro 14 is certified to run under OS X El Capitan. But please read on.

FileMaker Go 14 just got an update to 14v3 yesterday and is now FileMaker-certified good to go with iOS 9 and even supports Split View and Slide Over in iOS 9.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see FileMaker Pro 14 get an update to 14.0.3 soon which would very likely be required for OS X El Capitan.

FileMaker Pro 13?

I think the chances are less than 50-50 that FileMaker Pro 13 will be certified for OS X El Capitan. Yes, Apple owns FileMaker, Inc. So, we might want them to support FileMaker Pro 13 on the brand new shiny OS X El Capitan. I’m with you but the kind of people who want to upgrade to OS X El Capitan on day one might also be the kind who already have FileMaker Pro 14 which came out in early May.

FileMaker Pro 11?

Don’t be silly! But, FileMaker Pro 11 is a very popular version of FileMaker and there are still quite a few installations out there. I have found that as a client of a FileMaker Server 11 or even FileMaker Server 10, I have been able to run FileMaker Pro 11 on OS X Yosemite Macs.

Caution is the Word

Don’t be adventurous with your precious FileMaker data today. You can always check FileMaker.com’s Knowledge base and search for OS X El Capitan to see what the official word is at any point in time.

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FileMaker 14

FileMaker 14 is Rocking

FileMaker 14 was released on May 13 2015. After working with it on a trial basis for a few weeks, we’ve switched over and are using it to develop our Studio Manager 14 product for creative services businesses. We are hoping to deliver that release by the end of this month.

This is a very balanced release, but perhaps will please those who develop FileMaker databases the most. There are a ton of features that make it possible to create great-looking, powerful and easy to use systems quickly. We are having a lot of fun taking advantage of FileMaker 14 with our individual clients and with Studio Manager.

FileMaker Inc. is not ignoring the FileMaker user by any means though. Things move quicker and operate more easily in FileMaker 14.

FileMaker 14 is easy for developers. But what if you aren’t someone who wants to get under the hood with FileMaker yourself? You still have good news because it means you can get tweaks and custom work done on the cheap.

FileMaker Web Direct lets you develop in FIleMaker and deliver your database to anyone with a web browser. Now Android users can access FIleMaker databases via Web Direct as well.

I’ve written up my favorites about FileMaker 14 on my tokerud.com FileMaker page. That’s the page where I keep my favorites for each version of FileMaker so that you can see what you will get when going from a previous version of FIleMaker up a notch or two or three.