With the advent of Claris FileMaker 19, we are starting to see some new FileMaker add-ons, a brand new feature that is still technically “coming soon” according to Claris. One of the first products available for FileMaker using the new add-on architecture is the newly revised DayBack calendar product from Seedcode. We have been integrating the DayBack calendar for many years now and have seen the product evolve over time. This latest edition is taking advantage of many of the new FileMaker 19 capabilities, and has some really great new features. I’d like to go over some of the similarities and differences between “DayBack Classic” and DayBack 19 as well as benefits to upgrading.

I reached out to John Sindelar at SeedCode, who gave me some valuable insight into the similarities and differences of the two products, as well as some insight into what to expect going forward. For purposes of this blog I’ll refer to the new DayBack product as “DayBack 19” and the older DayBack as “DayBack classic”. Both products are sold separately, but it is possible to upgrade from Classic to DayBack 19. There is also a discount if you purchased DayBack Classic as a one time purchase or are a current subscriber of DayBack Classic.

DayBack 19

Multiple Calendars: Can connect to multiple calendars at once – Google Calendar, Google Sheets, Microsoft Online, Basecamp and FileMaker CWP.

FileMaker Versions: Only works with FileMaker 19 and only works with an internet connection. System Requirements.

Sharing: Bookmarks add the ability to save a view that is always up to date, this can be used as a list of favorites that is easily accessible for each user. Users can also create and share read-only public bookmarks for users who don’t have FileMaker access.

Integration: Because this is deployed as an add-on, the speed to deploy and install DayBack in your FileMaker solution is much quicker. The method for updating settings has also been simplified.

Documentation: Improved Documentation: Easy to search and help links are provided from within the Admin DayBack interface.

WebDirect: Full feature parity in WebDirect

Updates: All updates are run automatically, so there is no option to wait for new features to be rolled out. DayBack will disable any major new features by default so there is no risk of major features being rolled out immediately. Release notes are available on a Twitter feed and new features are described on the DayBack blog.

Price: Billed per user per month or enterprise licensing. There is also a discount for upgrading from DayBack Classic.

Future Plan: DayBack 19 will continue to release updates as new features in FileMaker 19 become available. There are currently new features being developed for this product and it will be the main DayBack product going forward.

DayBack Classic

Single Calendar: Display only calendars from within your FileMaker solution – meaning data from your FileMaker solution.

FileMaker Versions: Can run with FileMaker 13-19 and can display calendars while offline. System Requirements.

Sharing: When subscribing to Sharing, users can publish public read-only views for users who don’t have FileMaker access. These views are not always up to date and need to be manually updated if the data in the shared view has been updated on a different FileMaker layout. 

Integration: There are 2 separate methods; either linking or embedding the calendar. Linking is simpler but involves having a separate file for DayBack. Embedding integrates DayBack within your solution, but involves more complicated steps to accomplish this.

Documentation: Help documentation is on a separate site and can be difficult to locate instructions for features, implementations.

WebDirect: Limited features available in WebDirect

Updates: All updates to DayBack are performed manually, so the administrator can check when new updates are available from within DayBack and then run the updates at a desired time. Release notes are displayed on a website.

Price: Billed Monthly or Annually for single user, 2-5 users, more than 5 users, or vertical market licensing.

Future Plan: Although there is no end-of-life plan for DayBack Classic, as Claris rolls out new features in FileMaker 19 and beyond, Classic will largely remain as it is now. 

After many years of working with DayBack Classic and spending some time with the new DayBack 19, I can see major benefits in upgrading. However, it’s helpful to understand what features will be given up by using the latest version – namely the ability to have planned updates as well as the ability to use the calendar offline. Besides those two limitations, upgrading to DayBack 19 provides new features, the ability to use the product fully in WebDirect as well as the benefit of staying on the latest version and being able to take advantage of all future features as DayBack rolls them out. Although DayBack Classic is fully functional and a supported product at this point in time, at some point in the future this product will no longer be supported. Just as staying on the latest version of Claris FileMaker provides stability and support for all solutions, so does staying on the latest versions of add-ons, and extension products.

If you are interested in learning more about DayBack Calendar, upgrading or implementing one of these products, please contact us.