flatfile database

[sholermi]

Hi there. I have always used MS Works for Macintosh and found it to be a highly stable, easy-to-use flatfile database. It does all simple numerical stuff - both financial and non-financial - extremely well.

One particularly useful feature is the ability to match records via control + M. For example, if I'm going to Ottawa and want to review all my contacts there, I simply open my database, hit control + M, and every row with an Ottawa address comes up. Hit control + M again, and it reverts to the entire list.

It works fine in classic on my mac at home, but at work I have an Intel-based Mac and I can't use it. If you can recommend any simple flatfile database program with similar features and ease of use that'll work on on my Intel mac - or even (gasp) on my PC, since I also have one of these at work - it would be greatly appreciated. I have Excel on both, but it doesn't have the same ease of use as Works, and when you print from it the gridlines are barely visible...not like the clean, strong gridlines you get from Works.

[Neil Herber]

Here is an answer to the question you didn't ask:
In Excel you can control the "gridline" width by turning off gridlines entirely and using cell borders instead. This pages shows a few examples:
http://www.bettersolutions.com/excel/EZH159/QT916222221.htm

[ben schmidt]

Hi there. I have always used MS Works for Macintosh and found it to be a highly stable, easy-to-use flatfile database. It does all simple numerical stuff - both financial and non-financial - extremely well.

I don't have experience with the $69 iList data 3.2 by lakewood studios: http://www.lakewoodstudios.com/ilistdata/ but a favourable review was posted today at macnn.com:

http://www.macnn.com/reviews/review.php?id=282

And the review intriguingly starts out: "AppleWorks shipped with new Macintosh computers for many years and it included a simple, but useful built in database module. When Apple stopped shipping AppleWorks, it left few database creation alternatives for the average user. Although Excel, part of Microsoft Office, and FileMaker Pro are still available, they are expensive and difficult for the average user to master. iList Data is one of the few affordable stand-alone database solutions that remain. It is a simple, but somewhat powerful database application that helps users create databases with little effort."

best,
...ben

[ben schmidt]

Just noticed iList updated to v3.5 today

"Among the new features in iList Data 3.5:

* native support for Intel Macs - iList Data ships as a universal binary application
* support for text clipping and web bookmark databases
* support for HTML reports and headers and footers in reports
* support for saving reports to the Apple iPod
* numerous interface enhancements
* new and updated database templates
* updated user's guide"

http://www.lakewoodstudios.com/
http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/06/14/ilistdata/index.php

[Macantosh]

I have Excel on both, but it doesn't have the same ease of use as Works, and when you print from it the gridlines are barely visible...not like the clean, strong gridlines you get from Works.

I would say a basic course in Excel may be helpful (and before you say it's Micro$oft, Micro$oft developed their first spreadsheet for the Macintosh).  As the other user suggested, you may want to use borders on your list as well as some shading or color.  As well the autofilters in excel would do easily what you mentioned you do with cntrl+M.

[ben schmidt]

A new option as of this week is Numbers '08, might be Apple's new spreadsheet/list manger product, part of the iWork '08 suite:

  apple.com/iwork/numbers

If your system meets the system requirements, you could download and take a 30-day free trial of iWorks '08 for a spin: apple.com/iwork/trial

...ben