FileMaker Pro 10 Basics Manual - Information Systems &...

Copyright©2009byMITIS&T.

FileMakerPro

10

BasicsManual

Draft

BronwenHeuer

IS&T

ApplicationsUserExperience

September,2009

Introduction


1

Introduction

WelcometoFileMakerProversion10.

FileMakerProisanapplicationthatallowsyoutocreateadatabase,tostoreandorganizeinformationinit,andtosearchandreportonthatinformation.SometimesFileMakerProisreferredtoasadatabasesolutionbecauseitfulfillsbothstorageandreportingneeds.

Thiscoursebeginswiththenotionthatyouhaveinheritedadatabase.Youneedtodiscoverwhatinformationisstoredinit,howthatinformationisorganized,whatreportshavebeencreatedfordataentryandreporting.Youwillneedtokeeptheinformationup‐to‐datebycreating,editinganddeletingrecordsandyouwillneedtoprintoutsomeofthosereports.

CourseObjectives:• Understandtermssuchasrecords,fields,fieldtypes,tocommitarecord,indexed,

foundset,layout• UnderstandFileMaker’sfourmodesandidentifythetasksthatcanbeperformedin

eachmode.• Understandthedifferentviewsofdata.• Navigatethroughfields,records,layoutsandmodes.• Enter,edit,duplicateanddeletedatafromadatabase.• Performsimpleandcomplexfindsandsortstolocateandorganizedataas

appropriateforreporting.• Saveandreusefinds.• Createasimplelayout.• Printoutareport,createapdf,orsavedatatoaspreadsheet.

Thebusinessofcreatinganewdatabaseisreservedforalaterclass.Inthenextclassinthesuite,Reports,Layouts,andUserInterfaceDesign,wewillexplorethevariouswaysFileMakerallowsustoreportoutontheinformationstoredinourdatabasebyexploringthemyriadwaysofcreatinglayouts.Wewillalsocreateasmall,simpledatabasethatwillserveasawayofexploringreportingandkeydatabaseconcepts.Intheprocess,wewilltakeacloserlookatfileattributesandfieldcharacteristics.Inthethirdcourse,wewilllookatconceptsofdesignandgoodpracticeswhencreatingamulti‐tabledatabasesolution.Wewillworktowardanunderstandingofrelationaldataandhowmultipletablescanbejoinedtoallowdynamicreportingcapabilities.

Version10ofFileMakerlookssignificantlydifferentfromallpreviousversions.Almostsinceitsinception,astatusbarhasoccupiedtheleft‐handsideoftheFileMakerinterface.Herewefoundthetoolsofeachmode,buttonstoswitchbetweenmodes,andfirstarolodexandthenbookiconthatallowedustomovethroughrecords,layouts,orreportpages.Thisstatusareahasbeenmovedtothetopofthescreenandnewbuttonsappearthatallowforswitchingbetweenthedifferentmodes.Thisclassandthemanualyounowhaveinyourhandsreflectsversion10’snewconfigurationoftheinterface.Shouldyouhavenotyetmigratedtothisversion,youcanrequestoldermaterialsfromtheinstructorforthepurposeofunderstandingandreviewofversion9andbefore.FileMakerfilescreatedwithversions

Introduction


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7through9arereadilycompatiblewith10.Thefiletypeoffp7hasnotchangedsinceversion7.

Version10wasannouncedinearlyJanuary,2009.IS&TannouncedsupportanddistributionofthisversioninMay.


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Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 1CourseObjectives:...........................................................................................................................................1

Module1:WorkingwithanExistingDatabase:AnOverviewofFileMakerPro10 .................................................................................................................................................. 5

Objectivesofthismodule:............................................................................................................................5Exploringanexistingdatabase..................................................................................................................6Navigatingthroughrecords ........................................................................................................................9Viewinginformationasforms,lists,tables .......................................................................................10IdentifyingFileMakerModes.....................................................................................................................13BROWSEmode...............................................................................................................................................13FindMode ........................................................................................................................................................14LayoutMode ...................................................................................................................................................15PreviewMode ................................................................................................................................................16Exercise1–Determinethemodeforeachofthetasks ...............................................................16Exercise2–ReviewNavigationTechniques ....................................................................................17

Module2:WorkinginFindMode....................................................................................18FindingRecords ............................................................................................................................................18FindMode ........................................................................................................................................................19DrawingValuesfromtheIndex..............................................................................................................20UseFindwithSearchOperators ............................................................................................................21ReviewofFindTechniques ......................................................................................................................22RefiningYourRequestsWithAND,OR,OMIT..................................................................................22TheANDrequest....................................................................................................................................................... 22TheORRequest ......................................................................................................................................................... 22OMIT:ExcludeRecordsfromtheFoundSet.............................................................................................. 23

ReusingFinds .................................................................................................................................................24FindandReplace ...................................................................................................................................................... 25Exercise5‐ReviewofANDandORSearches .............................................................................................. 27

Module3:WorkinginBrowseMode..............................................................................28MovingfromFieldtoFieldwithaRecord .........................................................................................28EnteringandEditingData.........................................................................................................................28Committingarecord ............................................................................................................................................... 29RevertRecord ............................................................................................................................................................ 29DeleteDataandReplaceExistingDatainaField ....................................................................................... 29CreateaNewRecord............................................................................................................................................... 29DeleteaRecord ......................................................................................................................................................... 29DuplicatePreviousRecordsorFields.............................................................................................................. 30DuplicateSelectFieldsfromPreviousRecord............................................................................................. 30SelectFieldEntriesFromaListofAllPreviousEntries .......................................................................... 30Exercise3–ReviewofDataEntryTechniques ........................................................................................... 31

ContainerFields ............................................................................................................................................32SortingRecords .............................................................................................................................................32FileManagementtopics.............................................................................................................................34ExportRecords… ...................................................................................................................................................... 34SaveaCopyAs ........................................................................................................................................................... 36Exercise4–Sorting ................................................................................................................................................. 37

Module4:PreviewingandPrinting ...............................................................................38SaveasPDF .....................................................................................................................................................39


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Module5:LayoutBasics.....................................................................................................40CreatingaNewLayout .......................................................................................................................................... 42

Module6:Resources ...........................................................................................................46

Module1:WorkingwithanExistingDatabase:AnOverviewofFileMakerPro10


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Youhaveinheritedadatabaseandneedtomaintainit:Updateandeditthedata,runreportsandcreatenewreports.Howdoyoudiscoverwhatisinthisdatabaseandfindyourwayaround?

Objectivesofthismodule:• BecomefamiliarwithFileMakerPro’sfourmodesforperforming

databasetasks.• Learnhowtoopenandexploreanexistingdatabase

• Introducethetermsrecords,fields,tables,andlayoutsWhatisadatabase?Oneauthor1defineddatabasesasanybodyofinformationthatcanbesearchedandsorted.Thismaybeaverygeneraldescriptionbuttheseareimportantstandardstokeepinmindaswegoaboutthetaskofdevelopingadatabase.Theabilitytosearchandtosortarekeycriteriawhenwedesignourtablesandfields.

Adatabaseisacollectionofrelatedpiecesofinformation(data)organizedintodiscreterecordsandfields.Ifyouweretocreateastudentaddressdatabase,alltheinformationpertainingtoonestudentwouldbeconsideredasinglerecord.Theseparatepiecesofinformationaboutthatstudent,i.e.,astudent’slastname,firstname,andphonenumberwouldbestoredinseparatefieldswithintherecord.Thesearesometimesreferredtoasattributes.Theentirestudentbody’saddressdatacouldinturnbestoredasasingleFileMakertablemadeupofmanyrecords.

Visually,adatabasecanberepresentedbyatable‐likestructure.Eachrowinthetablecontainsarecord;eachcolumninthetablestoresoneparticularkindofdata.Intheexampleofthestudentaddressdatabase,eachrowwouldbeassignedtoasinglestudentandeachcolumntoaspecificpieceofinformation,suchasfirstnameorzipcode,relevanttoallstudents.

FieldName

1JohnM.Osborne,theauthorofFileMakerbooksandtrainingCDs.[http://www.databasepros.com/training.html]

StudentID LastName FirstName Street

99850012 Rashmon Kira 55OakSt.

99850153 Feingold John 12PineSt.

99851542 Percy Reginald 6GoldRd.

99612542 Hwong Nan 2FrontSt.SingleRecord



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Withthisismindmanyask“CanIconvertmyExcelspreadsheetintoaFileMakerdatabase?”Yes.Thereareseveralwaystodoitdependinguponyourspreadsheetandthedesireresults.Itisoneoftheeasiestwaystocreateaspreadsheet.Inessence,ifyouareusinganExcelspreadsheettomaintainalistofonekindoranother,youareusingitlikeadatabase.FileMakerisanelegantwayofmaintaininglists.[andsoontherewillbeaclasscalledfromSpreadsheettoDatabase].

ExploringanexistingdatabaseFileMakerhasfourmodes.Ineachmode,differenttasksarepreformed.Theyare

Browse Enterdata,viewrecords,createnewrecords,deleterecords.Whenyoufirstopenadatabase,youareinBrowsemode.

Find Searchforarecordorgroupofrecords.

Layout Usingthemanytoolscreatelayoutsandreports.Designthewayinformationwillappearonthescreenorprintedpage.

Preview Seehowpageswilllookwhenyouprintthem.

Eachmodehasadistinctstatusareaandtoolbar.2

Let’sbeginbyopeningtheclassfilecalledEmployeeRecords.DoubleclickingontheiconwillautomaticallylaunchtheFileMakerapplicationandopenyourdatabasefile.

Weareopeningafilethatresidesoneachofourindividualcomputers.Manyofus,backintheworkplacewillclickonaniconanditwillbeopeningadatabasethatresidesinaremotelocation,onasharedserver.Wemaybeoneofmanypeopleaccessingthatdatabaseatanyonetime.Clickingontheiconmaylaunchascriptthatautomaticallytakesyoutothatdatabase.Alternatively,youmaygotoFileOpenRemoteandthennavigatetotheappropriateserverandFileMakerfile.

ThereistheoptiontoopenFileMakerandgotoFileOpenRecent.Adrop‐downmenuoftherecentlyvisiteddatabasefilesisdisplayed.

RESULTS:Youwillseeascreenlikethefollowing.Whatisthis?

2OnethingtobeawareofwhenresizingyourFileMakerwindowsisthattoolbariconsappearanddisappeardependingonthesizeofthewindowandsometimesitisnotthetoolsyouwouldexpectthatdisappearfirst.Stretchandshrinkthetoolbarandobserve!



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WearecurrentlyinBROWSEmodelookingatalayoutcalled“Salary.”Fivefieldsaredisplayedacrossthelayoutandrecordsaredisplayedinalist‐likeform.

Browsecanbedistinguishedbyitsstatustoolbaracrossthetopofthescreen:

Inthelowerframeofthewindow,isthedesignationofthemode. .Thisdesignationisalsoapop‐upmenuthatallowsyoutomovebetweenmodes.Clickonitandsee.

Howmanyrecordsarethereinthisdatabase?Howdoyouknow?Whatorderaretheyin?

Thereare30records.Thestatusaredisplaysthecountoftotalrecords.Theyarecurrentlysorted.When“Unsorted”isdisplayed,itsignifiesthattherecordsareintheorderinwhichtheywereenteredintothedatabasewiththenewestentrylast.

Layoutname



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NoticethedarkenedverticalbaralongsidetherecordforPappas.Thissignifiesthatitisthecurrentrecord.Inthestatusbarittellsyouthatthecurrentrecordis2.

Howisfielddatadisplayedandwhatisalayout?

FileMakerProdisplaysfieldonlayouts.WearecurrentlylookingattheSalarylayoutwhichdisplays5fieldsinalistformat.Toswitchlayouts,gotothepull‐downmenuinthestatusbararea:

Hereyouwillfindalistofthelayoutsthathavebeendesignedforusewiththisdatabase.Simplychoosealayoutfromthemenuanditwillbedisplayed.

SwitchtotheStandardlayout.



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NoticethatincontrasttotheSalarylayout,theStandardlayoutdisplaysonlyonerecordperscreen.

Noticealsotherearemanymorefieldsdisplayedonthislayout.Totheleftweseethefieldlabelsandtotherightisthedata,thefieldcontents.

Navigatingthroughrecords

Tomovethroughtherecordsinthedatabase,youcanusethebookicon.Clickingontherighthandpagemovesforwardthroughthedatabaserecords.Clickingontheleft‐handpagemovesbackwards.Thecounterincrementsasyoumovethroughtherecords.This

numberisrelativetotheorder(sortedorunsorted)thattherecordsarein.

Tomovethroughrecords,youcanalsomovetheslider.Thisisespeciallyhandyifyouwishtomovetothebeginningorendofthefile.

Finally,abovetheslideristheCurrentRecordslot.Youcanclickintheslot,typeinanumberandpressEnterorReturn.FileMakerwillgotothatrecord.



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ThesearejusttwoexamplesofwaysinformationcanbeviewedinFileMaker.Layoutsallowyoutoviewsomeorallyourfields.Herearesomeotherexamples:

AboveisasamplingofdifferentwaysthatFileMakerlayoutscanbedesignedtodisplayinformation:(goingclockwisefromtheupperleft)asamailmergeletter,asalayoutwithinformationgroupedintodifferenttabpanels,asalist,aslabels.

Task:Perusethedifferentlayoutsinthesamplefile.Searchout:Whichlayoutsincludehiredate,birthdateworkphone….Comparethetabbedlayoutwhereyouseeonerecordperscreenwiththatofalistwhereyouseemultiplerecords.

Viewinginformationasforms,lists,tablesLayoutscanbeviewedinthreedifferentways:asaform,asalist,asatable.

• FormViewdisplaysthelayoutwithonerecordatatime.(Standard,MailMergeareexamples)

• ListViewdisplayslayoutasalist,displayingrecordsoneaftertheother.• TableViewremovesalltheembellishmentsanddisplayingfieldsand

recordsasiftheywereinagridorspreadsheet.Whencreatinganewlayout,thereisadefaultviewassociatedwithit.



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YoucanswitchbetweenFormView,ListView,andTableViewbyusingthebuttonsintheLayoutbar.

FormView ListView TableViewHereistheStandardlayoutdisplayedineachoftheviews:

Formviewdisplaysthelayoutwithjustasinglerecord.Listviewdisplaysrecordsoneafteranother.SeehowwhenonelayoutendsatSalaryttl,foronerecord,thenextrecordisdisplayed.

InTableview,thefieldsofthelayoutareorganizedintoascolumnsinagridwiththerecordsbecomingtherows.

TASK:ExperimentwiththedifferentviewsfortheStandardandforthePersonnelInfo‐Tabbedlayouts.



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TheremaybeevenmorefieldsthanwhatweseeintheStandardLayout.Todeterminehowmanyfieldsaredefinedinthedatabase,gotoFileManageDatabase…ThekeystrokeisCtrl‐Shift+DonWindowsorCmd‐Shift+DontheMac.(Think:Control–CapitalD.)

RESULT:TheManageDatabasedialogboxopens.

BesuretheFieldstabisselected.Hereyouseealistofthefieldsthathavebeendefinedforthisdatabasetable.

Additionalfieldscanbedefinedforthedatabasehere.Fieldsarenamed,assignedatype(text,number,date,calculation,etc.)andalsogivenoptions.ClickOKtoexitthisdialogbox.

“Ican’visitthisdialogboxfrommydatabasebackinmyoffice.Why?”Viewingthisinformationisgrantedorprohibitedbyaccessprivilegesthathavebeensetup.Inthisclasswewillbeviewingsampledatabasesasifwehadcreatedthem,therebyhavingAdministratorprivilegeswhichallowviewing,editinganddeletingall.

Thistellsthenumberoffieldsinthetable.



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IdentifyingFileMakerModesThereareavarietyofwaystomovebetweenFileMakermodes.Therearebuttons,menuselections,andkeystrokes.

ReturningtotheFileMakerapplicationwindow,pulldowntheViewmenuandnoticethelistofmodes.Alongsideeachmodeisthekey‐strokedesignationforswitchingtothatmode.

TotheleftaretheMacintoshkeystrokes.OnWindows,usetheControlkeyplustheletterdesignation.

Inthelowerleft‐handcorneroftheapplicationwindowispop‐upmenuthatallowsyoutonavigatefromonemodetoanother:

BROWSEmodeReturningtothestatusbarinBrowsemode,noticethetasksthatcanbeperformedasdesignatedbythebuttons:NewRecordandDeleteRecord.WhileinBrowsemode,noticeonthestatustoolbarthatthereisabuttontoinitiateafind(switchesyoutofindmode),onetoPreview(switchtoPreviewmode)thedocumentandabuttontoEditLayout(switchesyoutolayoutmode).

WhileinBrowsemode,thereisalsoamenucalledRecords,comprisedoftasksthatcanbeperformedinBrowsemode:

YouwilldothemajorityofyourworkinBrowsemode.

Asmentionedabove,Browsemodeallowsyoutobrowsethroughtherecordsinthedatabase.Thebookicon,thesliderandtherecordslotallowyoutomovethroughtherecords.Ifyoupreferkeystrokes,

CTRL+⇑movestopreviousrecord

CTRL+⇓movestonextrecord.

TheCTRLkeyisusedwithboththeMacandWindow.



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Ifyouareusingamousewithawheel(Windows),youcanuseittoscrollforwardandbackwardsthroughtherecord.

Initiallytherecordsareinanorderknownas“Unsorted.”Thissignifiesthattheyarein“creationorder,”thatistheorderinwhichtheywereenteredintothedatabase.

Hereyoucancreatenewrecords.SwitchtotheStandardlayoutandtryit.ClickontheNewRecordbutton.

RESULTS:AnewblankrecordappearsawaitinginputAfewfieldsalreadyhaveinformationinthem.Why?

Insomefields,dataisautomaticallygenerated.Forexample,EmployeeIDissetto“Auto‐enterSerial,Can’tModify.”YoucanseethespecificationofthisoptionbyreturningtoFile Manage Database…ThetwootherfieldsSalaryTotalandSalaryAveragearecalculationfields.Thenumberyouareseeingintheresultofthosecalculations.

ThesearejustafewofthethingsyouwillseeasyouperuseyourdatabaseinBrowsemode.Ifyouarestillinthe“createnewrecord”process,clickoutsidethefields,thatis,inawhitespace.

UnlikeWord,Excelandotherprogramswhereyousaveyourworkfrequentlythroughoutasession,FileMakersavesyourworkautomatically.Thereforeitisimportanttobeawareofwhatyouaredoingespeciallywhendeletingormakinglargechangestoyourfile.Abackupcopyofafilecanbecreated

FindModeFindmodeallowsyoutosearchforrecordsinthedatabase.Youcansearchbasedonasinglecriteriaoronmultiplecriteria.WiththisnewversionofFileMaker,youcansavefindsforreuselater.

OntheBrowsetoolbar,thereisamagnifyingglassiconwithadownwardpointingtriangle.

Clickingonthedownwardtrianglebringsupamenuofrecentfindsandtasksforsavingfindsasisshownbelowtotheright.



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ClickingontheicontakesyoutoFindmode.Hereyouwillseeadifferenttoolbar,withoptionsforcreatingfinds:

Anemptyrecordisdisplayedwiththefieldboundaryboxesandonceyouclickinafield,smallmagnifyingglassesappeartocueyouthatyouareinFindandnotBrowsemode:

Simply,ifyouenterinformationintoafieldandclickPerformFind,FileMakerwillfindallrecordswhosefieldmatchesthat,returnstoBrowsemodeanddisplaysonlythematchingrecords,knownasthefoundset.TheBrowsetoolbardisplaysthenumberofrecordscomprisingthefoundsetandapiechartdisplayingtheratiooffoundrecordstotheentirety.Eachofthelayoutsnowdisplayonlythisfoundset.Clickingonthebookicon,youcanmarchthroughtherecordsinthefoundset.

Thispiechartisalsoabutton.ClickonitandFileMakerdisplaystheoppositeofthefoundset,theomittedrecords.Clickagainandyoureturntothefoundset.

Toseeallrecordsinthedatabaseagain,clickontheShowAllbutton.

LayoutModeAlayoutprovidesameansfordisplayingorreportingontheinformationinthedatabase.Itcanbeascreenthatallowsdatatobeinputintothedatabase.Alayoutcanbeassimpleasnamebadge,oracomplexasareportwhichorganizesanddisplaysrecordswithtotals,subtotalsandothercalculations.Itcanbeamailmergeletter.

SwitchtoLayoutmodeandobservethedifferenttoolstforcreatingandmodifyinglayouts.Designingalayoutisalotlikeworkingwithagraphicsprogram.



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InLayoutmode,usethepull‐downmenutomovethroughthedifferentlayouts.Observethedifferences(headers,footers,reportsummaryparts,tabpanels).Alternatively,youcanclickonthebookicontomovethroughthedifferentlayouts.

ClickonExitLayoutbuttonandyoureturntoBrowsemode.

PreviewModePreviewmodeallowsyoutoseewhatalayoutwilllooklikewhenitisprinted.

Noticethebuttonsinthetoolbar.Hereyoucanquicklycreateaspreadsheetorapdfofthelayoutyouareviewing.

TherearesomereportfeaturesthatarenotshowninBrowsemodebutthatcanbeseeninPreview.Forexample,layoutssuchaslabelsarecreatedinFormviewandinBrowsemodeshowonlyonelabelwhileinPreview,theentirelabelrunisdisplayed,sheetbysheet.

ViewthelabellayoutfirstinBrowseandtheninPreview.

Anotherexampleisalistthatismultiplecolumns.OnlyasinglecolumndisplaysinBrowse,butthemultiplecolumnsappearinPreview.

ViewSampleReport2inBrowseandPreview.

Exercise1–DeterminethemodeforeachofthetasksSpecifythepropermodeforthetaskintheleftcolumn:

BrowseFindLayoutPreview

Function Mode

1.Editdata

2.Createanewreport

3.Seehowalayoutwillprint

4.Createanewrecord

5.Searchforasubsetofdata

6.Theresultsofafindaredisplayedhere

7.Viewmailmergedocumentsastheywillprint



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Exercise2–ReviewNavigationTechniques1. Ifnotalreadyopen,opentheEmployeeRecordsfileintheclassfolder.Gotothe

Standardlayoutandnavigatetorecordnumber21.Whoserecordisit?

_________________________________________________________

2. FindEarlDunn’srecord,WhatisEarl’srecordnumber?

______________________________________________________________

3. Nameatleastonelayoutthathasallofthefollowingfields:

FirstName

LastName

DateofBirth

DateHired

4. Wheredoyougotoseeaspreadsheet‐likearrangementofthedatainyourdatabase?


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Module2:WorkinginFindMode

Inthismodule,wewill

• Locaterecordsthatmatchasinglecriterion• Locaterecordsthatmatchmorethanonecriterion• Locaterecordsthatmachatleastoneoftwocriteria• Omitrecordsfromthefoundset• Performafindandreplace• Reusefinds/• CreateandmodifySavedfinds

Searchingisoneofthemostimportanttasksindatabaseuse.TodaywehaveadvancedsearchenginestobringusinformationfromtheWorldWideWebinanswertooureverydayneedsandcuriosities.InFileMaker,inordertocreatemeaningfulreports,selectingonlytheappropriateinformationfromthedatabaseiscrucial.Withafewbasicskills,itiseasytosearchaFileMakerdatabasequicklyandefficiently.

Whenyouperformafind,FileMakersearchesthroughalltherecordsinatable.Thoserecordsthatmatchthecriteriabecomethefoundset.Thereafter,youareonlyworkingwiththoserecordsuntilsuchtimeasanotherfindisperformedoruntilyourequesttoseeallrecords.

FindingRecordsA“quickfind”canbeperformedinBrowsemodebyusingashortcutmenu.



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Forexample,above,wearelookingattheSalarylayout.IfwewantedtofindallemployeeswholivedinEverett,wecouldselectEverett,Rightclick(Windows)orCtrl–Click(Mac)andfromtheshortcutmenu,chooseFindMatchingRecords.

YourfindrequestreturnstworecordsofpeoplewholiveinEverett.Thisisthefoundset.

Thestatusbardisplaysthenumberoffoundrecordsoutofthetotalrecordsinthedatabaseandthepiechartdisplaysthefoundsetasaportionofthetotalrecords.Clickingonthebookiconnowmovesyouthroughonlythoserecordsinthefoundsetinallofthelayouts.

ThispiechartisnewtoFileMaker10.Itisalsoabutton.Clickingonitdisplaysthereverseofthefoundset.Clickingasecondtimereturnsyoutothefoundset.

FindModeOtherwise,gotoFindModetoperformafind.ThereareseveralwaystogetintoFindmode:

• Fromthepopupmenu,selectFind.• GotoView FindMode• IntheStatustoolbar,clicktheFindtool.• PressCtrl/⌘+F

Asmentionedinouroverview,whenyougointoFindmode,ablankrecordisdisplayedandmagnifyingglassesappearinthefields.

Intheappropriatefield,enterthetext,number,ordateyouwanttofind.Thisisreferredtoasafindrequest.

ClickonthePerformFind.Orifyouchangedyourmind,clickonCancelFind.

Alternatively,youcansimplypressReturn/Enterandthefindwillbeperformed.

RESULTS:PerformFindplacesyoutoBrowsemodedisplayingtheresultsoftheFind.ThefindsequenceisaddedtotheRecentFindlist.

CancelFindreturnsyoutoBrowsemodewithnochangetothepreviousstatus.Thatis,ifafoundsetwerecurrentlyineffect,itstillis.(ThiswasnotthecasewithpreviousversionsofFileMakerwhereeachtimeyouwentintoFindmodeitwouldcanceloutthepreviousfoundset.)

Tryit

1. FindallpeoplewhohavethejobtitleofSecretary.



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2. FindtheindividualwhoselastnameisDunn.

3. FindallpeoplewholiveinSomerville.

4. FindallProfessors.

Thedefaultsearchperformedisafulltext“beginswith”search.Thismeansthatitwillsearchforwordsbeginningwiththestringyouspecify.Forexample,ifyoutypeProfintothetitlefield,anytitleswhosewordsbeginwithProfwillbereturned.Thiswouldreturn“Professor”,“AssistantProfessor”aswellas“ProfessionalWrestler”ifitwereinthefile.Justasanexample,itwouldnotreturnarecordthathad“FileMakerPro”inthefield.,becausethestringisembeddedinthetext.Ifyouwantedtofindanyoccurrenceofthestringprointhejobtitlefield,youcouldusethewildcardoperatorandsupplythestring* p r o * .

DrawingValuesfromtheIndexAswehaveseenorwillsee,FileMakerautomaticallyindexesthevaluesinafieldandwecandrawfromthislist.Forexample,whatifweweren’tsureaboutaparticularjobtitlethatwewantedtosearchon.Withthetitlefieldselected,gotoInsert FromIndex…Thefollowingdialogboxopens.YoucanselectfromthelistandchoosePaste.

ThecheckboxlabeledShowindividualwordsdoesjustthat:itliststheoccurrenceofeverywordfoundinthatfield.

Clickinthecheckboxandobservetheresults.Clickagaintoreturntotheoriginallist.



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UseFindwithSearchOperatorsWhatifyouwishtofindarangeofvalues,forexampleallpeoplewhoselastnamesbeginwithDthroughM,orallsalarieslessthat$75,000?InFindmodethereisalistofoperatorsthatcanbeusedinspecifyingyoursearchrequest.Youcaneithertypethesecharactersintothefindrequestorselectthemfromthemenu.

Intheexampleabove,ifyouwishedtojustretrieveindividualswiththetitleProfessorandnotAssistantProfessoryouwouldprefixProfessorwith==(thedoubleequalsign).

Note:Thereisnospacebetweenthevaluesandthethreedotsforrange.

Tosearchforanemptyfield,usethesingleequalsignandnothingelseintherequestfield.

Todeterminewhatyourlastfindwas,inBrowsemode,gotoRecords ModifyLastFind.ThisautomaticallytakesyouintoFindmodeanddisplaysthelastfindrequestyouperformed.



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Exercise3:ReviewofFindTechniquesForthisexercise,gotothefileFind_EmployeeRecords.OpenthefileandnavigatetotheSalaryLayout.

1. Findallpeoplewhoareprofessors

2. FindallpeoplewholiveinBoston

3. Findallpeoplewhoearnexactly$47,190

4. FindallpeoplehiredafterMarch1,2000

5. Arethereanyrecordswherethehiredateismissing?

6. Findallpeoplewhoearnbetween$33,000and$42,000

7. FindallpeoplewhoselastnamesbeginwithAtoMandthensortthefoundset.

8. Showallrecords.Whatisthesortordernow?

RefiningYourRequestsWithAND,OR,OMIT

TheANDrequestYoucanrefineyoucurrentFindrequesttomatchmultiplecriteriainseparatefields.Forexample,youmaywanttofindallprofessorswhobeganworkingafterMarch1,2000.ThisisknownasanANDsearch.AnANDsearchspecifiesmultiplecriteriainsinglerequest.

1. ClickFindinthestatustoolbar.

RESULT:Thisplacesyouinfindmode,viewingthefieldboundaryboxeswiththemagnifyingglasses.

2. EnterProfessorintothetitlefieldandthe>3/1/00inthedatehiredfield.

3. PressPerformFind.

TheORRequestAttimesyoumaywanttofindrecordsthatmatchmultiplecriteriainthesamefield.ForexampleyouwanttoknowallpeoplewholiveineitherBostonorJamaicaPlain.ThisisreferredtoasanORrequestandiscreatedbysubmittingmultiplerequestsinFindmode.

1. InFindmodetypeinthefirstcriterionintotheappropriatefield.

HerewewillenterBostonintheCityfield.

2. ClickontheNewRequestbutton.

RESULT:Thisopensupanotherlineintheformforenteringthesecond



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criteria.Ifthelayoutisaformtype,thatisonerecordperscreen,itwillopenupanotherscreenwithblankform.Observethescreenandthestatusbar:

Thisshowtheadditionallinewhereasecondcitycanbespecified.ThebookiconandtherecordcounterslotinFindmoderefertoFindRequests.Itcurrentlyreads“2”becausewearecurrentlyonthesecondrequest.

3. Enterthesecondcriteriainthespacecreated.

InourcasewewillenterJamaicaPlain.

Youcanaddathird,andfourth,etc.asareappropriatefortheFindyouneedtoperform.

Tomovebetweenrequests,eitherclickinthatareaofthescreenorusethebookicontomove.TheDeleteRequestbuttonisusedtoremoverequests.

4. Whenready,clickeitherPerformFindorEnter/Return.

RESULT:AllrecordsofpeoplelivingineitherBostonorJamaicaPlainaredisplayedinBrowsemode.

OMIT:ExcludeRecordsfromtheFoundSetOftentimesweknowwhatweareNOTlookingfor.Forexample,maybewewanttodoamailingtoeveryoneexceptthosethatliveinCambridge.InacaselikethisweusetheOMITbuttoninFindmode(ofcourseyoucanfindallthatliveinCambridgeandthenpressthelittlepiechartfortheoppositeofthefoundset).Bydefault,Includeisineffect.Withyourrequestselected,clickonOmit.

ForaFindwithmultiplecriteria,movetotheappropriaterequestandclickOmit.

Onceyouhaveafoundsetandyouwishtoremovearecordfromit,inBrowsemode,selecttherecord,gotoRecordsmenuOmitRecord.

Youcanalsoomitamultipleofrecordsstartingatthecurrentrecord.SeeRecordsOmitMultiple.



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RESULT:Thefollowingdialogboxappearsallowingyoutospecifythenumberofconsecutiverecordsyouwishtoexclude.

ReusingFindsFileMaker10introducedthesavingoffinds.Now,your10mostrecentfindsareautomaticallysaved.

Thetrianglealongsidethefindiconleadstoapulldownmenuwheremostrecentfindsarelistedwithadesignationofthefindrequest:

ThereisasimilarmenuinFindmodewiththeSavedFindicon:

Tore‐executeafind,simplyselectitfromthelist.

RESULTS:InBrowsemode,itperformsthefindanddisplaysthefoundset.

InFindmode,itsetsuptherequest(s).YoumustnowclickonthePerformFindbutton.

ForFindsthatyouwillbeexecutingrepeatedly,youcansavethem,assignthemaname,eveneditthem.Thissavesthesomeoftheneedtoscriptfindsforlateruse.



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Tosaveyourlastfindrequest:

1. InWindows,clickthedownarrowontheFindbuttonandchooseSaveCurrentFind.OntheMac,clickandholdtheFindbuttonandthenchooseSaveCurrentFind.

RESULT:ThefollowingdialogboxopensallowingyoutorenametheFindrequestifyousodesire.TheAdvancedbuttontakesyoutoaseriesofdialogboxeswhereyoucandelete,duplicateoredityourfindrequest.,

2. Assignitanewnameifyousodesire.ClickSave.

RESULT:TheFindrequestwillbeaddedtoyourSavedFindslist.

FindandReplaceItispossibletoeditmultiplerecords,changingtheentirecontentsofafield.Forexample,ajobtitleoradepartmentmayneedtobechangedgloballythroughoutthedatabaserecords.

1. PerformyourfindrequesttoarriveattheFoundset.

2. Clickinthefieldtobereplaced.

3. Typeinthefield,replacingtheentirecontentsofthefield.

4. GotoRecords ReplaceFieldContents…

RESULT:TheReplaceFieldContentsdialogboxopensreflectingthechange,awaitingyourconfirmationofthechange.



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Observe:HerewesearchedforalloccurrencesofE14intheaddressfieldandfound5records.WechangedthefieldcontentsoftheDepartmentfieldandbeforecommittingtherecord,wenttoReplaceFieldContents.

Pauseinthisdialogboxtoobservethatheretooyoucanaddserialnumberstorecords(Tryit!)oruseacalculationinthereplacementofthefieldcontents.

5. ClickonReplace.

RESULTS:ThiswillchangethedepartmentnametoMediaArtsandSciencesforallrecordsinthefoundset.

Tryit!

InBrowsemode,thereisalsoaFind/Replace.ThisisdifferentthanFindmode.Find/ReplaceinBrowsemodesearchesforpiecesoftextacrossfieldsandrecordswhereasFindmodesearchesforRecordsbasedonfieldcontents.InBrowsemode,goingtoEdit Find/Replaceopensthefollowingdialogbox:

ObservethecheckboxesandradiobuttonsthatallowyoutorestricttheFind/Replaceaction.

Thiscanbeusedinconjunctionwithafind,performinganedituponallrecordsinafoundset.



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Exercise4‐ReviewofANDandORSearches

Ifnotalreadyopen,opentheFind_EmployeeRecordfileandnavigatetotheSalarylayout.

NumberofFoundRecords

1.FindpeoplewhoareLabTechsorConsultants

2.FindallwhoareProfessorsorwholiveinCambridge

3.FindpeoplewholiveinBostonANDmakeover$45,000

4.Findpeoplewhoearnlessthat$40,000andstartedworkingatMITbeforeJanuary1,1996.

5.FindallsecretariesexceptthoselivinginCambridge.

6.Findallpeoplewhoearnmorethat$45,000,excludingprofessors.

7.Revisitthefindin#3andchangeittoallthatmakeover$35,000.(UsetheRecentFindlist).

Module3:WorkinginBrowseMode


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Module3:WorkinginBrowseModeInBrowsemodewewill

Navigatethroughthefieldsofarecord

Enterandeditdata

Deleteandreplacedata

Createanewrecord/Deletearecord

Sortrecords

Exportdata

Createacopyofthedatabase

MovingfromFieldtoFieldwithaRecord Verysimply,youcanclickinafieldwithyourmouseandmakethatcellactive.

AquickerwayistousetheTABkey.RepeatedpressingoftheTABkeymovesyoufieldbyfieldthroughthelayout.

PressingShift‐Tab,movesyoubackwardsthroughthefields.

Note:UsingtheReturn/Enterkeydoesnotmoveyoufromonefieldtoanotherbutinsteadplacesacarriagereturninthefield.Shouldyoudothisbymistake,backspaceoverittoremoveit.Onceyouclickoutsidethefieldboundarybox,thestretchedappearanceofthefieldwilldisappear.

GototheStandardlayoutandtabthroughallthefields.Noticesomefieldsareskipped.Thesearefieldswheredataisnotenteredbyyoubutinsteadistheresultofacalculationorasummarization.

ObservewhathappenswhenyoutabtotheSalaryfield:thenumberisdisplayedwithoutthecurrencyformatting.Thisisbecausethedollarsignandcommaseparatorareformattingthatisappliedtothedataandisnotthedataitself.Clickoutsidethefield,andyouseethenumberwiththeformattingapplied.

Exploreotherlayouts.Howistheorderofnextfieldandpreviousfieldestablished?You,thedeveloperdoesit!Wewilldothisinthenextcoursewhenwedesignlayouts.

EnteringandEditingData1. Gotoarecordandlocateyourcursorinthefieldyouwishtoenterdate.Begintyping.2. Whenfinished,ifyouclickoutsidethefield,youhavecommittedtherecord.

Whenselectingdatainafield,theusualselectiontechniquesareineffect:

• draggingacrossselectsdata,• doubleclickinginawordselectsjusttheword,• tripleclickingselectsaparagraph.



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CommittingarecordFileMakerautomaticallyupdatesthedatabaseasyouwork.GototheFilemenuandnoticethereisnoSAVEcommandbutthereisaSaveACopyAs.

Whencreatinganewrecordorupdatinganexistingrecord,andyouclickoutsideofallfieldsorpressenter,youdowhatiscalledcommittherecord.ThistellsFileMakerthatyouarecommittingthechangesyoujustmadeandthedatabaseisupdatedaccordingly

RevertRecordBeforecommittingarecord,youcanreverttotherecord’soriginalcontents.

Forexample:

1. GototheSalarylayoutandchoosetherecordforEdgewater.ChangehisjobtitletoAdministrativeAssistant.Tabtothesalaryfieldandchangehissalary.

2. Withoutclickingoutsidetherecord,gotoRecords RevertRecord.

RESULT:Adialogboxappearsaskingifyouwantto“Revertallchangessinceitwaslastentered?”

3. ClickRevertandobservethefieldsreturnedtotheiroriginalvalue.

4. Trythisagainwithanotherrecord,butchangethefirstfield,clickoutsidetherecord,changeanotherfieldandthengotoRecords RevertRecord.*

DeleteDataandReplaceExistingDatainaFieldToclearafield,selectthefieldcontentsandpressBackspace/Delete.

ToremoveselectedtextorhecharactertotheleftofthecursorpressBackspace/Delete.Toremovetexttotherightofthecursor,presstheDeletekey(inthekeypadarea,fn+deleteonMaclaptopkeyboards).

CreateaNewRecordPresstheNewRecordbutton.(YoucanalsogotoRecords NewRecordorusethekeystrokeCtr/⌘+N.)

GototheStandardlayoutinBrowsemodeandpressNewRecord.

RESULTS:InthecaseofthisFORMlayout,ablanklayoutappears;inthecaseofaLISTlayout,asintheSalarylayout,ablankrecordareaappearsreadyforyoutoinputdataintothespacesforthefields.

Thisnewrecordwillbeplacedattheendofhedatabaseandwillbepermanentlyassignedtothatpositioninthedefault/unsortedrecordorder.

OBSERVE:TheEmployeeIDfieldalreadyhasinformationinit.Why?Trytochangethenumberinthefield.Whathappens?

Thisistheresultofcreatingafieldwiththeoptions“AutoEnter,Serial,Can’tModify,Unique”toit.GotoFile Manage DatabaseandclickontheFieldstabifitisnotalreadyselected.Noticetheassignmentofthisoption.

DeleteaRecordTopermanentlydeletearecordfromthedatabase:

1. Navigatetotherecordinthedatabaseyouwishtodelete.



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2. PresstheDeleteRecordbuttoninthetoolbar.(OrgotoRecords DeleteRecord.)

RESULT:Youwillgetaconfirmationmessageaskingifyouaresureyouwishto“PermanentlydeletethisENTIRErecord.”

BEWARE:Noticeifyouusethemenu,DeleteRecordandDeleteAllRecordsaredangerouslyclosetoeachother.Later,wewillseethatwhenwehaveafoundset,thiswillchangetoreadDeleteFoundRecords.

DuplicatePreviousRecordsorFieldsUsetheDuplicateRecordcommandtosavetimeandtoavoidre‐keyingrepeateddata.

1. Toduplicatearecord,navigatetotherecordyouwishtoduplicate.2. GotoRecords DuplicateRecord.

RESULT:FileMakercreatesaduplicateofthecurrentrecordandplacesitafterthelastrecordinthefile.

Youcannoweditthatrecordasappropriate.Noticeinourcase,anewEmployeeIDisassigned,followinginthesequence.

DuplicateSelectFieldsfromPreviousRecordWhatifanewrecordcontainssomebutnotallfieldsofanotherrecord?Withakeystroke,youcanenterthatrepeatedinformation.Here’show:

1. Navigatetotherecordwhosefield(s)youwishtoduplicate.ClickINtherecord.Clickinginoneofthefieldsoftherecordsignifiesthatyouhave“visited”therecord.

2. Navigatetotherecordwhereyouwishtoduplicatethisinformation.Inourcasewewillcreateanewrecord:presstheNewRecordbutton.

3. ClickinthefieldyouwishtorepeattheinformationfromtheotherrecordandeithergotoInsert FromLastVisitedRecordorusethekeystrokeCtrl/⌘+‘(singlequotemark).

RESULT:Thevalueofthefieldfromthe“visited”recordisduplicatedinthefieldofthecurrentrecord.

Youcanrepeatthecommand/keystroketoduplicateotherfieldsfromthatrecord.

Tryit:Let’ssaythatanotheremployeewiththesamejobtitleandsalaryasConniePetricelli.

1. FindConniePetricelli.(GotoFind,enterPetricelliintheLastNamefield)andclickintherecord.

2. ThencreateanewrecordbyclickingontheCreateRecordbutton.

3. Inthatnewrecord,clickintheTitlefieldandgotoInsert FromLastVisitedRecord.

4. TabtotheSalaryfieldandrepeat,thistimeusingthekeystrokeCtrl/⌘+‘.

SelectFieldEntriesFromaListofAllPreviousEntriesToguaranteeuniformityofdatavalues,itispossibletoselectfromanindexofexistingvaluesforthatfield.ThiscanbeusedinFindmodeaswell.

1. Locatethecursorintheappropriatefield.

2. GotoInsert InsertfromIndex(Ctrl/⌘+I).



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RESULT:Youshouldseealistofallhecurrentvaluesforthatfield.ByclickingontheShowIndividualwordscheckbox,allthefieldvaluesarebrokendownintoindividualwords.

3. Selecttheappropriatevaluefromthelist.

4. EitherdoubleclicktheentrytoselectandpasteitintothecurrentfieldorchoosePaste.

Exercise5–ReviewofDataEntryTechniques

1. IntheEmployeeRecordfilecreateanewrecordforGretchenTwitchellwiththefollowingadditionaldata:

MITBldg24‐1108‐4577gwitchell44RoseCt.Somerville,MA02445617578‐4586$38,000salaryAdministrativeOfficerDOB05/24/60DateofHire07/21/1999

2. DeleteSteveSawyer’srecordfromthedatabase.

3. Whichshortcutcouldyouusetorepeatdatathatappearedinanotherrecord?

Usingthisshortcut,addanewemployeetothedatabasewhohasthesamejobtitleandsalaryasCraigGarelli.

4. Whichshortcutcanyouusetoassureconsistencywithexistingvalues?

Usingthisshortcut,addanewemployeeandassignherthejobtitleofFiscalOfficer.



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ContainerFields

FileMaker7introducedcontainerfields,fieldsthatcanbeusedtostorefiles.Thiscanincludeanyfilesuchasgraphics,movies,photos,bitmaps,soundsupto4GBinsize,multimediafiletypessupportedbyQuickTime6,anddocuments,includingMicrosoftWordandExcelfiles,PDFfiles.

Howyouplaceinformationintothecontainerfieldwilldeterminewhatyoucandowiththatinformationlater.

Youcannotsearchoncontainerfields.

Youcaninsertinformationintoacontainerfieldinavarietyofdifferentways.Youcan

• cutandpaste• insert• insertalink(areference)tothefile.

BeawarethatWindowsandMacintoshhandletheseprocessesdifferently.

TryIt>GototheLayoutcalledPersonnelInfo–TabbedandclickonthePersonaltab.NavigatetoGraceBaumgartnerandinsertherpicturefromtheEmployeePhotosfolder.

1. Clickinthecontainerfield.2. GotoInsert Picture

Anavigationaldialogboxopens.

3. Navigatetothefileyouwishtoinsert.

Noticeatthebottomofthedialogboxtheoptiontoenteralinkorreferencetothefile.

4. ClickOpen5. RepeatforDavidEdgewaterandinserthisphotoasareference.Comparethetwoexamples.

SortingRecordsInBrowsemode,youcantemporarilychangetheorderoftherecordsbyusingSort.ThisorderwillthenbeineffectforalllayoutsuntilanotheractionsuchasaFindoranUnsortisperformed.



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BeginninginFileMaker10,thissortbecameakindofpersistentsort,thatis,wheneverarecordisaddedorchanged,itwillbeinsertedintheappropriateplaceinthesortorder.

1. Tosort,eitherclickontheiconinthetoolbar,gotoRecords SortorusethekeystrokeCtrl/⌘+S.

RESULT:TheSortRecordsdialogboxappears.Ontherighthandside,youwillsee,ifany,thecriteriaofthelastsortperformed.

2. IffieldsappearintheSort‐Orderbox,clickClearAll.3. Doubleclick(SelectandMove)thefieldsyouwishtosortby.

RESULTS:Thefield(s)youselectednowappearintheSortOrderbox.Usethedoublepointedarrowalongsidethefieldnametochangethesortorderpriority.

Ascendingorderisassumed.Tochangetodescending,selectthefieldintheSortOrderboxandthenclickontheDescendingradiobutton.Observethe“Customorderbasedonavaluelist”option.Laterwewilldiscoverthatwecancustomizesortordersbasedonsomethingwedefineasavaluelist.

ObservetheUnsortbutton.

4. ClickSort.RESULT:Thefileissorted,youareinBrowsemodeandtheStatusareareflectthissortedstatus.

Tryit>Sorttherecordsbyjobtitleandthenbydateofhireindescendingorder.



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Ifasortisineffectwhenafileisclosed,itwillbeineffectwhenitisreopened.(Thisisnottrueofdatabasesonasharedserver.)Tryit>Performasort,closethefileandthenreopenit.FastSortAlternatively,youcanperformasortusingtherightclickinWindowsandaCtrl‐ClickontheMac:1. InBrowsemode,movethecursortothefieldyouwishtosorton.2. Rightclick(Win)orCtrl‐click(Mac).3. Fromthecontext‐sensitivemenu,chooseSortAscending.

Tryit>Sorttheemployeesindescendingorderfordateofhire.

FileManagementtopicsBeforeweleaveBrowsemode,therearetwofilemanagementtasksweshouldvisit:

TheabilitytoexportdatafromaFileMakerfileand“SaveaCopyAs.”

ExportRecords…Ifyouwishtoexportdatafromyourdatabase,youcandosobyusingthecommandExportRecords…



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1. 1.GotoFile ExportRecords…Youwillbeaskedtospecifywhereyouwishtosavethenewlycreatedfile.

FileMakercreatesopensaSavedialogbox,allowingyoutonavigatetowhereyouwishtosavetheresultantfile.Oftentimes,itwillsuggestaTabSeparatedTextfilebydefault.Therearemanyotherformatstochoosefrom,includingaFileMakerProfile.

2. GotoTypeandnoticethedifferentfiletypes.Selectthedesiredtype.

Noticetheotheroptionsthatareavailable.Youcanopenthisfileorcreateanemailwiththefileasanattachment.Remembertousetheoperatingsystem’smailprogram(OutlookExpressorAppleMail).

WhenyouspecifyExcel,theExcelOptionsdialogboxopensallowingyoutouseornotusthefieldnamesascolumnnames.YoucanalsonametheWorksheetandassigntitle,subjectandauthorinformationtoit.

3. WhenyouclickContinue…thefollowingdialogboxopens:



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Bydefault,FileMakerofferstoexportthosefieldsonthecurrentlayout.

Toincludeothers,pulldowntheCurrentLayoutmenuandselectCurrentTable.

4. Selectthefieldstobeexported.Doubleclicktoselectandmove.5. Usetheup‐downarrowtotheleftofeachfieldnameintheFieldexport

orderlisttoarrangetheresultingcolumnsinthedesiredorder.

Tryit>GototheSalarylayoutandexportittoanExcelfile,exportingonlythefieldsFirstName,LastName,Salary,HireDateandBirthdate.

SaveaCopyAsAsdiscussedabove,thereisnoSaveoptionontheFilemenu,howeverthereisSaveaCopyAs….RatherthanyoutellingFileMakerwhentosavethefile,itperformsasaveeachtimearecordiscommitted.Withthatinmind,youmaywishtosaveacopyofyourdatabasebeforeyoubeginmakingchangestoitasabackup.

Oneofthechoicesis“clone(norecords).”Thiswillcreateacopyofyourfilewithallthetables,fields,relationships,layouts,andscriptsdefinedbutnodata.

Tryit.2. GotoFile SaveaCopyAs



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3. Giveitaname,andspecifythedesktopaswheretosaveit.4. Underfiletype,choseclone(norecords).5. Openthefileyoujustcreatedandviewtheresults:visitFileDefine

Database…viewtheTables,FieldsandRelationshipstabs.6. Visitthedifferentlayouts.Observetheabsenceofdata.

Exercise6–Sorting,etc1. UsingFastsortandtheEmployeeRecordsdatabase,

• Whowashiredfirst?

• Whowashiredlast?

2. Whatarethetwowaystoenteragraphicorpdfintoacontainerfield?Whatisthedifferencebetweenthetwo?

3. Whatisasortconsideredpersistent?

4. CreateanExcelspreadsheetfromthedatabasewithjusttheFirstName,LastName,StreetAddress,City,State,Zip,andDateofBirth.

Module4:PreviewingandPrinting


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Inthismodule,wewill

ReexaminethevisualdifferencesbetweenBrowseandPreviewmode

PrintaFileMakerDocument

SaveaFileMakerdocumentasaPDF,asanExcelfile

CompareMacversusWindowsprintersettings

PreviewMode

InPreviewMode,weseethedocument,asitwillprint.Aswehavealreadyseen,differentobjectsarevisibleinPreviewmodethaninBrowse.Thisisbasedonafewconditions.

LayoutsthatareFormviewbydefaultshowasinglerecordinBrowsebutallrecordsinthefoundsetinPreview.(ComparetheLabellayoutinBrowsevs.Printmodes.)

Partsofasubsummaryreportarenotdisplayedunlessthesortisineffect.PriortoFileMaker10,Browsestilldisplayedthereportwithoutdividedintoparts.Now,aslongasthesortisineffect,partsaredisplayedinPreviewandinBrowse.(ComparethereportinBrowseandPreviewpriortoclickingontheSalaryAveragesbyTitlebutton.NoticethebuttondoesnotappearinPrevieweither.NowclickthebuttoninBrowsemodeandobservethereportinBrowseandPreview.)

Forreportsthatareformattedintomultiplecolumns,thecolumnsareonlydisplayedinPreviewmode.(CompareSampleReport–TwoColumnExampleinBrowseandPreviewmodes.)

Fieldsorobjectsthathavenon‐printingappliedtothem(e.g.thebuttonintheSubsummaryReport).

Printing

Whenitcomestimetoprintadocument,FileMakerofferssomeadditionaloptions.Noticethatyoucanprintthe

Recordsbeingbrowsed(thefoundset), thecurrentrecord oracopyofthelayoutwithoutanyrecordshowing:

Togettothemenuwherethisisestablished,inWindowsgotoFilePrintandinthedialogbox,pulldownthePrint:menu.:



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OntheMac,gotoFilePrint.FromthemenubelowPresets:chooseFileMakerPro.Thisautomaticallyopensupthedialogboxtodisplaythethreeradiobuttons:

SaveasPDFSavingasPDFcanbeperformedinbothPreviewmodeandBrowsemode,sometimeswithdifferingresults.Inbothplaces,thereistheoption(apulldownmenulikeabove)tosaveeithertheRecordsbeingbrowsed,Currentrecord,oraBlankrecord,showingfields.

InBrowsemodetosaveasPDF,gotoFileSend/SaveRecordas…PDF.

InPreviewmodesimplyclickonthebutton.

Module5:LayoutBasics


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“Ifthetablesformtheheartofadatabase,layoutsgiveitaface.”

Coffey&Prosser,

FileMakerPro,TheMissingManual

Inthismodulewewill:

Definethetermlayout

LearnhowaStandardlayoutiscreated

WhatisaLayout?

InFileMakeryouusuallyhaveachoiceofscreens,eachonesetuptodisplayyourdatainaslightlyorsometimesdramaticallydifferentway.Regardlessofappearance,allFileMakerscreensarelayoutswhichcanbecreated,editedandevendeletedinLayoutMode.Somelayoutsaredesignedtobeusedasdataentryscreenswhileothersarebettersetuptodisplayaggregatedatainareport‐likeformat.WhetheritisreferredtoasaLayout,aReport,oraFormLetter,inFileMaker,itisstillcalledalayout.Layoutsmayrangefromtheverysimpletothecomplex,thelatteremployinganarrayofcolors,interactivebuttons,thedisplayofwebpages,thecompartmentalizationofinformationintotabs,andothergraphicaltoolstohelpusersbetternavigatethroughortointerpretdata.

DataissharedinaFileMakerfilebyalllayoutsevenifsomelayoutsdon’tshowallthefieldsstoredinthefile.ConsideryourFileMakerdatabaseasingle‐roomstructure.Theexteriorwindowsanddoorsareequivalenttoyourlayouts.Ifyoucreatedanewwindow,youarestilllookingatthesamecontentsinsidethestructure.JustaswhenyoucreateanewlayoutyouarestillseeingthesamedatainFileMakerthatyouwouldseefromanotherlayout.Ifwhilelookingatthedatafromonelayoutyoudecidetochange,deleteoraddnewdata,thatdatawillchangeineveryotherlayoutinthecurrentfile.Howlayoutsdisplaydatagetstobeatrickiermorecomplexthingwhenmultipletablesi.e.arelationaldatabase,areatplay.Eventhen,thelayoutisthevehiclethatmakesitpossibletoviewthisrelationaldatadrawnfromnumeroustables.

Muchlikealistoffiles,FileMakerdisplaysadrop‐downmenuoflayouts.

Toswitchfromonelayouttoanother,simplyselectitfromthelist.



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Inlayoutmode,astatustoolbaracrossthetopofthescreenhasiconsforthevarioustoolsthatareusedincreatinglayouts:

Intheworkareaofthewindowyouseetheconstituentsofthelayout.Layoutsarecomprisedoffields,textandgraphics.

ThepalettemarkedInfodisplaysinformationaboutwhateverobjectiscurrentlyselectedandcanbeusedforresizingobjects,namingthemandanchoring

Exercise6–AccessingExisitingLayouts

1. InBrowsemodeperusethedifferentlayoutsthathavebeencreatedforthedatabase.



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2. IntheSalarylayout,observehowfieldsaredesignated.GotoLabelsandcompare.InLabels,youareseeingsomethingcalledMergeFields.IfyouhavecreatedamailmergeinWordyoumaybefamiliarwiththeseanglebrackets.ComparelayoutmodeforlabelswiththefinalproductinPreview.Observehowthelabelisrepeatedthreeacrossandasmanydownastherearerecordsinthefoundsetandwhatfitsonthepage.

3. ViewtheSubsummaryreportandnoticetheappearanceofadditionalreportparts.Noticealsothebuttonintheupperright‐handcorner.Doubleclickonthebuttonandnoticeitopensascriptdialogbox.Thisiswhatisexecutedwhenyouclickonthebutton.ClickCanceltoclose.

4.

Exercise7:CreatingaNewLayoutLayoutmodeisarichenvironmentoftoolsandtoolbarsthatarefamiliarifyouhaveworkedwithgraphicsprogramsbefore,butthisrichenvironmentcanalsobeoverwhelmingforthepersonwhohasneverworkedwithvisualorgraphicobjectsbefore.

1. TocreateanewlayouteitherclicktheNewLayout/ReportbuttonorgotothemenuLayouts NewLayout/Report,orusethekeystrokeCtrl/⌘+N.

RESULT:ThisopenstheNewLayout/Reportdialogbox:

Takeaminuteandsamplethedifferentlayouttypesanditsresultingpreview.



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ThisdialogboxusedtobereferredtoastheReport/LayoutAssistantorWizardbecauseitisdesignedtostepyouthroughtheprocessofmakingalayout.Itallowsyoutocreatealayoutinseconds,butanoteofcaution:Justbecauseitiseasytocreatelayoutsshouldnotbecausetooverindulgeinthecreationofnewlayouts,particularlywhenadatabaseisusedbymanypeople.Ifyouneedaparticularlayoutbesuretocheckifonedoesn’talreadyexistthatmayserveyourneeds.Andifyoucreateanewonethatrendersapreviouslayoutobsolete,don’tforgettodeletetheolderlayout.ThiscanbedonebygoingtoLayouts DeleteLayout.

2. Showrecordsfrom:shoulddisplaythenameofthetablethatlayoutisbasedon.Inourcase,thatisEmployeeRecords

Everylayouthasacontext,thatisitisbasedonaspecifictable.Inourdatabasethereisonlyonetable,sothisisnotanissuenowbutwillbecomeimportantwhenwehavemultipletablesinadatabase.Therefore,EmployeeRecordsiscorrecthere.

Everylayoutshouldbegivenauniqueanddescriptivename.Ifyouareamemberofagroupusingadatabase,youmaywishtodecideuponanamingconventions.Forexampleatwoletterprefixonlayoutnameswoulddesignatethe“owner”orcreatorofthelayout.

3. WewillcallthislayoutClassExample.ClickthecheckboxforIncludeinLayoutmenu.

4. Wewillbeginbycreatingasimplestandardlayout.ChooseStandardformfromthelayouttypelistandclickNext>

TheNewLayout/ReportSpecifyFieldsdialogboxopens.



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5. Hereyouchoosethefieldsthatwillbeincludedinthereport.Selectthefollowingfieldbydoubleclickingonthefieldnamesintheleft‐handscrollbox,orselectandclickMove.

EmployeeID LastName FirstName MITAddress StreetAddress City State Zip Email

6. Usethesmallnorth‐southarrowicontotheleftofthefieldnametodragtheEmailfieldbeforetheEmployeeId.YouwillseethischaracterthroughoutdialogboxesinFileMaker.Itallowsforthereorderingofelements.

7. Whenallthefieldsarespecifiedandinthedesiredorder,clickNext>



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RESULT:TheNewLayout/Report,SelectaThemedialogboxopens.Thesearethemesforreportlayouts.Asitsays,athemesetsbackgroundcolors,textsize,textcolorandstyle.

8. Perusethedifferentthemesthatareavailable,viewingthepreviewedsampletotheright.Somethemesaremoreappropriateforviewingonascreenwhileothersareforprinting.

FileMaker10sawarefurbishingoftheoldthemesandthecreationofnewones.

9. Chooseathemeofyourliking,orjustgowithStandard,andclickFinish.

RESULT:Youareinlayoutmodeviewingtheconstructsofyournewlayout.

10. ClickontheExitLayoutbutton.

RESULTS:YouareinBrowsemodeviewingyournewlycreatedlayout.TheStandardlayout,bydefault,isinformview,thatis,onerecordperscreen.Thelayoutcontainsthefieldsyouspecified.Thefieldsareleftalignedandtheirrespectivefieldlabelsarerightaligned.

11. Perusetherecordsofthedatabaseusingthislayout.

Module6:Resources


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Module6:Resources

FileMakerresourcesareespeciallyplentifulforreferenceandself‐study.

Oneofthefirstplacesyoumaywanttolookisinthefilesthatgetdownloadedwiththesoftware.Thereisbothatutorialwithexamplefilesandareferencemanual.LookinthefoldermarkedEnglishExtras.BothonWindowsandtheMac,gotoFileMaker10folderwithinProgramFiles(Win)orApplications(Macx)thereisafoldercalledEnglishExtras.WithinitisafolderElectronicDocumentation.Therearetwopdfs:Thefmp10_tutorialandfmp10_users_guide.

AhandyandveryreadablebookonFileMakerisSusanProsser&GeoffCoffey’sFileMaker10:TheMissingManual.Whymissing?Thisisthebookthatshould’vebeenintheboxwiththesoftware.ItisfromO’ReillyPress.O’ReillypressbooksareavailablethroughSafari(notthebrowse,theelectronicbookshelf)andcanbeaccessedbyallMITaffiliatesinthelibrary’sVERA,theVirtualElectronicResourceAccess.Gotohttp://libraries.mit.edu.SelectVERAandinthesearchslottypeSAFARI.ClickontheSafarilinkthatcomesup.Youwillarriveatapagewhereyoucansearchforthebookorbytopics.Fromthelistofhits,selectthebookandnavigatetothetableofcontents,orwhereveryouwishtogointhetopic.

FileMaker,Inc.produces(ofcourse)thefinestself‐studymaterialsavailable.TheirFileMakerTrainingseriesisaself‐pacedlearningpackagedesignedfortheindividualwhowishestobuildknowledgeandskillsinthedesignanddevelopmentofFileMakerdatabases.ThesearethetrainingmaterialsthatwillprepareonefortheFileMakerDeveloper’scertificationexam.

JohnMarkOsborne,theauthorofbooksandtrainingvideos:http://www.databasepros.com/training.html

GeoffCoffeyhasafinewebsiteandblogcalledSixFriedRice.

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