Any way to open AppleWorks .cwk files?

"Does FileMaker Pro contain a similar ability to enter formulas in a database field?"

Yes.

Regards,

Barry

Is there any way to export an Appleworks Database file with such calculations, with both data and calculations intact (with an eye to possibly import both data and calculations into Filemaker Pro)?

To the best of my knowledge, no. But I haven't checked (and don't have AppleWorks available to me at the moment). It may be possible to go to the Define Fields page, where all fields in the file are listed, and (if memory serves) the formula for each calculation field is also listed. It might be possible to copy all or part of the page and paste it into a text or word processor document to use in building a new database or spreadsheet doc based on the AW database doc.

If the formula(s) can't be copied directly from the list, you can certainly copy each one individually from the formula editing box on that page.

Regards,

Barry

FileMaker Pro has considerably advance calculation facilities - you can do a number of interesting things you can't do in AW, including for example changing the colour of the text or the background of a field dependent on its contents. The formulae are expressed in a different syntax from AW - when I converted to FMP I had to remake the entire database in each case, importing the data but reconstructing the layout and re-entering all the calculations in the new syntax.

This is very helpful information, thank you.

My database experience has been limited to flat databases, that were essentially a spreadsheet in a database form.

Initially I used Appleworks on my various Apple ]['s.

Then with the acquisition of a Mac, I used Overvue, and its successor, Panorama.

The AW database is remarkably powerful. It's not a relational database like Filemaker Pro, but you can get some of the same functionality by the use of layouts, so that though all the fields are in the one database different layouts show only some of them. Almost the first thing I did when I bought my first Mac in 1993 was to create a database of my jazz records (insanely ambitious for a newbie) which I subsequently recreated in FMPro (picture, right). It had I suppose around two thousand entries then - by now there are 3,755 (including alternative takes). In those days I printed it for references, so I used sliding fields to produce a tidy print version.It's a tribute to AW that I was able to work all that out at that stage (it was quite a bit more difficult with FMPro but I was a lot more experienced by then). I gave up the print version some years ago, it was getting unmanageable thick.

It's become quite the fashion for people to use spreadsheets instead of proper databases, but you get nothing like the functionality. Even a basic database is more useful - I have one of all the films I've ever seen (pretty well) so that I can check when I last saw something, or group all views of one film together, or note when I've shown a film to a visiting friend so I know what he's seen and what he hasn't, and so on. (That one has over 16 thousand entries - includes repeat viewings - try handling that on a spreadsheet).

FMPro is very good and powerful (and expensive) but it's a lot harder work to make it interact with, for example, a word processor to produce a printable report.

The most impressive thing about AppleWorks is that in 1993 I'd never handled a computer, although I had done some research into Word Processors (such as Wordstar) so I understood the principles: my local Curry's let me play with a 'Performa 400' (an LCII) unsupervised, and without any manual I was able to open a word processing document, type in it, format it with different fonts and styles, and so on - just by using intuition. Try that with some of Apple's current software when you have to dig for hidden facilities.

Are you sure that is a Jazz database, or one about your culinary delights!!! 😁

It's generally considered that that nickname is not a reference to food 👿

I learn something new EVERY DAY! 😊

I just opened a AppleWorks file with TextEdit in OS 12.2.2 (Sierra). I don't know whether it was a AW 5 or 6. But no problem.

The free LibreOffice will open AW6 or CW5 documents.

I can't believe Apple is so Dictatorial to not support it's former applications, I'm changing to windows

A gratefully donated $6 LibreOffice app opened my 2005 AppleWorks files. T'anks, Chris.

Thanks!