Sharing Sonoma with Snow Leopard & having each row of a Numbers spreadsheet like a 2-line layout in a database.

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Level 2

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Sharing Sonoma with Snow Leopard & having each row of a Numbers spreadsheet like a 2-line layout in a database.

Hello,

I am an old widower of the suite ClarisWorks/AppleWorks, and since the suite iWork never included the DB mode -- probably because Apple owns Claris, that has FileMaker Pro database application.

So, I would like to have a financial app with a dozen or so of fields, in the way I had the CheckBook template file of more than 20 years ago.

Occurred that Apple did not build the database mode as a standalone app as they built keynote, Pages and Numbers.

My guess is because they own FileMaker Pro — a relational DB application.

Once the company FileMaker — now rebranded back to Claris — had a simple and inexpensive DB app, Bento, but it could not replace the ClarisWorks/AppleWorks DB mode.

FileMaker Pro is not on the Mac App Store; it is at <claris.com> and it costs US$ 540.00 — for a single license, if you live in America.

But if you live in Brasil, like me, you have to pay US$ 678.00.

Probably it is because we make much more money than the Americans do.

At one school in which I worked 24 years ago, I built a file in MS Access with a lot of fields. I am not a programmer and I can not technically compare Apple’s FileMaker with Microsoft’s Access, but it appears they are equivalent in functions.

But there are a discrepancy in prices.

But since I never own a Windows machine — neither an Android one —, I wanted a solution in the Walled Garden.

Q.1: One option would be to reserve 20 GB to install Snow Leopard in a partition of my M1 MacBook Air, and install the last version of AppleWorks on it.

I have doubts if this is possible and works fine.

Q.2: Another option seems a bigger challenge.

Since I can use a spreadsheet to hold data of a single table DB (non relational), where each column would be a field of the DB, comes the question: is it possible to have each row of Numbers in a 2-line layout?

(I know AppleScript scripts can do wonderful things.)

Forgive me for the long explanations, and I am expecting the answers — even if a double “No”.

Jorge Lucas (the guy from Rio Grande do Sul)

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.1

Posted on Dec 15, 2023 7:12 AM

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Answer 1

SGIII

Level 8

37,598 points

Dec 15, 2023 8:01 AM in response to Jorge Lucas

Jorge Lucas wrote:

Hello,

Since I can use a spreadsheet to hold data of a single table DB (non relational), where each column would be a field of the DB, comes the question: is it possible to have each row of Numbers in a 2-line layout?

Is there a particular reason you need a 2-line layout? I suspect you are already aware of this but you can wrap text in a cell.

If you are looking to do forms and "reports" similar to what you could do in Access and (if I recall correctly, to a much lesser extent) in Bento then you could consider Tap Forms or Ninox. Tap Forms is somewhat similar to Bento. Ninox is more akin to Access. I've had pretty good luck with both, but as you are probably aware setting up a relational database can be very time consuming, and sometimes it is better to try to find an app that is already optimized to do what you are trying to do.

Congratulations on being so affluent down in Brazil that you get "special" pricing!

SG

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Answer 2

SGIII

Level 8

37,598 points

Dec 15, 2023 9:49 PM in response to Jorge Lucas

When I looked at the database module of LibreOffice years ago, it didn't come close to Access. But maybe it's gotten better, so you could have a look at that. The price is right.

SG

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Answer 3

Recycleur

Level 4

1,669 points

Dec 15, 2023 7:35 AM in response to Jorge Lucas

Hi Jorge

If you're at the point where you think your finances are so complicated that you need a relational database to track them, a spreadsheet will probably not satisfy your needs and perhaps you should look in the App Store where dozens of finance and database applications await.

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Answer 4

Jorge Lucas Author

Level 2

235 points

Dec 15, 2023 9:31 AM in response to Recycleur

Recycleur,

Thanks again for another reply.

Back in 2013, I bought 3 financial apps for iPad: iBank 3, MoneyWiz and Home Budget.

Neither one have all the fields I wanted, nor I can design a layout. So, I decided to use iBank 3 as the one.

Ten years after, iBank lost even its name and after some messages, I got Banktivity 5 for Mac, but it did not import all the fields of the iBank 3 for iPad.

Now, I just got this news on that app: in October 2023 they decided to let Banktivity 5 out to be imported by the actual version.

Note: I could not got that message again while writing here.

My financial transactions are not that complicated and I do not need a relational DB just for it, but I would like to have a DB under my control, in which I can create the layouts that shows what I want to see.

Months ago, I thought about Ninox, but I was insecure about their Privacy Policy -- maybe I have to check that out again.

Anyway, I would rather have an Apple DB, but US$ 678.00 is too much.

I think US$ 300.00 would be enough, but I can decide nothing about it.

In case I go crazy and I buy a license of FileMaker Pro, I can play with it and the financial app would be the first — but not the only use for it.

Jorge Lucas (the guy from Rio Grande do Sul)

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Answer 5

Jorge Lucas Author

Level 2

235 points

Dec 15, 2023 9:51 AM in response to SGIII

SGIII,

As I said before, I want to have the control of the file and be able to modify it as I want.

To have 12 or more fields in a single table of a SS is too ugly and difficult to manage and search records.

I know that a single table DB in which I can create 'fields' and 'layouts' is very much better than even a financial app -- that do not permit either of those things.

If I wrap texts of a field, I can lose the view big picture of a file.

And I like to be able to search in each 'field'.

I would like that your congratulations were truthful, but when I wrote the post I could not resist to comment about the absurd.

Anyway, thanks for even giving your time for a joke.

Jorge Lucas (the guy from Rio Grande do Sul)

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Answer 6

Jorge Lucas Author

Level 2

235 points

Dec 15, 2023 10:06 AM in response to Recycleur

Recycleur,

I am not able to work with a non graphical interface; I know that are apps that offer that graphical design, but I do not dominate that area.

I do not know here any heavy Apple user that offer teaching lessons of open DB like PostGres or MYSQL.

Thanks, again.

Jorge Lucas (the guy from Rio Grande do Sul)

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Answer 7

Jorge Lucas Author

Level 2

235 points

Dec 16, 2023 12:32 AM in response to SGIII

SGIII,

I did try the suites LibreOffice as well as OpenOffice, and maybe a third cover version of MS Office, but they are not from me, and one of the reasons is that I am looking only for the DB mode.

I still have AppleWorks 6.2.9 on an iMac G4 running Tiger, and I still have that CheckBook template -- with more fields and more layouts --, in which I can get the data out from the DB mode, via the SS mode to export to an iOS app or macOS when I find a better solution, go crazy and buy FileMaker Pro, lose the fear of Ninox's Privacy Policy, or learn how to deal with PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQLite.

Thanks. Again.

Jorge Lucas (the guy from Rio Grande do Sul)

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Answer 8

Recycleur

Level 4

1,669 points

Dec 15, 2023 9:45 AM in response to Jorge Lucas

Try https://www.postgresql.org/ if you are up to it.

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Sharing Sonoma with Snow Leopard & having each row of a Numbers spreadsheet like a 2-line layout in a database.

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