Filemaker Pro 8.5 Tutorial File Maker Fmp85 En

User Manual: filemaker FileMaker Pro 8.5 - Tutorial Free User Guide for FileMaker Software, Manual

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FileMaker® Pro 8.5

Tutorial

© 2004–2006 FileMaker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

FileMaker, Inc.

5201 Patrick Henry Drive

Santa Clara, California 95054

FileMaker is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries, and

ScriptMaker and the file folder logo are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc.

FileMaker documentation is copyrighted. You are not authorized to make additional copies or

distribute this documentation without written permission from FileMaker. You may use this

documentation solely with a valid licensed copy of FileMaker software.

All persons and companies listed in the examples are purely fictitious and any resemblance to

existing persons and companies is purely coincidental.

Credits are listed in the Acknowledgements document provided with this software.

For more information, visit our web site at www.filemaker.com.

Edition: 01

Contents

Lesson 1

FileMaker Pro basics

How to use this tutorial 7

We begin with a demonstration 7

We explain how it works 7

You build the structures 7

Where to find the lesson files 7

If you need to start over 8

Database concepts 8

What is a database? 8

Why use a database? 8

How is a database organized? 8

How is field data displayed? 9

FileMaker Pro basics 9

About FileMaker Pro modes 9

For more information 9

Lesson 2

Browsing information

Open a database and move between records 11

View information in different ways 12

See a different layout 12

View your layouts as forms, lists, and tables 13

For more information 14

Lesson 3

Finding and sorting records

Find records based on criteria in a single field 15

Find records based on criteria in separate fields 16

Find records that match multiple criteria in the same field 16

Find records that match a range of criteria in the same field 17

Narrow your search 18

Sort your found set 18

For more information 19

Lesson 4

Creating a database and entering records

Create a simple database and define fields 21

Look at the sample file 21

About field definitions 22

Create a database 22

Enter data into the database 23

Create the first record 23

Create another record 23

Modify data in a record 23

For more information 23

Lesson 5

Customizing what you see

Customize your view in Layout mode 25

Look at the sample layouts 25

About layouts and tables 26

About customizing layouts 26

Customize a layout 26

Resize, move, and add a field 26

Select and resize a field 26

Move a field 27

Add a field 27

Display a number as currency 27

Add color to a layout part 28

4 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Add custom text to a layout 29

Add text 29

Change text size and color 29

Add a graphic to the layout 29

For more information 30

Lesson 6

Creating lists, mailing labels, and form letters

Create a columnar list 31

Look at the sample list 31

Create a columnar list 31

Create mailing labels 32

Look at the sample labels 32

About label layouts 32

Create a label layout 33

Create a form letter 34

Look at the sample letter 34

About form letter layouts 34

Create a form letter 34

For more information 36

Lesson 7

Simplifying data entry

Enter data using value lists 37

Look at the sample value list 37

Define a value list 37

Assign a value list to a field and

display it as radio buttons 38

Generate values with a calculation field 39

See how calculations speed data entry 39

Create a calculation field 39

Test your calculation 40

Automatically enter a serial number 41

Look at a serial number example 41

Create a field for serial numbers 41

For more information 41

Lesson 8

Automating tasks with buttons and scripts

Perform a task using a button 43

Look at a sample button 43

Create the button 43

Perform a series of tasks using a script 44

Run a script in the sample file 44

About scripts 44

Create a script to preview the Labels Layout 44

Assign a script to a button 45

For more information 46

Lesson 9

Creating and running reports

Generate a report with grouped data 47

Look at a sample report 47

About subsummary reports 48

Create a subsummary report 48

Generate a report with grouped data and totals 50

Look at a sample report 50

Create a report with grouped data and totals 51

Save and send a report as a PDF file 53

For more information 53

Contents 5

Lesson 10

Making databases relational

View data from one related record 55

See how relationships work in the sample files 55

About related tables 56

Display a related record in a file 56

View data from a list of related records 57

Work with related records in the sample file 57

About working with lists of related records 58

Display a list of related records 58

For more information 59

Lesson 11

Keeping your data safe

How to back up your database 61

When to back up 61

For more information 61

6 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 1

FileMaker Pro basics

Welcome to the FileMaker® Pro tutorial. This tutorial shows

you how you can manage your information in FileMaker Pro.

You will learn how to use FileMaker Pro software to:

1 locate and sort information

1 create and enter records in a simple database

1 create mailing labels

1 create calculations, buttons, and scripts

1 create and run reports

1 create relationships between FileMaker Pro database tables

It takes approximately four hours to complete this tutorial, which

can be done in one session or several shorter sessions.

How to use this tutorial

These lessons are based on the membership database of a fictitious

travel firm, The Corporate Travelers Club. Corporate travelers who

are members of this club save their businesses money on travel costs,

and the club’s expenses are offset by an annual membership fee.

FileMaker Pro is used to track the members’ names, addresses,

and membership status, as well as to generate labels and form letters

to contact members.

It’s best to complete these lessons sequentially, as the concepts

introduced in early lessons are assumed to be understood in

later lessons. However, because the lessons are self-contained,

it’s possible to skip lessons entirely, or to complete them later

if desired.

This tutorial assumes that you are familiar with your computer’s

operating system. Opening files, locating folders, and other activities

that require some knowledge of your computer’s OS are a necessary

part of completing this tutorial.

Files included with this tutorial are intended to illustrate the features

of FileMaker Pro, and as such, might be unsuitable for use as

templates for further development.

We begin with a demonstration

To show you the goal of each lesson up front, we guide you through

a sample file that illustrates a feature or concept. This way, you

will always know a lesson’s objectives.

We explain how it works

As we introduce new techniques and concepts, we will explain

how to use them in other situations.

You build the structures

Because using FileMaker Pro is the most effective way to learn

the application, each lesson features a hands-on activity designed

to guide you through menus, screens, and concepts step by step.

Where to find the lesson files

If the tutorial files were installed, they are in:

FileMaker Pro 8.5\English Extras\Tutorial

You can also download the tutorial files by choosing Help menu >

Learning Center. In the Documentation area, click tutorial files.

8 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

The sample files illustrate the concepts explained in the lessons,

and let you see how features work before you build them. Refer back

to the sample file associated with each lesson if you need to.

The working files mimic the sample files, except the features being

taught in particular lessons have been removed. You will add these

missing items and structures as you complete each lesson.

If you need to start over

If you make a mistake or need to start over, replace your existing

Tutorial folder with a new copy. See “Where to find the lesson files”

on page 7 for more information.

Database concepts

What is a database?

A database is a method of organizing and analyzing information.

You’ve probably used several databases recently without realizing it.

A date book, a parts list, and even your own address book are

databases.

Why use a database?

Storing information in a database file has many benefits. A database

doesn’t just hold information—it helps you organize and analyze

the information in different ways. For example, databases allow you

to group information for reports, sort information for mailing labels,

count your inventory, or find a particular invoice.

Computerized databases offer many additional advantages over their

paper-based counterparts: speed, reliability, precision, and the ability

to automate many repetitive tasks.

How is a database organized?

A database file is organized into one or more tables. Tables store

records. Each record is a collection of fields.

Imagine your address book is a FileMaker Pro database file. Each

listing in your address book is one record in an Address Book table.

Each record has information, such as name, address, city, and so on.

Each of these pieces of information—name, address, and city—is

stored in a separate field.

Sample02.fp7

Sample03.fp7

Sample04.fp7

Sample05.fp7

Sample06.fp7

Sample07.fp7

Sample08.fp7

Sample09.fp7

Sample10.fp7

MyFile05.fp7

MyFile06.fp7

MyFile07.fp7

MyFile08.fp7

MyFile09.fp7

MyFile10.fp7

Sample Files Working Files

Overview of the FileMaker Pro Tutorial folder structure

English Extras

Tutorial

FileMaker Pro 8.5 folder

FileMaker Pro basics 9

How is field data displayed?

FileMaker Pro displays fields on layouts. Each layout is based on

a single table, and displays records from that table.

Imagine that your database has a Tasks table in addition to the

Address Book table. A layout based on the Address Book table will

display fields and records from the Address Book table. A layout

based on the Tasks table will display fields and records from the

Tasks table.

FileMaker Pro basics

Unlike most word processing or spreadsheet programs,

FileMaker Pro saves your work automatically. Consequently, it’s

important to carefully consider your actions when making sweeping

changes to your files, especially when deleting records. Once records

are deleted, they are completely removed from your database.

As you will learn in lesson 11, you should back up your files on

a regular basis. Backups can save you many hours of unnecessary

work and worry in the event that your files become lost or damaged,

or records are inadvertently deleted.

About FileMaker Pro modes

When you work in FileMaker Pro, you work in one of four modes.

1 Use Browse mode to enter data and view records.

1 Use Find mode to locate a record or a group of records quickly.

1 Use Layout mode to specify how information will appear on

the screen or when you print it.

1 Use Preview mode to see what the pages will look like when

you print them.

Once you have opened a database, you can switch from one mode

to another using either the View menu, mode buttons, or the mode

pop-up menu at the bottom of the application window.

For more information

For more information on FileMaker Pro basic concepts, see chapter 1

of the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.

You can also find comprehensive information about procedures

and concepts in FileMaker Pro Help. To access FileMaker Pro Help,

choose Help menu > FileMaker Pro Help.

To access the FileMaker Learning Center on the web, where you

can find resources such as ready-made solutions and the FileMaker

Knowledge Base, choose Help menu > Learning Center.

Name of layout

Number of the

current record

Fields

Filename

Mode buttons

Current mode

(Browse)

10 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 2

Browsing information

You view, enter, or change data in Browse mode. This is the simplest

way to interact with your database.

In this lesson you will:

1 open a database with data already in it

1 move between records

1 view information in different ways by switching layouts

1 see the difference between form view, list view, and table view

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify that

it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find the

lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Open a database and move

between records

To open the sample database for this lesson:

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample02.fp7.

4. Notice that the database is in Browse mode. FileMaker Pro

defaults to Browse mode when a database is opened.

In the status area, notice that there are 30 records and that the first

record is displayed.

5. Click the right page of the book icon to move forward one record

at a time, and click the left page to move back one record at a time.

6. Drag the slider to the right and release to move forward a number

of records at one time. Drag the slider to the left and release to move

backwards a number of records.

You can also click the current record number, type the record

number you want, then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

Tip The Records menu also provides commands to move between

records. Choose Records menu > Go to Record and choose either Next,

Previous, or Specify.

The current mode is

identified at the top

of the status area

Slider

Book icon

Number of

records

Record currently

displayed

Status area

12 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

View information in different ways

Even though you enter information only once in FileMaker Pro,

you can use that information in many ways. Layouts let you view

some or all of your fields.

Because it is not necessary to see all of your fields in each layout,

layouts are a powerful tool for working with or printing just the

information you need to accomplish a particular task.

See a different layout

To see some layouts in action, use the Sample02.fp7 sample file

you just opened.

1. Click the Layout pop-up menu, located above the book icon.

A list appears showing the layouts available in this file.

2. Notice the check mark next to the Data Entry layout, your

current layout. The Data Entry layout shows all of the fields in

the Sample02.fp7 table.

Steve Williams

789 Ninth Avenue

New York, NY 10001

Juanita Alvarez 555-1234

Michelle Cannon 555-1234

Andre Common 555-1234

Marie Durand 555-1234

Jean Durand 555-1234

William Johnson 555-1234

John Lee 555-1234

Patrick Murphy 555-1234

Le Nguyen 555-1234

Kentaro Ogawa 555-1234

Mary Smith 555-1234

John Smith 555-1234

Sophie Tang 555-1234

Steve Williams 555-1234

Betty Wilson 555-1234

Phon e Lis t

Dear Sophie,

Thank you for reserving a cruise with us. We

value your business and appreciate the

opportunity to serve you.

If you have any questions about your

reservations, please call us—we want you to

be satisfied with your cruise.

Sincerely,

John Lee

The same data can be arranged differently with multiple layouts

Layout

pop-up menu

The Data Entry layout displays all of the fields in the Sample02 table

Browsing information 13

3. Choose the List of Members layout from the Layout pop-up menu.

This layout shows each record as one row in a columnar list. Notice

that the List of Members layout contains only four of the fields that

were present in the Data Entry layout. Because fewer fields are

present on this layout, some data is simply not displayed, however,

no data has been removed from the database.

4. Go to the Layout pop-up menu and return to the Data Entry layout.

No data has been lost.

View your layouts as forms, lists, and tables

You can view your layouts in three different ways: as a form, as a list,

and as a table.

1 Form view displays your current layout one record at a time.

1 List view shows your current layout as a list, with one record

appearing beneath another.

1 Table view shows you many records at one time in a grid.

Generally, layouts can be toggled between form view, list view,

and table view while the database is in Browse mode.

Switch between form view, list view, and table view in the same

layout to see how they are different.

1. In Sample02.fp7, switch to the List of Members layout. You

see many records, displayed as a list.

2. Choose View menu > View as Form.

You now see a single record, displayed in the same layout. Only

the viewing option has changed.

3. Choose View menu > View as Table.

The View as Table feature allows you to view many records at

once in a grid.

4. Choose View menu > View as List to return to the original view

of the List of Members layout.

5. When you are finished with this lesson, close the file by choosing

File menu > Close.

The List of Members layout displays only four of the fields present on the

Data Entry layout

Form view

List view

Table view

The List of Members layout, viewed as a form, then as a list, and finally as a table

14 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

For more information

You have opened a database, browsed through records,

switched layouts, and learned the differences between form view,

list view, and table view. For more about browsing information in

FileMaker Pro, see chapter 1 of the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.

Lesson 3

Finding and sorting records

Your database is a collection of records. Sometimes you’ll work

with all of the records in the database (to mail out an annual catalog

for each customer, for example). Often, however, you’ll work with

a subset of your database—people who come from a particular city,

for example, or records that fall within a particular range of dates.

In FileMaker Pro, this process of searching for records that match

particular criteria is called finding records. Once you’ve found the

records you want to work with, you can change their order by sorting

them. Records can be sorted in ascending or descending order.

In this lesson, you will:

1 find records matching criteria in a single field and multiple fields

1 find records matching a range of data

1 narrow your searches by omitting records

1 sort records in ascending and descending order

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify

that it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find

the lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Find records based on criteria in

a single field

In the membership database, find all of the members that are

from New York City.

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample03.fp7.

4. Notice that the database is in Browse mode.

The first record is for a member from New York City.

5. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the City field.

6. From the shortcut menu, choose Find Matching Records.

Your find request returns records for four members who live in

New York. This is the found set.

7. Click the book icon or slider to view each of the four records

in the found set.

Choose this item from

the shortcut menu

Number of records

in the found set Total number of records

in the database

16 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Find records based on criteria in

separate fields

You can find records that match multiple criteria, for example

members who are both from the United States and are new members.

This type of search is commonly referred to as an AND search.

To perform an AND search in FileMaker Pro, type each search

criterion directly into the appropriate field in Find mode.

To find all members who live in the United States and are new

members:

1. Choose View menu > Find Mode.

Use Find mode to perform more advanced searches. In Find mode,

you create a find request using the fields in the layout you see.

Type the criteria you want to search for directly into the fields on

the request.

2. Type USA in the Country field.

3. Locate the Membership Type field, and select the New radio

button.

4. Click the Find button in the status area.

Your find request returns a found set of two records for the two

new members who live in the United States.

5. To find all of the records in your database, choose Records menu >

Show All Records.

Note It is not necessary to choose Show All Records before

performing a Find, as FileMaker Pro finds records from the entire

database by default.

Find records that match multiple criteria

in the same field

Sometimes you need to find records that match more than one

criterion in a single field. For example, you may need to find all

members located in either New York or London. This type of search

is commonly referred to as an OR search, because your found set will

consist of records that match any one of the find criteria.

Select the New radio button

in the Membership Type field

Find

button

Finding and sorting records 17

To perform an OR search in FileMaker Pro, you will need to use

multiple find requests.

1 Type the first search criterion into the appropriate field of the

first find request.

1 Create a second find request and enter the second search criterion

in the same field.

When you click the Find button, FileMaker Pro will retrieve all

of the records that match any of the criteria you’ve entered.

To find all members living in New York or London:

1. Choose View menu > Find Mode.

2. Type New York in the City field.

3. Choose Requests menu > Add New Request.

Notice that the status area shows that there are two requests.

4. Type London in the City field of this second request.

5. Click Find in the status area.

Your find request returns a found set of six records for six members

who live in either New York or London.

Find records that match a range of criteria

in the same field

Sometimes, you might want to find records that match a range

of criteria within a single field. For example, you might want to find

all of the records that fall within a one-month period, or locate all

of the sales invoices numbered between 500 and 1000.

To perform this type of search in FileMaker Pro, you use a special

range symbol in your find request to specify the lower and upper

limits of your find criteria.

To find the members who paid their membership fees between

January 1, 2004 and June 30, 2004:

1. Choose View menu > Find Mode.

2. Type 1/1/2004 in the Date Paid field.

3. In the status area, click the Symbols pop-up menu. Select range

from the list, or type an ellipsis (...).

Your find request should now have 1/1/2004... in the

Date Paid field.

4. Immediately after the ellipsis (...), type 6/30/2004.

5. Click Find.

Your search returns six records, for six members who paid their

fees within the first six months of the year 2004.

Number of requests

Symbols

pop-up menu

18 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Narrow your search

Sometimes, you might need to find records that match certain

criteria while at the same time excluding others (for example, finding

all of the records that were added in a given year except for those

added in February, or finding all customers who reside in New York

state except for those in New York City). You can perform these

types of finds by using a combination of multiple find requests

and omitting certain records.

Because FileMaker Pro processes multiple find requests in the

order they are created, it is possible to create very specific, layered

searches in this manner. Omitting records in a search does not delete

them from the database.

To find the records of members who paid their fees in the first

six months of 2004, except for those who paid their fees in February:

1. Choose View menu > Find Mode.

2. Type 1/1/2004 in the Date Paid field.

3. In the status area, click the Symbols pop-up menu. Select range

from the list, or type an ellipsis.

4. After the ellipsis, type 6/30/2004.

5. Choose Requests menu > Add New Request. Notice that the status

area shows that this is the second request.

6. Type 2/1/2004 in the Date Paid field.

7. In the status area, click the Symbols pop-up menu and select range

from the list, or type an ellipsis.

8. After the ellipsis, type 2/29/2004 in the Date Paid field.

9. Click Omit in the status area to select it.

10. Click Find.

Your search returns five records for five members who paid

their fees within the first six months of 2004, except the month

of February.

Sort your found set

Once you have a found set of records to work with, you might want

to sort those records. For example, you might want to display the

records in alphabetical order, or sort them from newest to oldest.

To sort records in alphabetical order by the members’ last names:

1. Go to the Layout pop-up menu and choose the List of Members

layout. This layout will make it easier to see the results of the sorting.

2. Choose Records menu > Sort Records.

3. If any fields appear in the Sort Order column on the right side

of the dialog box, click Clear All.

4. In the list of available fields, select Last Name and click Move.

Omit checkbox

Finding and sorting records 19

Notice the sort direction symbol to the right of the Last Name field

increases in size from left to right. This indicates that when the

database is sorted by this field, the data will be in ascending order

(from a to z).

5. Click Sort.

The names in the List of Members are now in alphabetical order

by last name.

6. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file

by choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

You have found records based on a variety of criteria, and narrowed

your searches by using Omit. You have sorted the results of your

searches. For more information on finding and sorting records in

FileMaker Pro, see chapter 1 of the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.

Sort direction buttons

become active when

a field is selected

20 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 4

Creating a database and entering records

In the previous lessons, you saw how to use a simple database with

existing data. Now you will create your own file and add records.

In this lesson you will:

1 create a simple database

1 define fields to hold different kinds of data

1 create records

1 enter data

1 modify data

If you are not familiar with database basics, you should do the

first two lessons in this tutorial before continuing.

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify that

it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find the

lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Create a simple database and define fields

Look at the sample file

The sample file is the model for the file you’ll create. It shows you

how fields are defined and that different field types hold different

types of data.

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample04.fp7.

4. Choose File menu > Define > Database.

5. In the Define Database dialog box, click the Fields tab if it is

not already selected.

6. Choose Members from the Table pop-up menu if it is not

already selected.

You see all of the fields in the Members table.

7. Notice the fields are of different types. The First Name and

Last Name fields are of type Text. Fee Paid is of type Number, and

Date Paid is of type Date.

8. Click OK.

9. Notice that the data in each field corresponds to the field type,

such as numbers in the number field and a date in the date field.

22 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

About field definitions

You create a field for each category of information you want,

such as First Name or City. To find, sort, calculate, and display data

correctly, the field type should match the kind of data it contains

(text, number, date, and so on). For example, you can’t search for

text values in a field of type Number.

You will learn about other field types in later lessons.

Create a database

1. Choose File menu > New Database.

2. If you see the New Database dialog box, choose Create a new

empty file, then click OK. If not, go to step 3.

3. Go to the Working Files folder and select it as the location for

this file.

4. For File Name, type MyFile04.

5. Click Save.

The Define Database dialog box appears. By default, FileMaker Pro

creates a table for you, with the same name as your file. You can

change this name later if you want to.

You will now create fields to store information.

6. To create the first field, type First Name in the Field Name box.

7. Notice that the field type is Text.

8. Click Create.

9. Type Last Name in the Field Name box.

10. Click Create.

11. Type Fee Paid in the Field Name box, select Number from

the Type list, then click Create.

12. Type Date Paid in the Field Name box, select Date from

the Type list, then click Create.

13. Click OK.

You see the empty fields in a new, blank record. Field labels identify

the fields. Your file is ready for data entry.

FileMaker Pro automatically saves your changes as you work.

Specify the field type

Name

a field

Field labels

Enter data here

Creating a database and entering records 23

Enter data into the database

Now you can begin to enter members’ data.

Create the first record

1. If you don’t see field boxes, press Tab to begin data entry.

2. Type Jane in the First Name field.

3. Press Tab to move to the next field.

4. Type Doe in the Last Name field.

5. Type 25 in Fee Paid.

You will learn how to format number fields to display as currency

in the next lesson.

6. Type 11/11/2004 in Date Paid.

The completed record should look like this:

Create another record

1. Choose Records menu > New Record.

2. As you did for Jane Doe’s record, enter data for John Smith,

who paid 75 dollars on 2/2/2004.

Your database now contains two records. Click the book icon to see

each record.

Modify data in a record

Suppose you realize that Jane Doe paid 75 dollars, not 25. You can

easily correct the entry.

1. Go to Jane Doe’s record.

2. Select the amount in Fee Paid.

3. Type the new amount, 75.

4. Click an empty area outside a field to save the change.

5. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file

by choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

You have created a simple database and defined fields, and added

and modified records. For more information, see chapters 1 and 2

in the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide. You can also use or build on

the database template files included with FileMaker Pro. For more

information on entering data in different field types and by different

methods, including import, see lesson 7 in this tutorial and

chapters 1 and 4 in the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.

24 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 5

Customizing what you see

You can enhance the way your data looks by adding graphics

and other effects.

In this lesson, you will:

1 learn how layouts determine what you see

1 add, resize, and move fields

1 display values in a number field as currency

1 add text to a layout, and change its size and color

1 add graphics

1 see where to find other ways you can customize a layout

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify

that it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find

the lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Customize your view in Layout mode

Look at the sample layouts

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample05.fp7.

4. Choose Data Entry from the Layout pop-up menu if it is not

already selected.

Notice that the layout is structured like a standard form, with

field labels on the left and data on the right. Also, all fields in the

Members table are present on the Data Entry layout.

5. Choose Fee Information from the Layout pop-up menu.

6. Notice that although this is the same record in the same table,

the data is displayed differently:

1 First Name and Last Name are side by side

1 You see only five fields:

1 First Name, Last Name, City, Country, and Fee Paid

1 The amount in Fee Paid is prefaced with a currency symbol.

You will make these changes to MyFile05 later in this lesson.

7. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

Layout

pop-up menu

26 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

You use Layout mode to customize the appearance of your data.

Although the data is still in the file, you do not see it here. Instead,

you see the names of the fields.

About layouts and tables

Each layout is based on a single table, and shows records from

that table. If your file contains only one table, all layouts in your file

will be based on that table. If your file contains more than one table,

you must choose which table your layout will use at the time you

create the layout, although you can change this later if necessary.

The table you choose as the basis for your layout is important

because it determines which fields and records are available for

use on that layout. Fields and records that are not stored in the current

table can still be used, but must be accessed through relationships.

For more information on relationships, see lesson 10, “Making

databases relational.”

About customizing layouts

Design layouts in Layout mode. You can include any combination

of fields, text, and graphics on a layout. You can change the font

and color of fields and text. You can also change the formatting

of Number or Date fields.

Changes you make in Layout mode affect only the way data appears.

The data itself remains as it was entered.

Tip Leave the sample file open to refer to as you build these features

in the working file.

Customize a layout

You will change a simple layout in this lesson’s working file to

make it look like the Fee Information layout in the sample file.

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Working Files folder.

3. Open MyFile05.fp7.

4. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

5. Choose Fee Information from the Layout pop-up menu.

You see a plain layout. You will modify this layout in different ways

in the following sections.

Resize, move, and add a field

Select and resize a field

1. In Layout mode, click the First Name field to select it.

2. Drag the handle at the lower-right corner of the field to the

left until the field is smaller, yet large enough to display the longest

first name you expect in your file.

3. Choose View menu > Browse Mode.

4. Click Save to save changes to this layout, if prompted.

FileMaker Pro can save layout changes automatically, or prompt

you to save changes before leaving Layout mode. To save layout

changes automatically, select the Save layout changes automatically

checkbox in the Save changes to this layout dialog box.

5. In Browse mode, flip through the records.

If the field doesn’t display all names completely, return to Layout

mode and make the field larger.

6. Repeat this process for Last Name.

Click and drag the

handle to resize

Click to select

Customizing what you see 27

Move a field

1. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

2. Click inside the Last Name field and drag it beside the

First Name field.

In the next steps, you’ll align these fields.

3. Press Shift and click the First Name field to add it to your

selection. Both the First Name and Last Name fields are selected.

4. Choose Arrange menu > Align > Top Edges.

The Last Name field moves until it aligns with the top of the

First Name field.

5. Drag the Last Name field label above the Last Name field.

6. Drag the First Name field label above the First Name field.

Experiment with the Align commands to align the field labels

with each other.

7. Choose View menu > Browse Mode to see your results.

Add a field

If a field has been defined in a table, you can display it on any

layout based on that table. In this database, some defined fields

are not on this layout. You will add one of these fields now.

Note You can also place fields from other tables on your layouts,

as explained in Lesson 10.

1. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

2. Using the Field tool, drag the field to the layout, and place it below

the First Name field.

3. In the Specify Field dialog box, select the City field.

4. Click OK.

5. Choose View menu > Browse Mode to see your field.

You see a city entered in each record. City data was entered

previously, and the field holds the data.

Display a number as currency

You can display a number as currency, even though only the number

is typed into the field.

1. Choose Window menu > Sample05.

2. Choose View menu > Browse Mode.

3. In the Fee Information layout, look at Fee Paid and notice that

the number displays as currency.

4. Click the number to see the data actually entered in the field.

Formatting affects only the way data is displayed. It does not

change the data.

5. Choose Window menu > MyFile05.

6. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

7. Select the Fee Paid field.

8. Choose Format menu > Number.

Field tool

Drag the new field

28 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

9. Select options as shown in the following Number Format

dialog box.

10. Click OK.

11. Choose View menu > Browse Mode to see the formatted data.

Add color to a layout part

You will change the color of the top of the layout to match the colors

of other layouts in the file.

1. Choose Window menu > Sample05.

2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode and look at the header at the

top of the layout.

This is your model.

3. Open MyFile05.fp7 if it is not already open.

4. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

5. Choose Fee Information from the Layout pop-up menu.

6. Select the Header tab to make that part of the layout active.

Windows: The Header label will become lighter in color when

selected.

Mac OS: The Header label will become darker in color when

selected.

7. Choose the fill color palette.

8. Choose Other Color from the fill color palette.

The header part uses a custom color.

9. Mac OS: Select the sliders icon and choose RGB Sliders

from the Colors dialog box pop-up menu. (Windows users can skip

this step.)

10. Enter these values in the Color dialog box:

11. Do one of the following:

1 Windows: Click Add to Custom Colors, then OK.

1 Mac OS: Click OK.

The header is now colored.

Color Value

Red 170

Green 191

Blue 170

Fill color palette

Customizing what you see 29

Add custom text to a layout

You will add the name of the organization to the top of the layout,

then format the text.

Add text

1. Choose Window menu > Sample05.

2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode and look at the heading at

the top of the layout.

This is your model.

3. Open MyFile05.fp7 if it is not already open.

4. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

5. Select the text tool.

6. Click the top of the layout where you want to begin the line

of text.

7. Type The Corporate Travelers Club.

8. Click the selection tool to end the text entry.

Change text size and color

1. Click the Corporate Travelers Club text to select

the text block.

2. Choose Format menu > Text.

3. Choose Times from the Font list.

4. Choose Custom from the Size list, and type 28.

5. For Color, choose white or another color.

6. Click OK.

Add a graphic to the layout

Add a logo beside the club name.

1. Choose Window menu > Sample05.

2. In the Fee Information layout, choose View menu > Layout Mode

and notice where the logo appears on the layout.

3. Open MyFile05.fp7 if it is not already open.

4. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

5. Click beside the Corporate Travelers Club text, where

you want to place the club logo.

You will see no change onscreen yet.

6. Choose Insert menu > Picture.

7. Open the Working Files folder.

8. Make sure all file types are showing, and select logo.gif.

9. Click Open.

10. Drag the logo to move it if necessary.

Text tool

30 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

11. Choose View menu > Browse Mode to see the finished layout.

12. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file

by choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

You have learned how to enhance the appearance of your data

by using graphics, custom text, field formatting, and creative

positioning of objects on layouts.

There are many other ways to customize the appearance of fields

and layouts.

For example, after you’ve created a layout, you can:

1 add effects like embossing or patterns to objects

1 use lines or boxes to highlight or separate information

1 add scroll bars to individual fields

1 change background or field color

When you create a new layout, you can apply color and style using

a theme.

For more information on these enhancements, see FileMaker Pro

Help. The database templates that come with FileMaker Pro also

show ways to enhance layouts. For more information on how to use

the templates, see Customizing Starter Solutions in the Electronic

Documentation folder (inside the English Extras folder).

Lesson 6

Creating lists, mailing labels, and form letters

You can easily create layouts to view and print information in many

different ways.

In this lesson, you will create:

1 a list of your records

1 mailing labels

1 a form letter

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify

that it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find

the lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Create a columnar list

A columnar list shows many records simultaneously. Each row

is one record. Each column holds one category of data, such as

Last Name or Phone Number.

Look at the sample list

You can create a list of records that shows just the information

you want to see.

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample06.fp7.

4. Choose the List of Members layout from the Layout pop-up menu.

You see a columnar list showing some of your fields.

5. Choose View menu > Layout Mode to view the layout that produces

the columnar list you just looked at.

Each field on the layout appears once, but the list displays many

records.

Create a columnar list

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Working Files folder.

3. Open MyFile06.fp7.

4. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

5. Choose Layouts menu > New Layout/Report.

Layout

pop-up menu

32 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

6. For Layout Name, type List of Members.

7. Select Columnar list/report for the new layout type and click Next.

8. Select the Columnar list/report layout again, then click Next.

9. Double-click each of the following fields in the order you want

it to appear in the list:

1 Last Name

1 First Name

1 Company

1 Membership Type

These fields move to the Layout fields list.

10. Click Next.

11. Click Next again to accept the default sort order.

12. Select Standard from the list of layout themes, and click Next.

13. Click Next on each of the two remaining panels to accept the

defaults.

14. Click Finish.

The data in all records for the fields Last Name, First Name, Company,

and Membership Type appears in the List of Members layout. The

completed layout is displayed in Preview mode, which shows items

as they will appear when printed.

Create mailing labels

Look at the sample labels

1. Choose Window menu > Sample06.

2. Choose View menu > Browse Mode.

3. Select Labels in the Layout pop-up menu.

You see the mailing label for the current record.

4. Choose View menu > Preview Mode.

You see a page of labels as it will print.

5. Notice that not all records have the same number of lines of text.

Records with four-line addresses display all lines. In records needing

only three lines, the extra line is automatically omitted so there is

no blank line in the labels.

6. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

You see the names of fields that will appear on the labels.

About label layouts

Label layouts use merge fields. Merge fields expand or contract to

fit the data in the field, and take no space if the field is empty. Merge

fields are for display and printing only. You can’t enter data into

merge fields.

Merge fields

Creating lists, mailing labels, and form letters 33

Create a label layout

In this section, you will use the New Layout/Report assistant to:

1 create a label layout

1 select fields to include on the labels

Create the label

1. Choose Window menu > MyFile06.

2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

3. Choose Layouts menu > New Layout/Report.

4. For Layout Name, type Labels.

5. Select Labels for the new layout type.

6. Click Next.

7. Choose Avery 5160 from the Use label measurements for list.

8. Click Next.

Now you’re ready to specify the label contents.

Choose the fields that will appear on the labels

1. Double-click First Name in the list.

First Name moves to the Label Contents area. The insertion point

flashes.

2. After First Name, type a space.

3. Double-click Last Name in the list.

4. After Last Name, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

This moves the cursor to the next line.

5. Double-click Home Address 1 in the list, then press Enter

(Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

6. Double-click Home Address 2 in the list, then press Enter

(Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

7. Double-click City in the list.

8. Type a comma, then a space.

9. Double-click Country in the list.

Now you have set up the merge fields. Your label contents should

look like this:

10. Click Next.

34 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

11. Click View in Layout mode.

12. Click Finish.

13. When you finish viewing your label layout, choose View menu >

Preview Mode.

Your labels should look like those in the sample file.

Create a form letter

Look at the sample letter

1. Choose Window menu > Sample06.

2. Choose View menu > Browse Mode.

3. Choose Welcome Letter from the Layout pop-up menu.

4. Flip through the records and look at the letter. You might need

to scroll down to see all of it.

5. Notice the personalized address and salutation for each record.

6. Also notice that the wording in each letter is the same, except

that the company name for each record appears in the first paragraph.

The text flows around the company name, regardless of its length.

This letter is ready to print, for every record in the database.

About form letter layouts

The letter is simply a layout containing text, merge fields, and

a graphic.

1. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

2. Click anywhere on the text.

You see the handles in the corners of the entire text block. All of

the text is in a single text block.

3. Notice that Company is a merge field in the body of the letter.

The address and salutation also use merge fields.

Create a form letter

To create this letter, you will:

1 create a blank layout

1 create a text block to contain your letter

1 add merge fields for the recipient’s name and address

1 type the letter

1 customize the letter with the recipient’s company name

1 add the closing

Create a one-page blank layout

1. Choose Window menu > MyFile06.

2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

3. Choose Layouts menu > New Layout/Report.

4. For Layout Name, type Welcome Letter.

5. Select Blank layout for the new layout type.

6. Click Finish.

7. On the layout, click the Header tab, then press Backspace

(Windows) or Delete (Mac OS).

8. Click the Footer tab, then press Backspace (Windows) or

Delete (Mac OS).

This letter will not use a header or footer.

9. Drag the Body tab down to about 11 inches.

When you release the mouse button, you will see the page boundary.

If you don’t see the page boundary, drag the Body tab down farther.

Body tab Page boundary

Creating lists, mailing labels, and form letters 35

10. Now drag the Body tab up to just above the page boundary.

The page boundary line will disappear. Dragging the body tab above

the page boundary limits your form letter to a single page.

11. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen to scroll a few

inches to the right.

You see a heavy dotted line along the right side. This is the right-side

page boundary. Your letter will be within these boundaries.

12. Scroll back all the way to the left.

13. Scroll up to the top of the layout.

Create the text block

You will create a text block with a 2 inch margin on all sides.

1. Click the text tool .

2. Drag a rectangle starting about 2 inches from the top left side

of the layout, and ending about 2 inches from the bottom right side,

as indicated by the page boundary lines.

When you release the mouse, the insertion point flashes in the top left

of the text box. You will type the letter inside this box.

Add the address

1. Choose Insert menu > Merge Field.

2. Select First Name in the list and click OK.

3. Type a space.

4. Choose Insert menu > Merge Field.

5. Select Last Name in the list and click OK.

6. Move to the next line (enter a line space):

1 Windows: Press the Enter key above the Shift key on the

keyboard.

1 Mac OS: Press Return.

7. Add merge fields for the street address, city, and country, with

appropriate spaces, new lines, and punctuation.

Type the letter

1. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS) twice to create two

line spaces at the end of the address.

2. Start the salutation line: type Dear and a space.

3. Insert merge fields for the first and last name, separated by a space.

In your own letters, you can use more fields (for example, a title

field) for a more elegant salutation.

4. Type a comma and two line spaces.

5. Type the letter:

The Corporate Travelers Club welcomes you and

your company to our organization.

We look forward to doing business with you and

hope you have many pleasant trips with us!

If you misspell a word, you’ll see a red dotted line under it.

To turn off this special underlining in this file, choose File menu >

File Options. In the File Options dialog box, click the Spelling tab.

Clear Indicate questionable words with special underline.

The text tool

is selected

36 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Customize the letter with the company name

1. Click after the word company in the first paragraph.

2. Type a comma and a space.

3. Insert a merge field for the company name.

4. Type another comma.

Add the closing

1. Click at the end of the text and enter two line spaces.

2. Type With regards, then enter four line spaces.

3. Type John Jones and a comma.

4. Enter a line space, then type President.

Your layout should look like the letter in the sample file.

5. Choose View menu > Browse Mode to see your letter.

It should look like the letter in the sample file without the

letterhead. See lesson 5 to learn how to add a logo.

6. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file

by choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

In this lesson, you have created list, label, and form-letter layouts.

You can create as many layouts as you like, to organize your

information in any way you like. To learn how to create other

layouts, see lesson 9 in this tutorial and chapter 2 in the

FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.

Clear this checkbox

to turn off underlining

of misspelled words

Lesson 7

Simplifying data entry

You can simplify the way you enter data in FileMaker Pro and

improve accuracy by using value lists, calculation fields, and

data auto-entry.

In this lesson, you will:

1 see how value lists can aid data entry

1 write and test a calculation formula

1 use a field’s auto-entry options to automatically enter data

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify that

it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find the

lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Enter data using value lists

Value lists let you choose the value you want from a scrolling list,

a pop-up menu, checkboxes, or radio buttons. These lists can contain

predefined values, or can be constructed dynamically based on

the values in a particular field. They are an efficient way to enter

frequently used values into your database.

Look at the sample value list

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample07.fp7.

4. Choose Data Entry from the Layout pop-up menu if it is not

already selected.

5. Locate the Membership Type field on the current record.

You see two radio buttons, one for New and one for Continuing.

These correspond to the two choices in the Membership Types

value list.

6. Click one to enter the corresponding value in the field.

Define a value list

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Working Files folder.

3. Open MyFile07.fp7.

4. Choose Data Entry from the Layout pop-up menu if it is not

already selected.

5. Choose File menu > Define > Value Lists.

6. Click New.

7. Name the new value list by typing Membership Types.

A value list with predefined values, displayed as radio buttons

38 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

8. Click in the large box and enter the values for this list, New and

Continuing, by typing each value on its own line.

9. Click OK to close the Edit Value List dialog box.

10. Click OK to finish.

Assign a value list to a field and display it as radio buttons

1. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

2. Select the Membership Type field.

3. Choose Format menu > Field/Control > Setup.

4. For Display as, choose Radio Button Set.

5. For Display values from, choose Membership Types.

6. Click OK. Your radio buttons should be visible in Layout mode.

7. In Browse mode, test your value list and buttons by clicking them.

Select Radio Button Set

Select Membership Types

value list

Membership Type field

formatted as radio buttons

Simplifying data entry 39

Generate values with a calculation field

When you want FileMaker Pro to perform a calculation for you,

for example to determine the amount of tax owed or the proper fee

to be paid, you use a calculation field. Calculation fields are one of

the FileMaker Pro field types. FileMaker Pro can perform simple and

complex calculations.

The calculation formula uses values from the current record or

related records. The formula can use values from all field types. You

can use calculations to return text values (for example, combining

the contents of first name and last name fields into a full name field),

dates, times, timestamps, and the contents of container fields.

See how calculations speed data entry

Members of the Corporate Travelers Club pay an annual fee. New

members pay a fee of $200, while continuing members pay $100.

The following steps show the calculation you are going to build.

The calculation returns a membership renewal fee based on

membership type.

1. Choose Window menu > Sample07.

2. Choose Data Entry from the Layout pop-up menu if it is not already

selected.

3. Create a new record by choosing Records menu > New Record.

Notice there’s no data in the Renewal Fee field.

4. In the Membership Type field, click New. The Renewal Fee field

indicates 200.

The Renewal Fee field is a calculation field.

5. In the Membership Type field, click Continuing. The value in

Renewal Fee changes to 100.

6. Delete this record by choosing Records menu > Delete Record.

Deleting this record is necessary to set up a later part of this lesson.

7. Click Delete in the confirmation dialog box.

Create a calculation field

There are several different ways of formulating a calculation, each

of which can yield the correct result. The following method uses an

If statement to compare the data entered in the Membership Type

field with one of the membership types. The calculation returns

one of two results.

1. Choose MyFile07.fp7 from the Window menu.

2. Choose File menu > Define > Database.

3. In the Define Database dialog box, click the Fields tab if it is

not already selected.

4. For Field Name, type Renewal Fee.

5. For Type, select Calculation to make this a calculation field.

6. Click Create.

The Specify Calculation dialog box appears.

Select Calculation

40 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

7. Scroll through the list of formulas in the upper-right

corner of the Specify Calculation dialog box until you locate

If (test ; resultOne ; resultTwo). Double-click this formula so

that it appears in this dialog box.

This formula has three parts: a test, a result if the test evaluates

as true (result one), and a result if the test evaluates as false

(result two). You will replace the placeholders test, resultOne,

and resultTwo with the actual components of the calculation.

8. Select the placeholder test and type Membership Type =

“Continuing” exactly as it appears here.

9. Select the placeholder resultOne, and type 100.

10. Select the placeholder resultTwo, and type 200.

11. Make sure the calculation result is set to Number.

12. Click OK.

If you receive an error message, make sure that all spaces and

punctuation are identical to the formula shown above.

13. Click OK to close the Define Database dialog box.

The Renewal Fee field appears at the bottom of the layout.

Depending on the size of your screen, you may need to scroll down

to see it.

Your calculation formula is now complete. When data is entered

in the Membership Type field, FileMaker Pro will compare it to the

word we are testing for, “Continuing.” The test is true if it matches

this word, and the calculation will return your first result, 100. If it

doesn’t match, the test is false, and the second result is returned.

Test your calculation

To see if your calculation works, try changing the value in the

Membership Type field to Continuing, and notice the result in

the Renewal Fee field—it should change as the membership type

changes.

Field list

Verify the type

of data to be

returned by

the calculation

Formula list

Replace these placeholders

with your calculation

The completed calculation

Simplifying data entry 41

Automatically enter a serial number

FileMaker Pro lets you automatically enter certain types of data—

for example, incremental numbers—when you create a new record.

Look at a serial number example

1. Choose Window menu > Sample07.

2. Go to the last record in the database.

3. Locate the Member Number field, and note the current number

of this record.

4. Create a new record by choosing Records menu > New Record.

The value in the Member Number field of the new record is

increased by one.

Note If you did the first activity in this chapter, you will notice

that the value in Member Number is 32, even though there are now

31 records in the Sample07.fp7 database. FileMaker Pro continues

to increment serial numbers even if intervening records have been

deleted, such as record 31 in this case.

Create a field for serial numbers

1. Choose Window menu > MyFile07.

2. Choose File menu > Define > Database.

3. In the Define Database dialog box, click the Fields tab if it is

not already selected.

4. For Field Name, type Member Number.

5. Select Number as the field type.

6. Click Create.

7. Click Options.

8. Select Serial number on the Auto-Enter tab. You don’t need to

change the Generate choice, or the amounts for next value or

increment by for this exercise.

9. Click OK, then click OK again to close the dialog box.

The new field appears at the bottom of the layout. (You might

need to scroll down to see it.)

10. Test your new field entry option by choosing Records menu >

New Record. Each time you create a new record, the value in the

Member Number field increments by one.

To learn how to change the position of the new field, see lesson 5.

11. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file

by choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

You have learned how to simplify data entry by defining and

formatting value lists, calculation fields, and auto-entered serial

numbers. For more information on calculation fields and field

auto-enter options, as well as defining and formatting value lists,

see FileMaker Pro Help.

Select Serial

number

42 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 8

Automating tasks with buttons and scripts

FileMaker Pro lets you automate many database tasks with buttons

and scripts. These powerful features can save you a lot of time by

performing a series of actions with a single click.

In this lesson you will:

1 make and use a button to perform a task

1 create and run a simple script to perform a multi-step task

1 use a button to perform a script

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify that

it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find the

lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Perform a task using a button

Look at a sample button

A button is an object on a layout that you can click to perform many

FileMaker Pro commands. You can use a button to switch layouts

in your database.

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample08.fp7.

4. Locate the button labeled Go to List of Members at the top of

Layout #1.

5. Click the button. You should now be viewing the List of Members

layout (as indicated by the Layout pop-up menu).

Create the button

1. Open the Tutorial folder.

2. Open the Working Files folder.

3. Open MyFile08.fp7.

4. Choose Data Entry from the Layout pop-up menu if it is not

already selected.

5. Select View menu > Layout Mode to switch to Layout mode.

6. Click the button tool .

7. Draw the button at the top of the layout.

8. In the Button Setup dialog box, select the Go to Layout command

from the list.

9. In the Options area, select the List of Members layout.

10. Select Rounded button for button style.

Place the button here

44 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

11. Click OK.

12. Notice that the insertion point is now in the center of your button.

Type Go to List of Members in your button to identify it.

13. Click outside the button.

If you need to move the button, select it and drag it to the desired

location, as with any other layout element.

To test your button, go to Browse mode and click it. The button takes

you to the List of Members layout.

Perform a series of tasks using a script

As you have just seen, you can use a button to perform a single

command. To make FileMaker Pro perform a sequence of

commands, use a script.

Run a script in the sample file

1. Choose Window menu > Sample08.

2. Choose Scripts menu > Preview Labels Layout.

You should now see the Labels layout, in Preview mode. This

script lets you preview labels before you print.

About scripts

A script lets you construct a series of instructions for FileMaker Pro

to perform. Like buttons, scripts allow you to automate most of the

FileMaker Pro menu commands, as well as activate some commands

not found in the FileMaker Pro menu structure. Simple scripts

can perform a single task, while complex scripts might combine

elements (such as user feedback and control) with programming

techniques (such as branching and looping) to make powerful,

dynamic instruction sets.

Create a script to preview the Labels Layout

1. Choose Window menu > MyFile08.

2. Choose Scripts menu > ScriptMaker.

3. Click New.

4. In the Script Name text box, type Preview Labels Layout.

5. Select the Go to Layout script step and click the Move button. (You

can also select and move script steps by double-clicking them.)

6. In the Script Step Options area, select the Labels layout from the

list of available layouts.

Specify

the List of

Members

layout

Select

Rounded

button

Automating tasks with buttons and scripts 45

7. From the list on the left, scroll down and select the Enter Preview

Mode script step, and move it over to your script.

8. Click OK, then click OK again to close the dialog box.

9. To run the script you have just created, choose Scripts menu >

Preview Labels Layout. FileMaker Pro displays the Labels layout and

switches to Preview mode.

Assign a script to a button

While buttons are generally more convenient for users, scripts are

a more powerful feature, allowing you to combine many menu

commands into a single executable action. Using a button to run

a script gives you the best of both features.

To assign the script you just created to the button you created earlier:

1. In MyFile08.fp7, choose Data Entry from the Layout pop-up menu.

2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

3. Double-click the button you created earlier in this lesson.

4. In the Button Setup dialog box, select the Perform Script script step

from the top of the list on the left.

In the Options area, for Current Script click Specify. Select Preview

Labels Layout from the list of available scripts, and click OK. Leave

the rest of the default button settings as they are and click OK.

If you have not already created this script, follow the steps described

in “Create a script to preview the Labels Layout” on page 44.

Specify a target

layout for the

script step

The finished script

46 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Rename the button

1. Click the text tool .

2. Click the button once. The text insertion point appears in the

button.

3. Type Preview Labels Layout to rename this button. It may

be necessary to resize this button after renaming it.

Test the button

1. In Browse mode, test the button by clicking it.

Clicking this button performs the script, which displays the Labels

layout and switches to Preview mode.

2. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file by

choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

In this lesson, you have created buttons and scripts, and used these

two features together. For more information on creating buttons and

scripts, see FileMaker Pro Help.

Lesson 9

Creating and running reports

The process of retrieving and organizing data from a database

is called reporting. Summary reports present just the totals

of your data; they do not break information into smaller groups.

Subsummary reports, also referred to as reports with grouped data,

categorize information by a particular field or fields, allowing you to

group information hierarchically. This subsummarized information

can then be subtotaled, averaged, or counted.

In this lesson you will:

1 generate a report with grouped data

1 generate a report with grouped data and totals

1 save a report as a PDF file and send it as an email attachment

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify that

it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find the

lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

Generate a report with grouped data

Look at a sample report

This example shows a report that groups the members by

membership type. The report has been saved to a script.

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample09.fp7.

4. Choose Scripts menu > Membership Type Report to generate the

membership type report.

5. Examine the resulting report.

First, notice that you are in Preview mode. Preview mode is

necessary to view summarized data on the screen. Second, notice

how the members are grouped by the membership type, and further

alphabetized by last name within each category.

6. Click the Continue button in the status area to complete the script

and return to the Data Entry layout.

This report groups data by

the Membership Type field,

also referred to as

the break field

48 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

About subsummary reports

A report with grouped data requires a number of elements to

work properly.

Subsummary reports include:

1 a subsummary part in the report layout for each level of detail you want

to break out. The New Layout/Report assistant creates these for you.

1 a field or fields to group records by. These fields are referred to

as break fields.

1 records sorted by these break fields, in the order the subsummary

parts appear on your report layout.

Create a subsummary report

To create the Membership Type Report:

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Working Files folder.

3. Open MyFile09.fp7.

4. In Layout mode, choose Layouts menu > New Layout/Report.

5. For Layout Name type Membership Type Report.

6. Select Columnar list/report for the new layout type and click Next.

7. Select Report with grouped data, and click Next.

Select the fields used in this report

1. Select the first field to be used in this report, Membership Type,

and move it to the Layout fields list.

2. Select and move the Last Name field.

3. Select and move the First Name field.

4. Click Next.

Creating and running reports 49

5. Move the Membership Type field to the Report categories list

to organize the records by membership type.

Membership Type is referred to as a break field because you are

using the contents of this field to break the records into categories

for your report.

6. Click Next.

7. Move the Last Name field to the Sort order list.

This sorts the records in each group of membership types

alphabetically by members’ last names. Notice that the break field

Membership Type appears automatically at the top of the Sort order

list to enable FileMaker Pro to group records by this category.

8. Click Next.

Select a theme and create the header and footer

1. Select the Standard theme to set the text size, color, and style

of the finished report.

2. Click Next.

3. Go to the Top center list in the Header area and select Large

Custom Text.

4. Type Membership Type Report for the header of the

report and click OK.

5. Go to the Bottom center list and select Page Number to number

the pages in the report’s footer.

50 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

6. Click Next.

Create a script to run this report again

1. Click Create a script.

2. Leave Script Name as it appears. Click Next.

3. Click View the report in Preview mode if it is not already selected.

4. Click Finish.

Your finished report should look like the report pictured on page 47.

Generate a report with grouped data and totals

In the previous exercise, you created a report that grouped data in

categories based on common field values. In this exercise, you will

create a similar report that also includes subtotals for each category

and a grand total for the entire report.

Look at a sample report

This subsummary report:

1 groups the members by membership type

1 subtotals the fees collected for each membership type

1 provides a grand total of these fees

1. To view the finished sample report, choose Window menu >

Sample09.

2. Choose Scripts menu > Membership Fee Report to generate the

membership fee report.

3. Examine the resulting report.

As in the previous example, the members are grouped by

membership type. Additionally, the fees collected for each

membership type are subtotaled beneath those members’ names,

and a grand total of all fees appears at the bottom of the report.

4. Click the Continue button to complete the script and return to

the Data Entry layout.

A report with grouped data and totals requires the same elements

as a report with grouped data: a subsummary part in the report layout

for each category, a field or fields to group records by, and a sort

of the database by these fields.

Subtotals

Grand Total

Creating and running reports 51

Two additional elements are also required:

1 a grand summary layout part

1 summary field(s) to display totals, averages, or counts

Create a report with grouped data and totals

To create the Membership Fee Report:

1. Choose Window menu > MyFile09.

2. In Layout mode, choose Layouts menu > New Layout/Report.

3. For Layout Name, type Membership Fee Report.

4. Select Columnar list/report for the new layout type and click Next.

5. Select Report with grouped data and then select Include subtotals

and Include grand totals.

6. Click Next.

Select the fields used in this report

1. Select the first field to be used in this report, Membership Type,

and move it to the Layout fields list.

2. Select and move the Last Name field.

3. Select and move the First Name field.

4. Select and move the Fee Paid field.

5. Click Next.

6. You want to organize the records by Membership Type. Move this

field to the Report categories list.

7. Click Next.

8. Move the Last Name field to the Sort order list to sort the records

in each group of membership types alphabetically by members’

last names.

9. Click Next.

Specify subtotals and grand totals

A summary field is a type of field you can specify when you define

fields. Summary fields allow calculations across all of the records

in your found set. In general, when you need to total data across

a number of records, you must use a summary field.

In the Membership Fee Report, you want to see subtotals for

fees paid by each type of member, New and Continuing, and to

see a grand total of both groups’ fees at the end of the report.

To accomplish this, you will need to specify subtotal and grand

total summary fields in the New Layout/Report Assistant.

The summary field you will use is Membership Revenue, which

has already been defined for you. Membership Revenue totals

the fees entered in the Fee Paid field.

1. For Summary field, click Specify and select Membership Revenue

from the list of available fields, then click OK.

2. For Category to summarize by, use the default value of Membership

Type.

52 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

3. For Subtotal placement, use the default value of Below record group.

4. Click Add Subtotal to add the Membership Revenue field as

the subtotal. This tells FileMaker Pro to create a subtotal of the

membership fees that are paid beneath each membership category.

5. Click Next.

6. For Summary field, click Specify and select Membership Revenue

from the list of available fields, then click OK.

This tells FileMaker Pro to use the Membership Revenue field in

the grand total.

7. Click Add Grand Total to add the Membership Revenue field as the

grand total at the end of the report. This tells FileMaker Pro to create

a grand total of membership fees.

8. Click Next.

Select a theme and create the header and footer

1. Select the Standard theme to set the text size, color, and style

of the finished report.

2. Click Next.

3. Go to the Top center list and select Large Custom Text.

4. Type Membership Fee Report for the header of the report

and click OK.

5. Go to the Bottom center list and select Page Number to number

the pages in the report’s footer.

6. Click Next.

Create a script to run this report again

1. Click Create a script.

2. Leave Script Name as it appears. Click Next.

3. Click View the report in Preview mode if it is not already selected.

4. Click Finish.

Your finished report should look like the report pictured on page 50.

Creating and running reports 53

Save and send a report as a PDF file

After you run a report, you can save it as a PDF file and send it as

an email attachment.

To send the Membership Fee Report as a PDF file:

1. Choose Scripts menu > Membership Fee Report.

This runs the script you created in the previous exercise and displays

the report in Preview mode.

2. Choose File menu > Save/Send Records As > PDF.

3. Specify where you want to save the PDF file.

4. For File Name (Windows) or Save As (Mac OS), type

Membership Fee Report.

5. For Save, choose Records being browsed.

6. Select Create email with file as attachment.

7. Click Save.

FileMaker Pro creates the PDF file and passes it to your email

program. The PDF file appears as an attachment in an email message

that you can then address and send.

8. When you are finished with this lesson, close each open file by

choosing File menu > Close.

For more information

In this lesson, you generated reports with grouped data, and

reports with grouped data and totals. You also saved a report as

a PDF file and sent it as an email attachment. For more information

on creating reports, see FileMaker Pro Help.

54 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 10

Making databases relational

Relational databases let you easily view related data and streamline

data entry. You can enter data once, then view and use that data

in related tables or files.

In this lesson, you will:

1 see how relational databases work

1 define a relationship

1 display data from one related record

1 display a list of related records

The sample file in this lesson uses two tables:

1 a Members table with records for individual Corporate Travelers

Club members

1 a Companies table for companies where these members work.

Each company has many members.

Important Copy the Tutorial folder to your hard drive or verify that

it is installed before beginning this lesson. See “Where to find the

lesson files” on page 7 for more information.

View data from one related record

See how relationships work in the sample files

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Sample Files folder.

3. Open Sample10.fp7.

4. Choose the Companies layout from Layout pop-up menu, and

browse through the records.

The Companies layout is based on the Companies table, and shows

records from that table. The Companies table has three records,

one record for each of the three companies that has members in

the Corporate Travelers Club. Each company record also contains

a portal that displays the club members from that company.

5. Choose the Corporate Account Information layout from the

Layout pop-up menu.

Corporate Account Information is based on the Members table,

and shows the company information for each of the 30 members

in the database.

6. In Corporate Account Information, create a new record for

Jane Doe.

7. For Company, click the Company field and choose ABC Company.

8. Notice that the address for ABC Company automatically appears.

56 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

About related tables

The Companies table and Members table are related tables.

When you enter a company name in a record in the Members

table, FileMaker Pro identifies the record for that company in the

Companies table. FileMaker Pro then displays the address from this

matching company record in the Members table.

How does this happen? The Members table has a relationship to the

Companies table. The relationship is based on matching data in the

Company field in both tables. The Company field is the match field.

The Members file displays the company address using related fields.

You will learn both parts of this process: how to define the

relationship and how to display data using the relationship.

Display a related record in a file

Define a relationship to another table

1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.

2. Open the Working Files folder.

3. Open MyFile10.fp7.

MyFile10.fp7 has the same tables as the sample file, but without

the relational structure. You will build the structures now.

4. Choose File menu > Define > Database.

5. Click the Relationships tab.

You see the relationships graph. The relationships graph shows

all the tables in the current file.

When you work with tables in the relationships graph, you are using

them to organize your view into your data. Each table occurrence

in the relationships graph represents a separate view into your data.

When you create a relationship between two tables, you make the

data stored in either table accessible to the other table, according to

the match fields and the criteria you establish for the relationship.

6. In the Members table, click the Company field and drag a line

to the Company field in the Companies table.

7. Release the mouse button. You see the relationship you

have created.

Records are related when data in the Company field in one table

matches the data in the Company field in the other table.

8. Click OK.

Display data from a related record

Once you’ve defined the relationship, you can modify a layout to

display data using that relationship. Here, you want to display the

company address.

1. In MyFile10, choose the Corporate Account Information layout

from the Layout pop-up menu.

2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

Making databases relational 57

3. Using the Field tool , drag a field onto the layout.

You see the Specify Field dialog box displaying the list of fields

in this table.

4. Click Current Table (“Members”) and choose the Companies table

from the list.

You now see a list of the fields in the related table Companies. The

colons (::) before each field name show that these are related fields,

not fields defined in the Members table you are currently working in.

These related fields will display data from the related table.

5. Click ::Company Address.

6. Select Create label, then click OK.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 for ::City and ::Country.

8. Move the fields if necessary, and make the fields large enough

to display all the data they contain. The fields should look like this:

9. Choose View menu > Browse Mode and flip through the records to

view company addresses from the Companies table in the Corporate

Account Information layout that is based on the Members table.

View data from a list of related records

Suppose you want to show all club members for each company.

You also want to add new members to the Members table without

entering the company name for each.

Work with related records in the sample file

View a list of related records

1. Choose Window menu > Sample10.

2. Choose the Companies layout from the Layout pop-up menu.

3. Browse through the records.

You see a list of members at each company. They are all individuals

in the Members table.

Add to the list

1. Go to the ABC Company record.

2. Add a new member by clicking the first empty line under First Name.

3. Type Joe, then press Tab and type Williams in the

last name field.

Choose

the table from

the table pop-up

menu

Displays a list of

members from

the related table

Click here to enter

a new member

for this company

58 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

View the new record in the related table

1. Go to the Data Entry layout, which is based on the Members table.

2. Go to the last record.

You see Joe Williams’ record, with the company information

filled in. You automatically created this record when you typed

Joe Williams into the list in the Companies table.

Add a new record and view it in the list

1. In the Data Entry layout, create a record for a new member

who works at ABC Company.

2. Now return to Companies layout, and look at the ABC Company

record.

You see the new member in the list (scroll down if necessary).

About working with lists of related records

In “View data from one related record” on page 55, a relationship

between the Members and Companies tables displays data (company

addresses) from the Companies table. Here, the same relationship

displays data (member names) from the Members table.

Relationships are bidirectional.

There is more than one matching record in the related table because

there is more than one member from each company. A portal in

the Companies table displays all the members for each company.

When you added Joe Williams to the list of members who work at

ABC Company, the relationship automatically created a record for

Joe Williams in the Members table. ABC Company is automatically

entered into the match field because the name was added to the portal

of the ABC Company record.

A new member added to the Members table automatically appears

at the end of the members list in the matching company record in

the Companies table.

Display a list of related records

Create a portal to display matching records

1. Choose Window menu > MyFile10.

2. Choose the Companies layout from the Layout pop-up menu.

A relationship must always be defined before you can display data

from related records. You will use the relationship to the Members

table you defined earlier in this lesson.

This relationship must be edited to allow the creation of related

records.

3. Choose File menu > Define > Database, and click the Relationships

tab, if it isn’t already selected.

4. In the relationships graph, double-click the relational operator

to display the Edit Relationship dialog box.

5. In the Members table, select Allow creation of records in this table via

this relationship. This lets you add a name to the Members list.

Select

this

checkbox

Making databases relational 59

6. Click OK, then click OK again to close the Define Database

dialog box.

7. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.

8. Click the portal tool and draw a box to hold the list of names.

9. In the Portal Setup dialog box, show related records from the

Members table.

10. Leave the Initial row value at 1. Change the Number of rows

value to 7.

Each row displays one matching member record.

11. Select Show vertical scroll bar.

12. Click OK.

Add the fields in the portal

1. In the Add Fields to Portal dialog box, select the ::First Name field

and move it to the Included fields list.

2. Select and move the ::Last Name field.

3. Click OK.

4. Use the text tool and create field labels for the First Name and

Last Name field labels above their respective fields in the portal.

The portal should look like this when you are done.

5. Choose View menu > Browse Mode to view your list of members.

6. Test your new structure: type the name of a new member at

ABC Company, then look to see if it appears in the Data Entry

layout. (It will be the last record.)

7. When you are finished with this lesson, Exit or Quit

FileMaker Pro to close all open files.

For more information

You have seen how to use and create simple relationships.

This tutorial covers just the basics; there are many important points

to consider when building a relational database system. Be sure to

read chapter 3 in the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide and the relational

information in FileMaker Pro Help before using relationships in your

own files.

60 FileMaker Pro Tutorial

Lesson 11

Keeping your data safe

Power failures, disk problems, and other unexpected computer

problems can happen to anyone at any time. To help prevent data

loss, regularly back up all important documents on your computer,

including your databases.

In this lesson you will learn:

1 how and when to back up your database

1 where to learn about other ways to protect your files

How to back up your database

There are many ways to back up a file. This is one way.

1. Determine the size of the database:

Windows: Right-click the icon for the file, then choose Properties.

Mac OS: Click the icon for the file, then choose File menu > Get Info.

2. Identify a disk or volume that has enough available space for

a copy of the database.

3. Open the database you want to back up.

4. Choose File menu > Save a Copy As.

5. Click Save.

Important Next time, back up to a different disk or volume. Never

back up over the only or most recent copy of your file. You should

have several different backups at all times.

When to back up

You should back up:

1 as often as necessary to be sure you can restore all of your data

in an emergency.

1 before you make a major or irreversible change like deleting

records, deleting a field, or replacing data using the Import or

Replace features.

Remember, it takes far less time to back up a file than it does to

recreate a lost or damaged file!

For more information

This lesson has shown you one way to protect a database. For

other ways to prevent and overcome difficulties with your files,

see FileMaker Pro Help.

Accept the default

filename for your

copy, or change

the name

Select the disk

and folder where

you want to save

your copy

Save a copy of

current file

62 FileMaker Pro Tutorial