If you want to find a simple solution on how to organize your life or small business, Bento will help you find the answer. Bento started out as a simple desktop program for the mac by the creators of FileMaker Pro. Now there's a Bento iPhone app and it works and syncs beautifully with the desktop companion. Like all database programs, Bento for the iPhone might take some introduction and getting used to, but once you do you'll be able to understand its full potential. Here are a few tips to get you synced with Bento for mac and to get started with the powerful app.

Getting Started

When you first launch Bento on your iPhone, you will be greeted by the New Library window. Here you have a list of over 20 templates to start your library off like: Projects, Contacts, To Do Items, Recipes, Diet Log, and more. Choosing from a list of these templates will get you set up with specific fields for that item. For example, To Do Items will have start and completion date fields, and Home Inventory will have item description fields, etc. All these fields in the template are completely customizable. You can can delete certain fields you feel you wont use or change the names of certain fields if you prefer. Lets say you start with the inventory template to keep track of the items in your home. You can tap the Edit Fields button on the top right of the screen to change names of fields or delete certain fields from the library.

You can also add new fields to your library in the Edit Fields menu as well. The New Field Menu lets you chose whether you want to add Text, Numbers, Choice, Checkbox, Media, Time, Date, Duration, Currency, Rating, Address, Phone Number, Email Address, URL, or IM Account.

You can search for any field in any library with the search tab. Your search results will appear as you type and will be categorized by the library they are in for easy browsing.

Syncing With Bento For Mac

If you own a desktop version of Bento 1.5 or greater, you can sync your desktop database with your iPhones database in just a few simple steps. This process requires that your iPhone and your Mac are on the same WiFi Connection. When you tap the sync icon in bento, you will be presented by a passcode and instructions on how to enter it into Bento for Mac. Launch Bento on the mac and go to File > Set Up Sync with Device. Here you will see your iPhone if your on the same network and you can select it. Enter the Passcode given by the Bento App and the syncing process will begin. After setting up your iPhone to sync with Bento, select your iPhone in the devices category in the events column of Bento. Here you can chose to only sync certain libraries or the entire database in bento. Bento is very powerful and there is much to be learned in creating databases but hopefully this tutorial will get you started out in organizing your life or business better in Bento!

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