FileMaker Pro 6- Basic

F i l e M a k e r P r o 6 : B a s i c Instructor’s Edition

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NOT FOR PRINTING OR INSTRUCTIONAL USE

FileMaker Pro 6: Basic VP and GM of Courseware: Michael Springer Series Product Managers: Caryl Bahner-Guhin and Adam A. Wilcox Developmental Editors: Micky Markert Copyeditor: Cathy Albano Keytester: Cliff Coryea Series Designer: Adam A. Wilcox Cover Designer: Steve Deschene

COPYRIGHT © 2004 Course Technology, a division of Thomson Learning. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work may be reproduced, transcribed, or used in any form or by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, or information storage and retrieval systemswithout the prior written permission of the publisher.

For more information contact:

Course Technology 25 Thomson Place Boston, MA 02210

Or find us on the Web at: www.course.com

For permission to use material from this text or product, submit a request online at: www.thomsonrights.com

Any additional questions about permissions can be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected]

Trademarks Course ILT is a trademark of Course Technology.

Some of the product names and company names used in this book have been used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers and sellers.

Disclaimer Course Technology reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes from time to time in its content without notice.

ISBN 0-619-28578-8

Printed in the United States of America

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C o n t e n t s

Introduction iii Topic A: About the manual............................................................................... iv Topic B: Setting student expectations .............................................................. ix Topic C: Classroom setup.................................................................................xii Topic D: Support.............................................................................................. xiv

Introducing FileMaker Pro 6.0 1-1 Topic A: Database concepts............................................................................. 1-2 Topic B: Getting started with FileMaker Pro .................................................. 1-4 Topic C: Getting Help .................................................................................... 1-12 Topic D: Closing FileMaker Pro..................................................................... 1-20 Unit summary: Introducing FileMaker Pro 6.0 ............................................... 1-21

Databases 2-1 Topic A: Designing a database ........................................................................ 2-2 Topic B: Creating a database ........................................................................... 2-8 Unit summary: Databases................................................................................ 2-14

Records 3-1 Topic A: Viewing, editing, and deleting records ............................................. 3-2 Topic B: Finding records ................................................................................. 3-8 Topic C: Replacing records ............................................................................ 3-16 Topic D: Sorting records................................................................................. 3-19 Unit summary: Records................................................................................... 3-21

Advanced features 4-1 Topic A: Auto-Enter and validations ............................................................... 4-2 Topic B: Calculation fields ............................................................................. 4-10 Unit summary: Advanced features .................................................................. 4-12

Layouts 5-1 Topic A: Customizing layouts ......................................................................... 5-2 Topic B: Adding text and graphics ................................................................. 5-13 Topic C: Adding layouts................................................................................. 5-16 Unit summary: Layouts ................................................................................... 5-27

Course summary S-1 Topic A: Course summary ...............................................................................S-2 Topic B: Continued learning after class ..........................................................S-3

Quick reference Q-1

Index I-1

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ii FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

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iii

F i l e M a k e r P r o 6 : B a s i c Introduction

After reading this introduction, you will know how to:

A Use Course Technology ILT manuals in general.

B Use prerequisites, a target student description, course objectives, and a skills inventory to properly set students’ expectations for the course.

C Set up a classroom to teach this course.

D Get support for setting up and teaching this course.

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iv FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Topic A: About the manual

Course Technology ILT philosophy Our goal at Course Technology is to make you, the instructor, as successful as possible. To that end, our manuals facilitate students’ learning by providing structured interaction with the software itself. While we provide text to help you explain difficult concepts, the hands-on activities are the focus of our courses. Leading the students through these activities will teach the skills and concepts effectively.

We believe strongly in the instructor-led classroom. For many students, having a thinking, feeling instructor in front of them will always be the most comfortable way to learn. Because the students’ focus should be on you, our manuals are designed and written to facilitate your interaction with the students, and not to call attention to manuals themselves.

We believe in the basic approach of setting expectations, then teaching, and providing summary and review afterwards. For this reason, lessons begin with objectives and end with summaries. We also provide overall course objectives and a course summary to provide both an introduction to and closure on the entire course.

Our goal is your success. We encourage your feedback in helping us to continually improve our manuals to meet your needs.

Manual components The manuals contain these major components:

• Table of contents • Introduction • Units • Course summary • Quick reference • Index

Each element is described below.

Table of contents

The table of contents acts as a learning roadmap for you and the students.

Introduction

The introduction contains information about our training philosophy and our manual components, features, and conventions. It contains target student, prerequisite, objective, and setup information for the specific course. Finally, the introduction contains support information.

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Introduction v

Units

Units are the largest structural component of the actual course content. A unit begins with a title page that lists objectives for each major subdivision, or topic, within the unit. Within each topic, conceptual and explanatory information alternates with hands-on activities. Units conclude with a summary comprising one paragraph for each topic, and an independent practice activity that gives students an opportunity to practice the skills they’ve learned.

The conceptual information takes the form of text paragraphs, exhibits, lists, and tables. The activities are structured in two columns, one telling students what to do, the other providing explanations, descriptions, and graphics. Throughout a unit, instructor notes are found in the left margin.

Course summary

This section provides a text summary of the entire course. It is useful for providing closure at the end of the course. The course summary also indicates the next course in this series, if there is one, and lists additional resources students might find useful as they continue to learn about the software.

Quick reference

The quick reference is an at-a-glance job aid summarizing some of the more common features of the software.

Index

The index at the end of this manual makes it easy for you and your students to find information about a particular software component, feature, or concept.

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vi FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Manual conventions We’ve tried to keep the number of elements and the types of formatting to a minimum in the manuals. We think this aids in clarity and makes the manuals more classically elegant looking. But there are some conventions and icons you should know about.

Instructor note/icon Convention Description Italic text In conceptual text, indicates a new term or feature.

Bold text In unit summaries, indicates a key term or concept. In an independent practice activity, indicates an explicit item that you select, choose, or type.

Code font Indicates code or syntax.

Longer strings of ► code will look ► like this.

In the hands-on activities, any code that’s too long to fit on a single line is divided into segments by one or more continuation characters (►). This code should be entered as a continuous string of text.

Instructor notes. In the left margin, provide tips, hints, and warnings for the instructor.

Select bold item In the left column of hands-on activities, bold sans-serif text indicates an explicit item that you select, choose, or type.

Keycaps like e Indicate a key on the keyboard you must press.

Warning icon. Warnings prepare instructors for potential classroom management problems.

Tip icon. Tips give extra information the instructor can share with students.

Setup icon. Setup notes provide a realistic business context for instructors to share with students, or indicate additional setup steps required for the current activity.

Projector icon. Projector notes indicate that there is a PowerPoint slide for the adjacent content.

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Introduction vii

Hands-on activities The hands-on activities are the most important parts of our manuals. They are divided into two primary columns. The “Here’s how” column gives short directions to the students. The “Here’s why” column provides explanations, graphics, and clarifications. To the left, instructor notes provide tips, warnings, setups, and other information for the instructor only. Here’s a sample:

Do it! A-1: Creating a commission formula

Here’s how Here’s why

1 Open Sales This is an oversimplified sales compensation worksheet. It shows sales totals, commissions, and incentives for five sales reps.

Take the time to make sure your students understand this worksheet. We’ll be here a while. 2 Observe the contents of cell F4

The commission rate formulas use the name “C_Rate” instead of a value for the commission rate.

For these activities, we have provided a collection of data files designed to help students learn each skill in a real-world business context. As students work through the activities, they will modify and update these files. Of course, they might make a mistake and, therefore, want to re-key the activity starting from scratch. To make it easy to start over, students will rename each data file at the end of the first activity in which the file is modified. Our convention for renaming files is to add the word “My” to the beginning of the file name. In the above activity, for example, students are using a file called “Sales” for the first time. At the end of this activity, they would save the file as “My sales,” thus leaving the “Sales” file unchanged. If students make mistakes, they can start over using the original “Sales” file.

In some activities, however, it may not be practical to rename the data file. Such exceptions are indicated with an instructor note. If students want to retry one of these activities, you will need to provide a fresh copy of the original data file.

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viii FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

PowerPoint presentations Each unit in this course has an accompanying PowerPoint presentation. These slide shows are designed to support your classroom instruction while providing students with a visual focus. Each one begins with a list of unit objectives and ends with a unit summary slide. We strongly recommend that you run these presentations from the instructor’s station as you teach this course. A copy of PowerPoint Viewer is included, so it is not necessary to have PowerPoint installed on your computer.

The Course ILT PowerPoint add-in

The CD also contains a PowerPoint add-in that enables you to do two things: • Create slide notes for the class • Display a control panel for the Flash movies embedded in the presentations

To load the PowerPoint add-in: 1 Copy the Course_ILT.ppa file to a convenient location on your hard drive. 2 Start PowerPoint. 3 Choose Tools, Macro, Security to open the Security dialog box. On the Security

Level tab, select Medium (if necessary), and then click OK. 4 Choose Tools, Add-Ins to open the Add-Ins dialog box. Then, click Add New. 5 Browse to and select the Course_ILT.ppa file, and then click OK. A message

box will appear, warning you that macros can contain viruses. 6 Click Enable Macros. The Course_ILT add-in should now appear in the

Available Add-Ins list (in the Add-Ins dialog box). The “x” in front of Course_ILT indicates that the add-in is loaded.

7 Click Close to close the Add-Ins dialog box.

After you complete this procedure, a new toolbar will be available at the top of the PowerPoint window. This toolbar contains a single button labeled “Create SlideNotes.” Click this button to generate slide notes files in both text (.txt) and Excel (.xls) format. By default, these files will be saved to the folder that contains the presentation. If the PowerPoint file is on a CD-ROM or in some other location to which the SlideNotes files cannot be saved, you will be prompted to save the presentation to your hard drive and try again.

When you run a presentation and come to a slide that contains a Flash movie, you will see a small control panel in the lower-left corner of the screen. You can use this panel to start, stop, and rewind the movie, or to play it again.

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Introduction ix

Topic B: Setting student expectations Properly setting students’ expectations is essential to your success. This topic will help you do that by providing:

• Prerequisites for this course • A description of the target student at whom the course is aimed • A list of the objectives for the course • A skills assessment for the course

Course prerequisites Students taking this course should be familiar with personal computers and the use of a keyboard and a mouse. Furthermore, this course assumes that students have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience:

• Windows XP: Basic

Target student This course has been designed for students who want to learn how to create and manage a database. The students should be comfortable with the basic features of Windows XP. After completing this course, the student will be able to create and manage database files, modify layouts, and print reports.

Course objectives You should share these overall course objectives with your students at the beginning of the day. This will give the students an idea about what to expect, and will also help you identify students who might be misplaced. Students are considered misplaced when they lack the prerequisite knowledge or when they already know most of the subject matter to be covered.

After completing this course, students will know how to: • Define database concepts; start FileMaker Pro; explore the FileMaker Pro

environment; get Help by using the Contents, Index, and Find tabs; and close FileMaker Pro

• Plan and design a database file, create a database file and define its fields, enter data in the database file, change field definitions, and save a copy of the file in some other location.

• View, edit, and delete records; find records based on a specific criterion; replace records; and sort records.

• Use advanced features such as Auto-Enter, validations, and calculation fields. • Create a value list and a repeating field, move and resize a field, set the tab

order, add custom text and graphics to the layout, and create a new layout and add fields to it.

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x FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Skills inventory Use the following form to gauge students’ skill level entering the class (students have copies in the introductions of their student manuals). For each skill listed, have students rate their familiarity from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most familiar. Emphasize that this is not a test. Rather, it is intended to provide students with an idea of where they’re starting from at the beginning of class. If a student is wholly unfamiliar with all the skills, he or she might not be ready for the class. A student who seems to understand all of the skills, on the other hand, might need to move on to the next course in the series.

Skill 1 2 3 4 5

Defining database-related concepts

Starting FileMaker Pro 6.0

Navigating in FileMaker Pro 6.0

Using FileMaker Pro Help

Closing FileMaker Pro

Planning and designing a database file

Creating a database file and defining its fields

Entering data in the database file

Changing field definitions

Saving a copy of the file

Viewing records

Performing a spelling check

Editing records

Deleting records

Finding records based on specific criteria

Replacing records

Sorting records

Using Auto-Enter

Using validations

Setting a calculation field

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Introduction xi

Skill 1 2 3 4 5

Creating a value list

Creating a repeating field

Moving and resizing a field

Setting the tab order

Adding custom text to the layout

Adding graphics to the layout

Creating a new layout

Adding new fields to the layout

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xii FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Topic C: Classroom setup All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course. It includes minimum requirements for the students’ personal computers, setup information for the first time you teach the class, and setup information for each time that you teach after the first time you set up the classroom.

Student computer requirements Each student’s personal computer should have:

• A keyboard and a mouse • A Pentium 233 (or higher) processor • 128 MB of RAM • 1 GB of available hard-disk space • A CD-ROM drive • An XGA monitor (1,024×768 minimum resolution support) • A printer driver (An actual printer is not required, but students will not be able to

complete the printing activities unless a driver is installed.) • An active Internet connection

First-time setup instructions The first time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer:

1 Install Windows XP on an NTFS partition according to the software manufacturer’s instructions. If the student machines have Internet access, install the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com. (You can also use Windows 2000, but the screen shots in this course were taken using Windows XP, so students’ screens might look somewhat different if you do.)

2 Adjust the computer’s display properties as follows: a Open the Control Panel and click Appearance and Themes. b Choose Display to open the Display properties dialog box. c On the Settings tab, change the Color setting to True Color (24 bit or 32 bit)

and the Screen resolution to 1,024×768 pixels. d Click OK. If you are prompted to accept the new settings, click OK and click

Yes. Then, if necessary, close the Display Properties dialog box. 3 Install FileMaker Pro 6.0 according to the software manufacturer’s instructions.

Accept all defaults. 4 If necessary, install a printer driver. A physical printer is not required. If a

printer is connected to the computer during the installation of Windows, there will be a driver installed for that printer. If not, you should install a standard PostScript printer driver, such as the HP LaserJet 5.

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Introduction xiii

5 Download the student data files for the course. You can download the data directly to student machines, to a central location on your own network, or to a disk. a Create a folder named Student Data at the root of the hard drive. b Connect to www.courseilt.com/instructor_tools.html. b Click the link for FileMaker Pro to display a page of course listings, and then

click the link for FileMaker Pro 6: Basic. c Click the link for downloading the student data files, and follow the

instructions that appear on your screen. 6 Copy the data files to the Student Data folder.

Setup instructions for every class Every time you teach this course, it is best to uninstall FileMaker Pro 6 and do a fresh installation. If you choose not to do this, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.

1 If necessary, reset any defaults that have been changed in previous classes. 2 Delete the contents of the Student Data folder, if necessary. 3 Copy the data files to the Student Data folder. (See the download instructions in

the preceding section.)

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xiv FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Topic D: Support Your success is our primary concern. If you need help setting up this class or teaching a particular unit, topic, or activity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Please have the name of the course available when you call, and be as specific as possible about the kind of help you need.

Phone support You can call for support 24 hours a day at (888) 672-7500. If you do not connect to a live operator, you can leave a message, and we pledge to return your call within 24 hours (except on Saturday and Sunday).

Web-based support The Course ILT Web site provides several instructor’s tools for each course, including course outlines and answers to frequently asked questions. To download these files, go to www.courseilt.com/instructor_tools.html. For additional Course ILT resources, including our online catalog and contact information, go to www.course.com/ilt.

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1–1

U n i t 1 Introducing FileMaker Pro 6.0

Unit time: 75 minutes

Complete this unit, and you’ll know how to:

A Define database concepts.

B Start FileMaker Pro

C Get Help by using the Contents, Index, and Find tabs.

D Close FileMaker Pro.

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1–2 FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Topic A: Database concepts Explanation You can store large volumes of data in a database. For example, a phone book, which is

a list of names and phone numbers, is considered a simple database.

In the case of the phone book, the data is the name and phone number for each entity. To store, retrieve, and manage data, you use a Database Management System (DBMS).

Database terms A database stores information in the form of records. A record stores data as values in different fields. The following table describes common database terms.

Term Description Record A group of fields within the database file that stores information about an

item. For example, in Exhibit 1-1, each row is a record containing four different pieces of data for each product.

Field A specific category of information or a property of an item. For example, in Exhibit 1-1, Field 1 contains the product code and Field 2 contains the product description. Each column represents a field.

Data value A single piece of information in a field. For example, in the Product_code field, P001 is a data value.

Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4

Record

Data Value

Record 10 Exhibit 1-1: The Product database

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Introducing FileMaker Pro 6.0 1–3

Do it! A-1: Discussing database concepts

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Observe the table (As shown in Exhibit 1-1.) This table contains

10 rows and 4 columns.

2 Observe the rows Each row represents a record containing data for a product. For example, the sixth row contains data about Anise Seed.

3 Observe the column headings Each column represents a field. The headings for the columns are Product_code, Description, Unit_price_in_usd, and Quantity_in_oz.

4 Observe the data values in each field

Each field contains a specific data value. For example, a field can contain the names, price, or quantity of spices.

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Topic B: Getting started with FileMaker Pro Explanation FileMaker Pro is a DBMS that stores and retrieves data using database files. You can

use FileMaker Pro to view data in different formats and retrieve data to create reports. In FileMaker Pro, you can create either an empty database file or use a template to define a format for the database file.

Start FileMaker Pro 6 You start FileMaker Pro by choosing Start, All Programs, FileMaker Pro. When you start FileMaker Pro, the New Database dialog box appears, as shown in Exhibit 1-2. You can use this dialog box to either create a new database file or open an existing database file. To open a database file:

1 Choose Start, All Programs, FileMaker Pro. The New Database dialog box

appears. 2 Select Open an existing file. The Open File dialog box appears. 3 Select the folder and database file you want to open. 4 Click Open to open the database file.

Exhibit 1-2: The New Database dialog box

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Do it! B-1: Starting FileMaker Pro

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Choose Start, All Programs,

FileMaker Pro To start FileMaker Pro.

2 Observe the screen The New Database dialog box appears, as shown in Exhibit 1-2. It provides you with three options. You can create a new database file by using a template, create a new empty file, or open an existing file by selecting the relevant option.

3 Select Open an existing file

Click OK To display the Open File dialog box.

4 From the Look in list, navigate to the current unit folder

To display the files in the current unit folder. Help students to navigate to the Student Data folder.

5 Select Product To access this database file.

Click Open

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Components of the FileMaker Pro window Explanation When you open a database file, the database window appears within the FileMaker Pro

window. The FileMaker Pro window contains components such as the title bar, the menu bar, the toolbar, and the status bar.

Control menu icon Menu bar Toolbar Title bar

Database window

Status bar Exhibit 1-3: The FileMaker Pro window

The components of the FileMaker Pro window are shown in Exhibit 1-3. The following table describes these components.

Component Description Title bar Displays the program name and the Control menu icon. The Control

menu icon opens a menu with a set of options for minimizing, maximizing, or closing the window.

Menu bar Shows all the menus available in FileMaker Pro. A menu contains options to perform a set of related tasks. For example, the File menu contains commands to perform file management tasks, such as opening, saving, printing, or closing a database file.

Toolbar Contains buttons for frequently performed actions such as opening or saving a file. The buttons on the toolbar are shortcuts to the commands available on menus.

Status bar Displays status of ongoing tasks. For example, it displays the status of Num Lock and Caps Lock.

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Do it! B-2: Examining the FileMaker Pro window

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Observe the screen (As shown in Exhibit 1-3.) It contains the

FileMaker Pro window and the database window.

2 Observe the title bar The title of the window is FileMaker Pro. It also contains the Control menu icon.

3 Observe the menu bar The menu commands include File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Records, Scripts, Window, and Help.

Click on the File menu To display the commands under File. The options available include opening a new database file, defining fields for a file, and printing the file.

Click on the File menu again To close the menu.

4 Observe the toolbar The Standard toolbar appears by default. It contains buttons that can be used to perform tasks such as opening a file or printing it.

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The database window Explanation You can use the database window to view data and work with it. You can also add data

in the database window. A database window contains components such as a title bar, status area, Zoom controls, Status area control, and Mode pop-up menu. Exhibit 1-4 displays the Product database window. Product is the name of the database file that you have opened.

Title bar Records

Status area

Zoom controls

Status area control

Mode pop-up menu

Exhibit 1-4: The Product database window

The following table describes the components of the database window:

Component Description

Title bar Shows the title of the database file. For example, in Exhibit 1-4, the title of the database window is Product.

Status area Helps navigate through records and view information such as the total number of records in a database file and the sort status. The status area is located on the left side of the database window. The sort status indicates whether the records are organized in a specific order (sorted/unsorted).

Zoom controls Enlarges or reduces the contents of the database window.

Status area control Shows or hides the status area.

Mode pop-up menu Shows a list of modes available in FileMaker Pro. Modes determine the way you work with data. FileMaker Pro 6.0 supports four modes: Browse, Find, Layout, and Preview.

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Layout pop-up menu

Number of records Sort status

BookmarkTop page

Bottom page

Current recordnumber

Book

Status information

Exhibit 1-5: The status area

The status area

The status area contains the Layout pop-up menu, the Book, and status information about records. Exhibit 1-5 displays the status area with its components.


Layout pop-up menu

Contains a list of layouts available for the database file you are working with. A layout determines the way data is organized and presented in a database file.

Book Helps you navigate through the records in a file. To move to the next record, click on the bottom page. To move to the previous record, click on the top page. To go to a specific record, select the current record number at the bottom of the book, type the record number you wish to move to, and press Enter. You can also scroll the Bookmark to move to a specific record

Status information Displays the total number of records in a database file and whether or not they are sorted.

The Mode pop-up menu

Modes determine the way you work with data. FileMaker Pro 6.0 supports four modes, which are listed in the following table.

Mode Description

Browse To view, add, modify, and delete data

Find To search for records based on specific criteria

Layout To create or customize the way your data appears in the database window

Preview To view the data as it will print

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Do it! B-3: Examining the database window

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Observe the screen (As shown in Exhibit 1-4.) It contains the status

area, the records, the Mode pop-up menu, and the Zoom controls.

2 Observe the records The records appear in a tabular format with 10 rows and 4 columns.

3 Observe the status area (As shown in Exhibit 1-4.) The status area indicates that there are 10 unsorted records in the database file and the current record number is 1.

4 Click Layout…

To view the Layout pop-up menu, which is on the upper-left corner of the status area. The Layout pop-up menu displays the two layouts available in the Product database file, Layout #1 and List of products.

Click Layout… again To close the menu.

5 Observe the Book icon You can use this icon to move between records.

6 Click the bottom page of the book To move to the next record. Notice that the current record number, located at the bottom of the Book, reads 2.

Click the top page of the book To move to the previous record. The current record number reads 1.

7 Click the current record number You can use the current record number to move to a specific record.

Enter 10

Press e To move to the tenth record. The current record number now reads 10.

8 Observe the zoom controls (As shown in Exhibit 1-4). You can enlarge or reduce the image using these controls.

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9 Click Browse

To open the Mode pop-up menu located at the bottom-left corner of the database window. The menu contains a list of modes available: Browse, Find, Layout, and Preview. The Browse mode is the default mode.

Close the menu Click anywhere outside the menu.

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Topic C: Getting Help Explanation You can use Filemaker Pro’s Help feature to obtain information about how to use the

program. You access this feature by using the Help menu in the Filemaker Pro window.

The Help Topics dialog box To open the Help Topics dialog box, choose Help, FileMaker Pro Help, or press F1. The dialog box contains three tabs: Contents, Index, and Find. Exhibit 1-6 shows the dialog box with the Contents tab activated. By default, this tab is active the first time you open Help. Subsequently, FileMaker Pro Help will open the last tab used.

Exhibit 1-6: The Help Topics dialog box

The three tabs are described below: • Contents: Displays Help topics in a format similar to a book’s table of contents. • Index: Provides an alphabetical list of topics similar to the index of a book. • Find: Searches the entire Help file for the keyword or phrase that you type. It

then displays a list of all the Help topics that include at least one occurrence of the keyword or phrase.

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The Help toolbar

To navigate through a Help topic, you can use the toolbar located at the top of that topic’s window. The following table describes the components of the Help toolbar.


Displays the previous page.

Displays the next page.

Returns to the last topic viewed.

Prints the topic.

Displays the Help Topics dialog box.

Do it! C-1: Using the Help feature


1 Choose Help, FileMaker Pro Help

To open the Help Topics dialog box. Tell students that they can also press F1.

2 Observe the tabs in the dialog box (As shown in Exhibit 1-6.) There are three tabs in the dialog box: Contents, Index, and Find. The Contents tab is active by default.

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The Contents tab Explanation

The Contents tab shows a list of Help categories with a book icon in front of each category. The book icon indicates that the Help category contains multiple chapters. To display the list of subtopics under a category, double-click the book icon. The list of subtopics appears with a blue question mark to the left of each subtopic. Select the subtopic and click the Display button to view the Help text related to the topic. You can also double-click the subtopic to view the related Help text.

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Do it! C-2: Using the Contents tab

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Observe the dialog box The Contents tab provides a list of available

Help topics.

2 Verify that Using FileMaker Pro is selected.

Tell students that they can also double-click a book icon to expand its contents.

Click Open

To access the list of subtopics for this topic. The icon next to Using FileMaker Pro changes to an open book.

3 Select FileMaker Pro basics

Click Open

To access the list of subtopics for this topic.

4 Select About FileMaker Pro databases

Tell students that the Display button appears in place of the Open button when they select the subtopic.

If time permits, allow students to go through the Help topic.

Click Display

To view Help on the selected subtopic.

5 Click To move to the next subtopic.

6 Close the Help window To close the Help feature.

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The Index tab Explanation

The Index contains Help topics listed in alphabetical order. You look for information by typing a keyword, such as “database” or “fields”, in the first box. As you type the keyword, topics and subtopics corresponding to that keyword appear in the entry list. You then select the topic you want and click Display (or double-click the topic). If related topics exist, you’ll see the Topics Found dialog box listing those topics.

Do it! C-3: Using the Index tab

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Choose

Help, FileMaker Pro Help To open the Help Topics dialog box.

2 Click the Index tab You will search for a topic by keyword.

3 In the first box, type databases

To view the list of Help topics related to the keyword “databases.” As you type each letter, notice that the list scrolls down automatically, stopping at the index entry for the word you enter. This is especially useful when you know only a part of the keyword you are looking for.

4 From the index list, select creating as shown

Click Display To access the related topics from the Topics Found dialog box.

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5 In the Topics Found dialog box, select Creating a FileMaker Pro file

If time permits, ask students to browse through the Help topic.

Click Display

To display the Help text on the selected subtopic.

6 Close the Help window

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The Find tab Explanation

On the Find tab, you can search the Help topics for a specific word or phrase. The Help system displays a list of all the topics containing the specified word(s) and the number of such topics. The Find feature is similar to the Index feature, with two key differences:

• The Find feature scans the text of all the Help documents for the keyword you enter. It then displays a list of all the documents containing at least one occurrence of that keyword. This is a more detailed search than the Index feature.

• When you type a word, the second list displays related keywords to narrow down the search. If you select a keyword from the second list, the third list displays a set of Help topics containing the keyword, as shown in Exhibit 1-7. This way, you can narrow the scope and reduce the time for a search.

When you use the Find feature for the first time, the Find Setup Wizard starts. FileMaker Pro creates a word list that it uses for subsequent searches.

Exhibit 1-7: The Find tab of the Help Topics dialog box

Do it! C-4: Using the Find tab

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Choose Help,

FileMaker Pro Help To open the Help Topics dialog box.

Click the Find tab The Find Setup Wizard dialog box appears.

2 Verify that Minimize database size (recommended) is selected

This option is selected by default. Tell students that the Find Setup Wizard starts only the first time the Find feature is used.

Click Next To move to the next dialog box of the wizard. P

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3 Click Finish To enable FileMaker Pro to create a word list. FileMaker Pro Help uses this word list when you subsequently use the Find feature.

4 In the first box, type database To view all the related keywords and the Help topics of the keyword “database.” FileMaker Pro Help shows that there are 354 topics containing the word database.

5 From the second list, select Database

To narrow your search. Note that the number of topics found is now 26.

From the third list, select Creating a FileMaker Pro file

As shown in Exhibit 1-7.

6 Click Display

To view the Help text about this topic.

7 Close the Help window

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Topic D: Closing FileMaker Pro Explanation When you have finished working with a database file, you should close it. When you

are done using FileMaker Pro, you can close the program.

Closing a database file

You can close a database file by choosing File, Close, or by clicking the Close button in the upper-right corner of the database window.

Closing FileMaker Pro You can close FileMaker Pro in any of the following ways:

• Choose File, Exit. • Double-click the Control menu icon in the upper-left corner of the FileMaker

Pro window. • Click the Control menu icon and choose Close. • Press the Alt and F4 keys. • Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the FileMaker Pro window.

Do it! D-1: Closing a database file and FileMaker Pro

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Choose File, Close To close Product database window.

2 Choose File, Exit To close FileMaker Pro.

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Unit summary: Introducing FileMaker Pro 6.0 Topic A In this topic, you learned about database concepts such as records, fields, and data

values.

Topic B In this topic, you learned how to start FileMaker Pro 6 and open a database file. You also learned about the various components of the FileMaker Pro and database windows.

Topic C In this topic, you learned how to use FileMaker Pro Help. You also learned how to use the Contents, Index, and Find tabs.

Topic D In this topic, you learned how to close a database file and FileMaker Pro.

Independent practice activity 1 Start FileMaker Pro.

2 Open Employees.

3 How many records and fields are there in the database file? (Refer to Exhibit 1-8.)

There are 15 records and 6 fields.

4 Paul Anderson is in the ______________ department.

human resources.

5 Navigate to the seventh record.

6 Find Help about adding and viewing data. View the contents and close the window.

7 Close Employees.

8 Close FileMaker Pro.

Exhibit 1-8: The Employees database file

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2–1

U n i t 2 Databases



A Design a database.

B Create a database file, enter data, and save a copy of the file.

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Topic A: Designing a database Explanation Before creating a database, you need to plan its structure. This will provide a basic

framework for design, and save time and effort later. The steps to planning a database include defining fields and defining the type of data for each field.

Plan a database To plan a database, you must determine:

• The purpose of the database. • The information you want to store in the database file. • The fields of the database file, and their arrangement. • The relationship that the database file will share with other databases. A

relationship is an association between fields common to two or more database files, and you specify it to coordinate the information among them.

• User access to the database (who can use the database file by providing a password).

• The operations that you want to perform on the data.

Suppose you work in the human resources (HR) department of a company called Outlander Spices, and need to create a database to store information about employees.

First, you must decide the type of information you want to include, such as employee ID, name, address, or other official information. You then decide the structure and the arrangement of fields in the database file. You need to ensure that at least one field holds unique information about the employees.

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Databases 2–3

Do it! A-1: Planning a database

Questions and answers

Tell students that the HR team of Outlander Spices is finding it difficult to organize and update employee information.

1 How will a database help the HR team of Outlander Spices manage information about employees?

A database provides fast, easy, and accurate access to data. The HR team can use the database file to generate reports, create presentations, or analyze trends.

2 What information would you want to include in the database file?

Answers might vary. You might want to store information such as:

• Employee’s personal information

• Job title and salary

• Department in which employee works

3 List the fields you want to create in the database file.

Fields such as:

• Employee code

• Last name

• First name

• Title

• Division

• Earnings

4 After you’ve created the database file and populated the fields with information, what tasks do you want to perform using the data in this file?

You might want to:

• View, add, edit, or delete data from the database file

• Search for records based on specific criteria

• Validate data entry

• Generate and print reports

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Naming conventions Explanation You need to name each field you create. FileMaker Pro defines the following rules for

naming fields:

• A field name must be unique, and can contain up to 60 characters. • A field name must not include the following symbols:

, + - * / ^ & = > < “ ; : . • A field name must not include the words “and,” “not,” “or,” or “xor.” • A field name that is to be used in a calculation formula should not begin with a

number, a period, or a space.

You should assign to fields short and meaningful names that indicate their contents, but avoid using abbreviations that could confuse a user. For example, use the complete term “Address,” instead of “Add.”

If the field name consists of multiple words, separate the words with an underscore (_). For the field containing employee codes, for example, you would use the name Employee_Code.

Do it! A-2: Discussing naming conventions

Exercises 1 Is City, State a valid field name?

No, because the field name contains a comma.

2 To store the total sales for four quarters of the year, which of the following names would you use and why?

A Tot_sales

B Total_sales

C Total sales of the year

D Total_sales_for_four_quarters

Explain why.

Answer B. The name is short, conveys an idea about the contents of the field, and follows the naming conventions.

3 Is Date_of_hire a valid field name?

Yes

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Databases 2–5

Field types Explanation You need to select a field type for every field that you create. A field type determines

the type of data the field will hold. For example, you store an employee’s earnings as a numeric value, and the employee name as a text value. (You can also set validations for fields to ensure that the correct type of data is entered into them.) The following table describes the available field types.

Field type Description

Text Stores information such as names and addresses. Although you can store numbers in a text field, you cannot perform mathematical calculations with them.

Number Stores numbers, letters, and symbols. However, FileMaker Pro ignores letters and special characters when performing calculations. For example, you can store the employee code “E001” in a number field. If you want to perform a calculation to increase the employee code value in increments of one, FileMaker Pro ignores the letter E and generates the next value as “E002.”

Date Stores dates only.

Time Stores times only, as hours, minutes, and seconds.

Container Stores a picture, multimedia file, or graphic. You cannot search for or sort records by using a container field. However, you can define a text field to identify a container field and then use the text field to search and sort records.

Calculation Stores the result of a formula within a record. The formula might apply to multiple fields in the same record. The result of the formula can contain text, number, date, time, or container data. For example, if you have a field named Hire_date, you can create a calculation field named Experience to store the number of years each employee has worked in the organization.

Summary Stores summarized field values for multiple records in a file. The summary calculation is performed on one field across all the records in the database file.

Global Stores a value that is common to all the records in the file. In a global field, you usually store a value that is rarely modified. For example, you can store the copyright information for Outlander Spices in a global field because it is common to all the records and is not modified. A global field can contain text, number, date, time, or container data.

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Do it! A-3: Discussing field types

Questions and answers 1 Which field type will you use to store photographs in a database file?

A Container

B Global

C Text

Explain why.

Answer A: The container field type is used for pictures and graphics.

2 If you want to store the maximum salary paid to an employee of Outlander Spices, which field type would you use?

A Calculation

B Summary

C Number

Explain why.

Answer B: The Summary field type is used to calculate values such as totals and averages.

3 The Employees database file has two fields, Birth_date and Hire_date. To create a field that can generate the employee’s age when hired, which field type will you use?

A Calculation

B Container

C Number

Explain why.

Answer A: The Calculation field type holds the result of a formula that you specify.

4 Which field type will you use if you want to include the Outlander Spices logo in all the records in the database file?

A Container

B Date

C Global

Explain why.

Answer C: The Global field type stores one value that is common to all records in a file.

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Databases 2–7

5 Which field type is best for storing addresses?

A Number

B Text

C Global

Explain why.

Answer B: The Text field type is appropriate for addresses.

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Topic B: Creating a database Explanation After you’ve designed your database, the next step is to create it. You can either use a

template or start with an empty file.

A template is a sample database file that contains predefined fields and layouts. You can use the template as is, or you can customize it to suit your needs.

When you create a new empty file, however, you will need to define the fields and layouts. This is more flexible than a template but it also requires more planning.

Creating an empty database file To create an empty database file:

1 Start FileMaker Pro. The New Database dialog box appears. You can also access

the New Database dialog box by choosing File, New Database, or by selecting the New Database icon from the toolbar.

2 From the New Database dialog box, select Create a new empty file and click OK. The Create New File dialog box appears.

3 From the Save in list, select the location where you want to save the database file.

4 In the File name box, enter a name for the file and click Save. 5 In the Define Fields dialog box, define the fields that you want to include in the

database file and specify the field type for each field. Click Done to create the database file.

You can reorder the fields in the Define Fields dialog box. The View by list helps you arrange the fields by creation order, field name, field type, and custom order.

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Databases 2–9

Do it! B-1: Defining fields


1 Choose Start, All Programs, FileMaker Pro

To start FileMaker Pro. The New Database dialog box appears. Tell students that

they can also open the New Database dialog box by choosing File, New Database.

2 Select Create a new empty file

To create a blank database file.

Click OK The Create New File dialog box appears.

Help students navigate to the current unit folder.

3 From the Save in list, select the current unit folder

To specify the location where the database file will be stored.

In the File name box, enter Employee_details

To specify the name for the database file.

Click Save To open the Define Fields for “Employee_details” dialog box. You’ll create fields for the database file.

Tell students that they’ll create fields for the database file in the Define Fields for “Employee_details” dialog box.

4 In the Field Name box, enter Employee_ID

To specify the field name.

Under Type, verify that Text is selected

To specify the field type for Employee_ID.

Click Create Employee_ID now appears in the field list.

5 Edit the Field Name box to read First_name


Click Create To create the second field, First_name, with the field type as Text.

6 Create three Text fields named Last_name, Title, and Division

In the Field Name box, enter the field name. Set the field type as Text. Then click Create.

7 Edit the Field Name box to read Birth_date

Tell students that they will create a Date field.

Under Type, select Date

Click Create To create the field Birth_date with the field type as Date.

8 Create a Date field named Hire_date

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Tell students that they will create a Number field.

9 Edit the Field Name box to read Earnings

Under Type, select Number

Click Create Your database file now contains eight fields. You can change the order of the fields in the dialog box.

10 From the View by list, select custom order

To modify the arrangement of the fields.

11 Select as shown

You’ll notice that the shape of the pointer changes.

Drag the field below Last_name

To move the Birth_date field below the Last_name field.

12 Arrange fields as shown

13 Click Done To close the dialog box. FileMaker Pro integrates all the fields you defined to create a record in the database file. A blank record appears on the screen. You can now add data to this record.

Data entry Explanation

When you have finished creating the database file, FileMaker Pro adds one blank record. You can add records to the file by choosing Records, New Record, or by clicking the New Record icon on the toolbar.

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Databases 2–11

Do it! B-2: Entering data

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Click in the text box next to the

Employee_ID label If necessary.

In the Employee_ID box, enter E001

Press t To move to the First_name box. Tell students that they can also click the First_name field to enter data in it.

2 In the First_name box, enter Sandra

Press t

3 Enter data in the remaining text boxes, as shown

FileMaker Pro saves the data as you type.

4 Choose Records, New Record

To add a new blank record. Tell students that they can also select the New Record icon from the Standard toolbar. Observe the Status area

It displays the total number of records and the current record number as 2.

5 Enter data in the new record as shown

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Changing field definitions Explanation After you create a database file, you might need to change the name or field type of the

existing fields. To change the field definition:

1 Choose File, Define Fields to open the Define Fields dialog box. 2 Select the field you want to change. 3 Change the name or the field type of the selected field. 4 Click Save to save the changes.

If you change a field’s type, the data stored in it might change or be deleted. For example, if you change the type of a Text field to Number, any data beyond the first 255 characters will be deleted. This is because a Number field can hold only 255 characters. FileMaker Pro displays a message box prompting you to confirm the change of field type.

Exhibit 2-1: The Define Fields dialog box

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Databases 2–13

Do it! B-3: Changing a field definition

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Choose File, Define Fields… To open the Define Fields for

“Employee_details” dialog box.

2 Select Employee_ID You’ll change the name and field type of this field.

3 Edit the Field Name box to read Employee_code

Under Type, select Number (As shown in Exhibit 2-1.) To change the field type to number. A number field in FileMaker Pro accepts text.

Click Save A message box appears, prompting you to confirm the change of field type. This warning appears whenever you change the field type from Text to Number, Date, or Time.

Click OK To confirm the change. The field list in the Define Fields dialog box now displays the modified field name and type.

4 Close the dialog box Click Done.

Save a copy of the database file

Explanation

To guard against data loss from system failures or damaged files, you should make a backup copy of your database file. It’s also a good idea to make a backup copy before you change data in the file. To save a copy of your file:

1 Choose File, Save a Copy As. The Create Copy dialog box appears. 2 From the Save in list, select the location where you want to store the copy. 3 In the File name box, enter a name for the copy and click Save.

Do it! B-4: Saving a copy of a database file

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Choose File,

Save a Copy As… To open the Create Copy dialog box.

2 In the Save in list, verify that the current unit folder is selected

You’ll save a copy of your database file.

Edit the File name box to read My_employees

3 Click Save

4 Close the database file Choose File, Close.

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Unit summary: Databases Topic A In this topic, you learned how to design a database. You also learned about naming

conventions and the different field types available in FileMaker Pro.

Topic B In this topic, you learned how to create a database and enter records into it. You also learned to change field definitions and save a copy of the database file.

Independent practice activity 1 Plan a database for Outlander Spices that contains the details of the company’s

suppliers. (Decide the number, names, and field types for the fields.)

2 Create a database file named Suppliers and define fields for it, as shown in Exhibit 2-2. (Choose File, New Database to create the database file.)

3 Enter two records in the database file, as shown in Exhibit 2-3 and Exhibit 2-4.

4 Save a copy of the database file as My_suppliers.

5 Close the database file.

Exhibit 2-2: Sample output after step 2 of the Independent Practice Activity

Exhibit 2-3: Record 1 of the Suppliers database file after step 3 of the Independent Practice Activity

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Databases 2–15

Exhibit 2-4: Record 2 of the Suppliers database file after step 3 of the Independent Practice Activity

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3–1

U n i t 3 Records



A View, edit, and delete records.

B Find records by specifying search criteria.

C Replace records.

D Sort records.

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Topic A: Viewing, editing, and deleting records Explanation When working with a database file, you can change the arrangement in which records

are displayed or printed. You can also modify or delete data from the file.

Viewing records A view temporarily changes the way records appear on screen or printed. The following view options are available in FileMaker Pro:

View Description

Form Displays one record at a time.

List Displays the records sequentially

Table Displays records in a tabular form, as shown in Exhibit 3-1

You can switch between views by using the View menu. For example, to switch to the Table view, choose View, View as Table.

You can view records in different modes. By default, FileMaker Pro opens a database file in the Browse mode. The different view modes are described below.

Mode Description Browse Use this mode to work with the data in a file.

Find Use this mode to search for records based on specific criteria.

Layout Use this mode to arrange how data is presented on screen or in print form.

Preview Use this mode when you want to see how your data will look when printed.

Exhibit 3-1: A sample Table view

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Records 3–3

Do it! A-1: Viewing a record


1 Open Employee_records To view the records in this database file. Help students navigate to the current unit folder.

2 Choose View, View as List To view records in a list.

Scroll down the list To view all the records.

3 Choose View, View as Form To view each record individually. Tell students to scroll through the records.

4 Choose View, View as Table (To view records in the table format.) Each field name appears as a column heading and each record appears as a row, as shown in Exhibit 3-1.

5 Choose View, Layout Mode To view the arrangement of the fields in the record.

6 Choose View, Preview Mode To see how a record will appear when printed.

7 Return to Browse mode.

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The Spelling check feature Explanation The spelling check feature corrects spelling mistakes in the records of a database file.

When you check spelling, FileMaker Pro compares your text with the words in its dictionaries.

FileMaker Pro uses two dictionaries: the main dictionary and the user dictionary. The main dictionary is the local language dictionary. For example, USENGLSH.MPR is the main dictionary for the United States, and is the default dictionary installed with FileMaker Pro.

The user dictionary stores words not found in the main dictionary, which are added by the user. For example, you can add your company name to the user dictionary so that it will not appear as a misspelled word during a spelling check.

The Spelling dialog box

You can check spelling in the current record, form, layout, or search result by choosing the appropriate option from the Edit menu. To check all spelling in a database file, choose Edit, Spelling, Check All. The Spelling dialog box appears, as shown in Exhibit 3-2.

Exhibit 3-2: The Spelling dialog box

The Spelling dialog box contains several components.

Component Description Word box Displays a questionable or misspelled word.

List box Displays a list of words you can select from to replace the misspelled word.

Status area Shows the total number of words checked, and the number of words misspelled.

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Records 3–5

The dialog box also contains buttons that you can use to perform various actions, as described below.

Button Function Replace Replaces the misspelled word with a selected word from the list box.

Check Verifies the spelling of a word.

Skip Ignores the spelling of the questionable word. For example, you might skip the names and addresses of the organization’s employees.

Learn Adds the questionable word to the user dictionary.

Cancel Stops the spelling check and closes the dialog box.

Context Shows or hides the questionable word in context.

Do it! A-2: Checking spelling

Here’s how Here’s why Tell students that they’ll check spelling in all the records of the database file.

1 Choose Edit, Spelling, Check All…

To open the Spelling dialog box, as shown in Exhibit 3-2. The Word box displays “Reprsentative” as a questionable word. The list box contains a suggested replacement for this word.

2 In the list box, verify that Representative is selected

Click Replace (To replace the word “Reprsentative” with “Representative.”) The Word box now displays the next questionable word, “Sals.”

3 Replace the word Sals with Sales (Select “Sales” from the list box and click Replace.) The last name “O’Connor” appears as the next questionable word.

4 Click Skip To ignore the spelling.

5 Skip the names of all employees that the Word box displays as questionable

(Click Skip for all employee names.) When the spelling check is complete, the Done button appears in the dialog box.

6 Click Done To close the Spelling dialog box.

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Modifying records Explanation

To modify the contents of a record, click the field you want to modify, select the value, and enter the new value. When you modify the data in a field, you need to ensure that the type of data you enter matches the field type.

Do it! A-3: Modifying a record

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Move to the first record If necessary.

2 Click the Title field You’ll edit the contents of the field.

3 Edit the box to read Assistant Manager

To enter the new title for Sandra.

Tell students that Sandra Lawrence has now become the Assistant Manager in the sales division and her new salary is $90,000. 4 In the Earnings box, enter 90000

5 Deselect the box (Click anywhere outside the box.) The database file now displays the modified record.

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Records 3–7

Deleting records Explanation You can delete a single record or all records from a database file. When you delete a

record, the data in the record cannot be recovered. Therefore, you should create a copy of the database file before deleting records.

To delete a record, click within the record, and choose Records, Delete Record. FileMaker Pro displays a message box that prompts you to confirm the deletion. Click Delete to delete the record permanently.

Click Cancel to cancel the deletion. To delete all the records from the database file, choose Records, Delete All Records. When the message box appears, click Delete to delete the records permanently.

Do it! A-4: Deleting a record


1 Click anywhere within the second record

You’ll delete this record. Tell students that Maureen O’Connor is no longer working with Outlander Spices Observe the status area It displays the total number of records as 25.

2 Choose Records, Delete Record…

A message box appears, asking you to confirm the deletion. Tell students that

they can also click the Delete Record icon on the toolbar. 3 Click Delete The record for Pamela Carter, which was the

third record, is now the second record.

Observe the status area It displays the total number of records as 24.

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Topic B: Finding records Explanation Database files often store large volumes of data. You can work in the Find mode of

FileMaker Pro to search for records quickly.

Find mode You can choose Find mode from the View menu or from the Modes pop-up menu. In Find mode, FileMaker Pro displays a blank record called a find request, and the status area expands to offer additional options related to a search, as shown in Exhibit 3-3.

To search for records, you enter criteria into the fields in the find request and click Find. Criteria are the terms you want to search for. Records that match the criteria are added to the found set. You can then view, modify, print, delete, or sort data in the found set.

The Symbols drop-down menu contains a list of options that you can use to further specify your search criteria. You select the Omit check box to exclude a specified set of records from the found set.

One limitation of Find is that you cannot specify search criteria in any container, global, or summary fields.

Exhibit 3-3: The Find mode

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Records 3–9

Finding records by using a single search criterion

You can specify criteria in a single field of the database file to find records. For example, you might want to find the records of employees hired on September 19, 1999. To find records, enter 9/19/1999 in the Hire_date field and click Find.

Do it! B-1: Finding records based on criteria in a single field


1 Choose View, Find Mode To switch to Find mode Tell students that the HR team of Outlander Spices needs the details of employees working in the sales division.

2 In the Division box, enter sales (As shown in Exhibit 3-3.) You’ll search the records of all the employees who are working in the sales division. FileMaker Pro Find is not case-sensitive.

Tell students they can also press the Enter key.

3 Click Find The status area shows that there are six records in the found set. FileMaker Pro has now switched to Browse mode.

The AND condition Explanation

The AND condition uses search criteria in multiple fields. The found set for an AND search consists of records that meet all criteria specified. For example, if you want to find records of all the employees who joined on September 19, 1999, live in Los Angeles, and work in the human resources division, enter the respective data in the Hire_date, City, and Division fields, and click Find.

Do it! B-2: Finding records based on criteria in multiple fields


1 Choose Records, Modify Last Find

You will add new criteria to the last find request. Tell students that

they can also directly switch to Find mode and specify the criteria for both fields.

2 In the Title box, enter Manager You’ll find the records of all managers in the sales division.

3 Click Find There are two records in the found set.

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The OR condition Explanation The OR condition uses multiple search criteria in the same field. For example, you can

use the OR condition if you want to find records of employees who live in either Seattle or Los Angeles. To specify more than one criterion in a field:

1 Switch to Find mode. 2 Enter the first search criterion in a field. 3 Choose Requests, Add New Request. 4 Enter the second criterion in the same field and click Find.

Do it! B-3: Finding records that match multiple criteria in the same field

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Switch to Find mode

2 In the Division box, enter sales You’ll search for records of employees who work in either the sales division or the marketing division.

3 Choose Requests, Add New Request

To add new criteria to the existing find request.

In the Division box, enter marketing

Tell students that they can also use the New Request tool on the Standard toolbar to add new criteria to the existing find request.

4 View the records in the found set (Click Find.) There are 12 records in the found set.

Wildcard characters Explanation You can use a wildcard character when you’re not sure of the exact data you’re looking

for. A wildcard character is a symbol that represents one or more unknown characters in a find request. FileMaker Pro provides two wildcard characters, * (asterisk), and @ (at sign).

You can use * to substitute zero or more characters in a find request. For example, entering K* as the search criterion in the First_name field returns all first names beginning with K.

You can use @ to substitute a single character in a find request. For example, if you’re not sure whether an employee’s name is Carol or Caryl, you would enter Car@l as your search criterion.

To use a wildcard character:

1 Switch to Find mode. 2 Select the field for which you want to find records. 3 Enter an incomplete value in the field and select the wildcard character from the

Symbols drop-down menu. 4 Click Find to begin the search. P

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Records 3–11

Do it! B-4: Using wildcard characters


2 In the Last_name box, enter J To search for records of employees whose last names begin with J.

In the status area, click as shown

To open the Symbols drop-down menu. A list of symbols appears.

From the Symbols list, choose the indicated option

* appears after the letter J in the Last_name box.

Tell students that they can type the symbol directly instead of selecting it from the Symbols menu. Click Find

View the records in the found set There are three employees whose last names begin with J.

3 Switch to Find mode

In the First_name box, enter Jami

You’ll find the record of employee whose names have five characters and the first four characters are Jami.


@ appears after Jami in the First_name box.

Click Find

View the records in the found set There is one record in the found set.

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The Omit option Explanation

You can exclude records from the found set by using the Omit option. FileMaker Pro finds all the records except those that match the specified criteria. To use the Omit option, specify the search criteria, check the Omit check box, and click Find.

Do it! B-5: Using the Omit option


2 In the Division box, enter sales You’ll search for records of all the employees other than those who work in the sales division.

3 In the Status area, check Omit To omit the records for sales division employees from the found set.

4 Click Find

View the records in the found set (There are 18 records in the found set.) The records of all the employees except those working in the sales division appear in the found set.

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Records 3–13

Comparison operators Explanation You can use comparison operators to compare two values and return records based on

the result. Comparison operators are available in the Symbols drop-down menu.

To use comparison operators: 1 Switch to Find mode. 2 Place the insertion point in the text box for the field you want to search. 3 Select a symbol from the Symbols drop-down menu and enter the criteria in the

field. 4 Click Find to perform the search.

Do it! B-6: Using a comparison operator


2 Place the insertion point in the Earnings box

Tell students that they’ll search for records of employees who earn less than $45,000 per year.


The < symbol appears in the Earnings box.

3 Enter 45000 Tell students to not

delete the less-than symbol. 4 Click Find

View the records in the found set There is only one employee whose earnings are less than $45,000.

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Constrain a found set Explanation Constraining a found set refers to searching for records based on multiple criteria in

separate fields. To constrain a found set:

1 Switch to Find mode. 2 Enter the first criteria in the field and click Find. 3 Switch back to Find mode. 4 Enter the second criteria in a separate field. 5 Choose Requests, Constrain Found Set.

Do it! B-7: Constraining a found set


2 In the Division box, enter marketing

To search for records of all the employees who work in the marketing division.

Click Find To view the records of all employees in the marketing division.

3 Switch back to Find mode

In the Title box, enter Executive To search for all employees who work as executives in the marketing division.

4 Choose Requests, Constrain Found Set

To constrain the search from all employees in the marketing division to only executives in the marketing division.

View the records in the found set There are four records in the found set.

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Records 3–15

Extend a found set Explanation Extending a found set refers to searching for records based on multiple criteria in the

same field or different fields. To extend a found set:

1 Switch to Find mode. 2 Enter the first criteria in the field and click Find. 3 Switch back to Find mode. 4 Enter the second criteria in a separate field. 5 Choose Requests, Extend Found Set.

Do it! B-8: Extending a found set


2 In the Division box, enter sales To search for records of all the employees who work in the sales division.

Click Find To view the records of all employees in the sales division.

3 Switch back to Find mode

In the Division box, enter accounts

To search for records of employees in the accounts division

4 Choose Requests, Extend Found Set

To extend the search results by including the records of all employees in the accounts division with the records of all employees in the sales division.

View the records in the found set There are 14 records in the found set.

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Topic C: Replacing records Explanation You can replace the contents of a field with a new value or the result of a calculation.

To specify new data values, you can use the different options available in the Find/Replace and Replace dialog boxes.

The Find/Replace dialog box You can find and replace data by selecting the Find/Replace command from the Edit menu. Choose Edit, Find/Replace, Find/Replace. The Find/Replace dialog box appears., as shown in Exhibit 3-4.

Exhibit 3-4: The Find/Replace dialog box

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Records 3–17

Do it! C-1: Finding and replacing data


1 Move to the first record If necessary. Tell students that Outlander Spices has renamed its accounts division to finance

2 Place the insertion point at the beginning of the first word in the Division field

You’ll change the name of the accounts division to finance.

3 Choose Edit, Find/Replace, Find/Replace…

To open the Find/Replace dialog box.

Observe the dialog box. Note that searching across all records and all fields is the default option.

4 In the Find what box, enter Accounts

5 In the Replace with box, enter Finance

(As shown in Exhibit 3-4.) To replace “Accounts” with “Finance.”

6 Click Replace & Find To move to the first instance of “Accounts.”

Click Replace & Find again To change accounts to finance and move to the next instance of “Accounts.”

7 Click Replace All To replace the remaining instances of “Accounts” with “Finance.” A box appears, prompting you to confirm the change.

Click OK

Observe the screen A box appears, summarizing the number of records replaced.

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Replace Explanation Another way to replace a particular field value in a group of records is to create a found

set, and then change the data in the desired field. To replace the contents of a set of records with a new value:

1 Create a found set based on specified search criteria. 2 Select the field whose contents you want to replace. 3 Enter the new value for the field. 4 Choose Records, Replace. The Replace dialog box appears. 5 Select the first radio button and click Done to close the Replace dialog box and

replace the contents.

Do it! C-2: Using the Replace option


1 Find the records of employees of the Human Resources division

(There are four records in the found set.) You’ll edit the name of the division to Personnel. Tell students that

Outlander Spices has renamed its human resources division as personnel.

2 In the current record, edit the Division field to read Personnel

3 Choose Records, Replace Contents…

To open the Replace Contents dialog box.

4 Verify that Replace with: “Personnel” is selected

Click Replace To replace the data value for the records in the found set and close the dialog box.

5 Choose Records, Show All Records

(To view all the records.) Note that the file displays the replaced data value.

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Records 3–19

Topic D: Sorting records Explanation A database file arranges records in the order they were entered. You can rearrange them

in a different order to suit your needs. In FileMaker Pro, you can arrange, or sort, records in ascending, descending, or custom order. To sort records:

1 Choose Records, Sort. The Sort Records dialog box appears. 2 In the dialog box, select the desired field. 3 Select the sort order (Ascending, Descending, Custom). 4 Click Move to add the field to the Sort Order list. 5 Click Sort.

Records can be sorted further by adding more fields to the Sort Records dialog box.

Exhibit 3-5: The Sort Records dialog box

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Do it! D-1: Sorting data

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Observe the Status area The Sort status is “Unsorted.”

2 Choose Records, Sort… To open the Sort Records dialog box.

Observe the dialog box The first list in the dialog box displays the list of fields available in the database file. The Sort Order list will contain the fields based on which sorting will be done. The Sort button is not available.

3 From the first list, select Division

As shown in Exhibit 3-5.

Click Move To add the Division field to the Sort Order list. The Sort button is now available.

Move the Last_name field to the Sort Order list

(Select the field from the first list and click Move.) To sort the data further in the Last_name field.

4 Click Sort To sort data in the database file.

5 Observe the status area (The status area indicates that records are now sorted.) FileMaker Pro has arranged the records based on the Division and Last_name fields.

6 Close the database file

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Records 3–21

Unit summary: Records Topic A In this topic, you learned how to view, edit, and delete records.

Topic B In this topic, you learned how to find records based on criteria specified in single or multiple fields, and use wildcard characters, the Omit option, and comparison operators. You also learned how to constrain and extend a found set.

Topic C In this topic, you learned how to replace the contents of records.

Topic D In this topic, you learned how to sort records.

Independent practice activity 1 Open Supplier_records.

2 Check and correct the spelling in all the records in the database file. Skip the contents of the Postal_code, Company_name, and Address fields.

3 Find all records for which the discount percentage is greater than five.

4 Outlander Spices has decided that they no longer want to buy supplies from Tokyo Traders. Delete the record for this company. (Find the record and then delete it.)

5 New England Seafood Cannery has shifted its head office to 4692, S.E. Amity Road, Amity, OR, 97101, USA. Replace these values in the company’s records.

6 Find the records for the suppliers who provide a credit period of more than two months.

7 Sort all records based on the Country field in ascending order.

8 Close Supplier_records.

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4–1

U n i t 4 Advanced features



A Enter data automatically and set validations.

B Create a calculation field.

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Topic A: Auto-Enter and validations Explanation FileMaker Pro provides options to increase the speed, accuracy, and consistency of data

entry. The Auto-Enter option automatically enters a specific data value in a field every time a new record is added to the database file.

To ensure the accuracy of data entered, you can set validations. A validation constrains the type of data that you can put in a field.

Using Auto-Enter To set the Auto-Enter option for a selected field:

1 Open the Define Fields dialog box and select the field for which you want to set the Auto-Enter option.

2 Click Options. The Options for Field dialog box opens. 3 Click the Auto-Enter tab. 4 Select the appropriate option, and click OK.

You cannot specify this option for the Calculation, Summary, and Global fields. The following table describes the options that you can set with the Auto-Enter tab.

Option Description First check box Sets the creation date, creation time, modification

date, modification time, creator’s name, or modifier’s name as the default data value. Check the box, and then choose an option from the list.

Serial number Sets a serialized number to be added to every new record. To add the serial number, select Serial number, then enter the starting and increment values in the appropriate boxes.

Value from previous record Enters the data value in the same field as in the previous record.

Data Enters a specific value in the field for every new record. To do so, select Data, and then enter up to 255 characters in the text box.

Calculated value Specifies a calculation for which the result is entered in the field.

Looked-up value Copies data from a database file into a field of the current file. The copied data becomes a part of the current file.

Prohibit modification of value Locks the data value entered in the field. You select this option when you do not want the entered value to be overwritten.

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Advanced features 4–3

Exhibit 4-1: The Options for Field dialog box

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Do it! A-1: Entering data automatically


1 Open Employee_validations You’ll specify Auto-Enter options to enter data automatically in this database file.

Help students locate the current unit folder within the Student Data folder.

2 Choose File, Define Fields… To open the Define Fields for “Employee_validations” dialog box.

3 From the field list, select Employee_code

Tell students that they’ll set the Employee_code field to automatically increment the code by one for every new record. 4 Click Options To open the Options for Field “Employee_code”

dialog box.

5 Click the Auto-Enter tab If necessary.

6 Check Serial number To set a series for the field.

In the next value box, enter E027 (As shown in Exhibit 4-1.) To specify the value to be entered in the Employee_code box for the next record. This is the starting value for the series.

In the increment by box, verify that 1 is selected

To increase the code by increments of one in every new record.

Click OK To close the Options for Field “Employee_code” dialog box.

7 Observe the entry for the Employee_code field

Indexed, Auto-enter Serial appears under Options.

Click Done To close the Define Fields dialog box.

8 Add a new record (Choose Records, New Record.) FileMaker Pro automatically displays E027 as the Employee_code for the new record.

Enter data as shown

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9 Add one more record and enter data as shown

Note that the new employee code is E028. FileMaker Pro has automatically increased the code by one.

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Validations Explanation When you set a validation, you ensure that only the correct type of data is entered into a

field. For example, you can set validations on the Earnings field so that it is not left blank, and contains only numeric data. To set validations, open the Options for Field dialog box, click the Validation tab, select the appropriate option, and click OK. The following table describes the options available on the Validation tab.

Option Description Strict data type Verifies that only the correct type of data is entered in the

selected field. It provides three options: Numeric Only, 4-Digit Year Date, and Time of Day.

Not empty Ensures that the field is not left blank.

Unique Verifies that duplicate data values are not entered in the database file. For example, you can set this option for the Social Security number field of each employee.

Existing Ensures that the value being entered already exists in the database file.

Member of value list Ensures that the value being entered exists in the value list specified for the field. You can enter data by selecting a value from the list, rather than having to type it every time. To set the option, select the name of the value list from the drop-down list next to the check box.

In range Verifies that the value being entered lies within a specified range of values (letters, numbers, dates, or time). To set the option, specify the start and end values for the range in the boxes provided next to the check box.

Validated by calculation Ensures that the result of a specified formula is entered in the field.

Maximum number of characters

Displays the maximum number of characters the field can contain.

Strict: Do not allow user to override validation

Ensures that the user does not override a specified validation. This option is available only after you set one or more options on the Validation tab. A message appears if the user violates the validation.

Display custom message if validation fails

Displays a specific message whenever a user enters a data value that violates the validation. You can enter the message in the box next to the check box.

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Exhibit 4-2: The Options for Field dialog box displaying the validation settings

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Do it! A-2: Setting validations

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Open the Define Fields dialog box

2 From the field list, select Earnings

To set validations for this field.

Open the Options for Field dialog box

Click Options.

3 Click the Validation tab If necessary.

4 Check Strict data type To ensure that the data entered in the field matches a specified data type.

In the Strict data type list, verify that Numeric Only is selected

To ensure that only numeric values are entered in the Earnings field.

5 Check Not empty To ensure that the Earnings box is not left blank. This validation is set because an employee cannot have zero earnings, as shown in Exhibit 4-2.

Click OK To close the Options for Field “Earnings” dialog box.

Close the Define Fields dialog box

6 Add a new record

Enter data as shown

Move to the Earnings field

Return to the previous record. (To leave the Earnings box empty.) A warning message appears, stating that the Earnings field requires a value.

Click No To enter data in the field.

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7 In the Earnings box, enter $85000

Note that you have entered a symbol in the Earnings field.

Press t. A warning message appears, indicating that the field is defined to contain only numeric values.

Click No To enter only the numeric value 85000 in the field.

8 Delete $

Press t The record is now accepted.

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Topic B: Calculation fields Explanation You might need to perform calculations on the data in a database file. For example, it

would be time-consuming to manually calculate the tax for each employee. Instead, you can create a calculation field called Tax and specify a formula to calculate the tax based on employees’ salaries.

Calculation fields To create a calculation field:

1 Open the Define Fields dialog box. 2 Create a calculation field. The Specify Calculation dialog box appears. 3 Build a formula by double-clicking the field(s) on which you want to perform

the calculation and selecting the function(s) or operator(s) from the Function and Operator lists.

4 Click OK.

The formula you build appears in the formula box.

Field list Binary

OperatorsLogical Operators View list

Function list

Formula box

Exhibit 4-3: The Specify Calculation dialog box

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Do it! B-1: Creating a calculation field


1 Open the Define Fields dialog box You’ll create a calculation field and specify a formula for calculating the bonus. Tell students that

Outlander Spices has declared to pay a 10-percent bonus to all its employees.

2 In the Field Name box, enter Bonus

To name the field.

Under Type, select Calculation

Click Create The Specify Calculation dialog box appears. Note that the insertion point appears in the formula box. You’ll specify a formula in the box.

3 In the formula box, enter 0.10 The bonus amount will be 10 percent of earnings.

Click as shown

In the field list, double-click Earnings

The text, Earnings, appears in the formula box.

Observe the formula box The box now displays the formula for calculating the bonus, as shown in Exhibit 4-3.

In the Calculation result is drop-down list, verify that Number is selected

To specify that the calculation result should be a number.

4 Click OK To close the dialog box. The formula for calculating the bonus appears under Options of the Bonus field.

Click Done

The database file now displays the calculation field. Note that the value that appears in the Bonus field is 10 percent of the value in the Earnings field.

5 Scroll through other records To view the bonus for each employee.


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Unit summary: Advanced features Topic A In this topic, you learned how to use Auto-Enter to enter data automatically, and how

to set validations.

Topic B In this topic, you learned how to create a calculation field and to specify a formula to calculate values for a field.

Independent practice activity 1 Open Product_validations.

2 Set the Serial number option for the Product_code field. Start the series with the code P011 and increase the code by increments of one.

3 Set validations for the Unit_price_in_usd and Quantity_in_oz fields to accept only numbers.

4 Create a calculation field called Product_value and specify a formula for calculating the product value. (The product value will be calculated by multiplying the quantity of products with the unit price.)

5 Add a record. (Enter details, as shown in Exhibit 4-4.)

6 Move to the next field. Compare the display on your screen with Exhibit 4-5.


Exhibit 4-4: New record of the Product_validations file after step 5 of the Independent Practice Activity

Exhibit 4-5: The sample output of Product_validations after step 6 of the Independent Practice Activity

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5–1

U n i t 5 Layouts



A Create a value list, create a repeating field, resize and move a field, and change the default tab order.

B Add custom text and graphics to a layout.

C Create and print layouts for reports, form letters, and mailing labels.

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Topic A: Customizing layouts Explanation Layouts determine the way data is organized and presented. When you create a database

file, FileMaker Pro displays all fields in a simple layout type called Standard form. You can customize the Standard form layout by creating value lists, resizing fields, moving fields, and adding text and graphics.

The Layout mode To customize a layout, you need to work in Layout mode. To switch to Layout mode, choose View, Layout Mode. (You can also choose Layout Mode from the Modes pop-up menu.)

A layout contains layout parts that determine the organization of data. The main layout parts created in the Standard form layout are the header, body, and footer, as shown in Exhibit 5-1 and described below:

• The header is used to display general information such as the logo and company name.

• The body contains objects, such as fields, text, or graphics. An object is an item that you can add, move, resize, or delete on the layout.

• The footer can contain the page number, current date, custom text, or a graphic.

You can add, modify, or delete layout parts. Any change made to an object in Layout mode is reflected in all the records in Browse or Preview mode.

The tool panel appears in the status area, as shown in Exhibit 5-1. The tool panel displays the tools you can use to add objects to a layout. The following table describes the most commonly used tools.

Tool Name Description

Selection tool Selects an object on the layout. This tool is active by default. To select an

object, click it. Small black handles will appear on the corners of the selected object. To select more than one object, press Shift while selecting the objects. You can also drag the selection pointer to include the objects you want to select.

Text tool Adds custom text anywhere on the layout. To add text, select the tool from the tool panel and click where you want to display the text. A blinking insertion point surrounded by a dotted frame appears. The frame expands as you type text in it.

Line tool Draws a line on the layout.

Rectangle tool Draws a rectangle on the layout.

Oval tool Draws an oval on the layout.

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Layouts 5–3

Tool Name Description

Button tool Adds a button to the layout.

Field tool Adds a field to the layout.

Part tool Adds a part to the layout.

Fill color menu Fills color in an object on the layout.

Header

Tool panel

Footer

Body

Exhibit 5-1: The Layout mode

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Value lists A value list stores values that a user can select from while entering data in records. This saves time and ensures data consistency. For example, if Outlander Spices has four divisions, you can define a value list that contains all the division names. A user can then select the desired name from the list.

To define a value list:

1 Choose File, Define fields. 2 In the Define Fields dialog box, select the field you want to modify and click

Options. 3 Click the Validation tab and check Member of value list. 4 From the drop-down box, select Define Value Lists. 5 Click New to open the Edit Value List dialog box. 6 In the Value List Name box, specify a name for the value list. In the Use custom

values list below the Value List Name box, enter the data values for the list. Press Enter after specifying each value.

7 Click OK to close the dialog box. An entry for the value list is created in the Define Value Lists dialog box.

8 Close the remaining dialog boxes.

After creating the value list, you can display it as a pop-up menu, pop-up list, a series of check boxes, or radio buttons. To do so, you need to format the field on the layout. To format the field:

1 Choose View, Layout Mode to switch to Layout mode. 2 Click the field for which you created the value list. 3 Choose Format, Field Format. The Field Format dialog box appears. 4 Under Style, choose the style in which you want to display the value list. From

the Using value list, select the value list whose contents you want to display. 5 Click OK to close the Field Format dialog box. 6 Switch to Browse mode to observe the value list.

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Layouts 5–5

Do it! A-1: Defining a value list


1 Open Employee_layouts Help students locate the current unit folder within the Student Data folder. 2 Open the Define Fields dialog box

Select Division You’ll create a value list for this field.

Open the Options for Field dialog box

Click Options.

3 Click the Validation tab If necessary.

Check Member of value list

Tell students that they can also open the Define Value Lists for “Employee_layouts” dialog box by Choosing File, Define Value Lists.

Select as shown

The Define Value Lists for “Employee_layouts” dialog box appears.

4 Click New To open the Edit Value List dialog box.

5 Edit the Value List Name box to read Division

You’ll specify custom values for the Division field. Observe that Use custom values is selected by default.

In the Use custom values list, enter Sales

Press e

Tell students to press Enter after they enter every value.

Add Marketing, Human Resources, and Accounts to the list.

6 Click OK (To close the Edit Value List dialog box.) The Define Value Lists for “Employee_layouts” dialog box now contains an entry for the value list.

Click Done To close the Define Value Lists for “Employee_layouts” dialog box.

Click OK To close the Options for Field “Division” dialog box.

Click Done To close the Define Fields for “Employee_layouts” dialog box.

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8 Select the Division field

9 Choose Format, Field Format…

(To open the Field Format for “Division” dialog box.) You’ll format the Division field to display the value list as a pop-up menu.

Help students to set the options.

Under Style, select the indicated option

To display the value list in the form of a pop-up menu in the Division box and allow the user to add a value to the list, when needed.

Click OK To close the dialog box. The Division field will now display a pop-up menu.

10 Switch to Browse mode Choose View, Browse Mode.

Click the Division field

(To display the pop-up menu.) Note that values you defined appear on the menu. The menu option also contains an Other entry to allow additions to the list.

11 Click anywhere outside the box To close the menu.

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Layouts 5–7

Repeating fields Explanation You can store multiple values in a repeating field. You can create repeating fields for

text, number, date, time, and calculation field types. To define a repeating field:

1 Choose File, Define Fields. 2 In the Define Fields dialog box, define the field that you want to include in the

database file, specify the field type for it, and click Options. The Options for Field dialog box appears.

3 Click the Storage tab and check Repeating field with a maximum of <n> repetitions.

4 Enter the number of repetitions in the text box and click OK. 5 Click Done.

Exhibit 5-2: Database file with a repeating field

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Do it! A-2: Creating a repeating field


1 Choose File, Define Fields To open the Define Fields for “Employee_layouts” dialog box. Tell students that

the HR team of Outlander Spices needs to maintain records of the qualifications of all the employees.

2 In the Field Name box, enter Qualification

To define a new field. You’ll define this field as a repeating field with a maximum of two repetitions.


To specify the field type as text.

Click Create

3 Click Options To open the Options for Field “Qualification” dialog box.

4 Click the Storage tab

5 Check Repeating field with a maximum of <n> repetitions

To specify Qualification as a repeating field.

In the repetitions box, enter 2

Click OK

6 Click Done

7 Observe that Qualification appears as a repeating field

You’ll notice that the Qualification field contains two boxes for entering data.

In the first box, enter Business Management Degree

In the second box, enter Product Management Certification

8 Observe the Qualification field (As shown in Exhibit 5-2.) The Qualification field appears as a repeating field.

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Layouts 5–9

Changing the size of fields Explanation

The size of a field in a layout might not be appropriate to display its contents. To resize a field, you first select it, then click and drag any of the black handles that appear on the corners. While you are dragging a handle, the height of the field might change. To maintain the height of the field, press Shift as you resize it.

Exhibit 5-3: The Employee_layouts database file in Layout mode

Do it! A-3: Resizing fields

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Switch to Layout mode The field boxes are not equal in size. You’ll

resize all the fields to the size of the Last_name field.

2 Click the Employee_code field

(To select it.) Small black handles appear on the corners of the box.

Press and hold s and drag as shown

To resize it.

3 Click the First_name field and reduce its size to equal the Last_name field

4 Resize all the other fields to the size of the Last_name field

As shown in Exhibit 5-3. P

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Rearrangement of fields Explanation

You can change the arrangement of fields by moving them. To move a field, select it, place the insertion point in the middle of the field, and drag it to a new position. While you drag a field, a dotted line appears around the field to help you align it horizontally with other fields.

To move several fields simultaneously, drag the selection pointer around the fields that you want to move. All the selected fields display handles around them. Place the insertion point in the middle of the selection and drag it to a new position.

Exhibit 5-4: The Employee_layouts database file after rearranging the fields

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Layouts 5–11

Do it! A-4: Moving fields


Tell students that they can also select the label and the field together by pressing the Shift key while clicking the fields.

1 Drag as shown

(To select the Last_name field and label.) You’ll move the field along with its label next to the First_name field.

Drag the selection as shown

The appearance of the pointer changes and a dotted line appears on the left and right sides of the field. You can use this line to align the field with First_name. A gap appears between the First_name and Birth_date fields.

2 Select the fields as shown

You’ll move these fields up to fill the gap.

Place the insertion point in the middle of the selection and drag it up to fill the gap

Tell students that they can also move individual fields, but it’s better to move all of them together.

3 Click anywhere outside the selection

To deselect the fields.

4 Arrange other fields, as shown in Exhibit 5-4

Move fields and adjust spacing between fields. Ensure that students arrange fields as shown in the exhibit, because this is important for the next activity. 5 Switch to Browse mode To view records

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The tab order Explanation The tab order determines the sequence in which you enter data in fields. By default,

FileMaker Pro activates the fields from left to right and from top to bottom. If you rearrange fields in a layout, you might want to specify a custom tab order.

To set a tab order, choose Layouts, Set Tab Order. The Set Tab Order dialog box and numbered arrows displaying the default tab order appear.

To edit the tab order, select Edit tab order, click the field whose tab order you want to change, and type the number (tab position) for the field in the numbered arrow. Click OK to set the new tab order. (Select Create new tab order to set the tab order for all the fields.)

Do it! A-5: Setting tab order

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Click the Employee_code

field

Help students to examine the tab order.

Examine the tab order Press Tab to move between fields. Note that the Division and Title fields are at the sixth and seventh positions, respectively. You’ll swap the tab order for these two fields.

2 Switch to Layout mode

3 Choose Layouts, Set Tab Order…

The Set Tab Order dialog box appears. Note that numbered arrows displaying the default tab order appear.

4 Verify that Edit tab order is selected

You’ll use this option to specify the tab order for individual fields. You can set the tab order for all the fields by selecting Create new tab order.

5 Click the Title field You’ll set this box to be at the sixth position in the tab order.

In the numbered arrow, enter 6

6 Click any other field FileMaker Pro swaps the tab order of the Title field with that of the Division field.

Click OK To set the order.

7 Switch to the Browse mode

Examine the tab order Now the insertion point moves to the Title field before the Division field.

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Layouts 5–13

Topic B: Adding text and graphics Explanation You can add text and graphics anywhere in a layout. These additions do not become

part of the database file; they appear only in the layout in which you add them.

Adding and formatting text

To add text, click the Text tool in the tool panel or on the Tools toolbar. In the body of the layout, click where you want to add text. A blinking insertion point surrounded by a dotted frame appears. As you type, the box expands to accommodate the text. Click anywhere outside the box when you are finished.

After you add text to the layout, you can format it. To format text, select the field and choose Format, Text. The Text Format for selected objects dialog box appears. Here you can change the font, size, or color of text. Choose the required options and click OK to close the dialog box.

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Do it! B-1: Adding and formatting custom text in a layout

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Switch to Layout mode You’ll add a heading to the layout by using the

Text tool.

2 In the tool panel, click

Click above the Employee_code field, as shown

A blinking insertion point surrounded by a dotted frame appears.

In the box, enter Employee Details

3 Click anywhere outside the box (When finished typing.) Note that the text you just typed is automatically selected.

Choose Format, Text… (To open the Text Format for selected objects dialog box.) You’ll format the text that you added to the layout.

Under Style, check Bold

From the Size list, select 18

From the Color list, select as shown

Click OK (To close the dialog box.) The size and color of the text changes.

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Layouts 5–15

Adding graphics Explanation

To add a graphic to a layout, choose Insert, Picture. The Insert Picture dialog box appears. From the Look in list, navigate to the location of the graphic, then select the name of the graphic file and click Open.

The dialog box also provides an option to store only a reference to the graphic file. If you select this option, you can save space in the database file. However, FileMaker Pro will lose track of the graphic if you move or delete it from its original location. To store a graphic as a reference, check Store only a reference to the file.

Do it! B-2: Adding a graphic to a layout

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Drag the header as shown

(Click the header icon and drag it. The shape of the pointer changes.) You’ll add the Outlander Spices logo.

Click within the header region

2 Choose Insert, Picture… The Insert Picture dialog box appears.

3 Select logo From the current unit folder.

Click Open To insert the logo.

4 Switch to Browse mode

Scroll through records The logo appears in all the records.


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Topic C: Adding layouts Explanation The Standard form layout, which FileMaker Pro creates by default, contains all the

fields defined in the database file. However, you might need to work with only a subset of the fields. To do so, you can create a new, customized layout in your database file.

In FileMaker Pro, you can create six types of layouts: Standard form, Columnar list/report, Table view, Labels, Envelope, and Blank.

To create a new layout, switch to Layout mode. Choose Layouts, New Layout/Report. The New Layout/Report assistant appears. The assistant consists of a series of panels or dialog boxes that guide you through creating a layout. After you’ve created the desired number of layouts, you can switch from one to another by using the Layout pop-up menu.

Columnar list/report layouts A columnar list/report layout displays data in the form of rows and columns, with column headings denoting field names. The layout contains the fields that you specify while creating the layout, in the order in which you specify them.

FileMaker Pro provides two options for creating lists/reports. You can create a simple report with data presented as rows and columns or a complex report that displays subtotals and grand totals as well.

To create a columnar list/report layout: 1 In Layout mode, choose Layouts, New Layout/Report. The New Layout/Report

assistant appears. 2 In the Layout Name box, enter a name for the layout. From the Select a layout

type list, select Columnar list/report. Verify that Include in Layout pop-up menu is selected. Click Next to move to the next step.

3 Under Choose Report Layout, select the type of list/report that you want to create and click Next.

4 From the Available fields list, select the fields you want to include in the new layout, then click Move. Click Next to move to the next step.

5 From the Report fields list, move fields in the order desired to the Sort order list. Click Next.

6 From the Layout themes list, select a theme for the layout. Click Next. 7 Specify the header and footer information that you want to add to the layout.

Click Next. 8 In the Create a Script for this Report, verify that Do not create a script is

selected. Click Next. 9 In the final dialog box, verify that View the report in Preview mode is selected.

The Finish button appears. Click Finish to close the assistant.

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Layouts 5–17

Exhibit 5-5: The List of employees layout in Preview mode

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Do it! C-1: Creating a columnar list/report

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Open Employee_reports

Switch to Layout mode

2 Choose Layouts, New Layout/Report…

(To start the New Layout/Report assistant.) The assistant will guide you through the steps to create a new layout.

3 Edit the Layout Name box to read List of employees

You’ll create a list of employees of Outlander Spices.

Tell students that the HR team of Outlander Spices wants to create a list containing employee information such as employee code, title, division, and earnings.

Verify that Include in layout pop-up menu is checked

To add the layout to the Layout pop-up menu.

From the Select a layout type list, select Columnar list/report

Click Next (To move to the next step.) You’ll specify the type of list/report that you want to create. You can create a simple report or a complex report with summary data.

4 Under Choose Report Layout, verify that Columnar List/Report is selected

You’ll create a simple report by using this option.

Click Next (To move to the next step.) You’ll specify the fields that you want to include in the new layout.

5 From the first list, select Employee_code

Click Move To add the field to the Layout fields list.

Add Title, Division, and Earnings to the list

Click Next You’ll specify how you want the data sorted.

Tell students that they can also double-click Employee_code to add it to the Layout fields list.

Tell students that they need to scroll down the first list to select the fields.

6 Select Division To sort the database file by the Division field.

Click Move

Click Next You’ll select a theme for the new layout.

7 From the Layout themes list, select Standard

Click Next You’ll add a page number to the layout footer.

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Layouts 5–19

8 Under Footer, from the Bottom right list, select Page Number

Click Next

9 Verify that Do not create a script is selected

Tell students that scripts are beyond the scope of this book.

Click Next

10 Verify that View the report in Preview mode is selected

To view the list as it will look when printed.

Click Finish To close the New Layout/Report assistant and preview the report. Note that the Title and Division fields are not big enough to display all the data values.

11 Switch to Layout mode You’ll increase the size of the Title and Division fields.

Move the Division and Earnings fields to the right.

(Select both labels and fields.) To create space for increasing the size of the Title field.

12 Increase the size of the Title field as shown

Increase the size of the Division field

(Move the Earnings field to the right.) To display all its contents.

13 Switch to Preview mode To view the report and observe changes, as shown in Exhibit 5-5.

In the status area, open the Layout pop-up menu

The database file now contains two layouts.

Click outside the menu To close it.

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Adding fields to the layout Explanation Each layout you create displays the fields that you specified. You can add more fields to

the layout later.

To add a field to a layout, select the Field tool from the tool panel and drag it to the position where you want to display its contents. The Specify Field dialog box appears. Select the field you want to add and click OK. Observe that the name of the selected field appears in the field label and the text field. Switch to Browse mode to view the contents of the field.

Do it! C-2: Adding a field

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Switch to Layout mode You’ll add the Bonus field to the layout. This

field already exists in the database file.

2 Using the Field tool, drag a field to the right of the Earnings field

(The shape of the pointer changes.) The Specify Field dialog box appears.

3 Select Bonus

4 Click OK The Bonus label appears inside the Earnings field. Tell students that

they can also double-click Bonus to add it to the layout.

Tell students to move and resize the field, if necessary.

5 Move the Bonus label above the Bonus field, as shown

6 Switch to Preview mode The layout displays the Bonus field along with data.

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Layouts 5–21

Form letters Explanation In FileMaker Pro, you can create a form letter to be sent to several people by creating a

blank layout and typing the text of the letter. Then, you insert merge fields for attributes, such as names and addresses, which are different for each recipient. A merge field is a placeholder for the contents of a field, and can change in size according to the amount of data in the field.

To create a form letter: 1 In Layout mode, choose Layouts, New Layout/Report to start the New

Layout/Report assistant. 2 In the Layout name box, specify a name for the layout. From the Select a layout

type list, select Blank layout and click Finish. 3 From the tools panel, select the Text tool and create space for typing the

contents of the letter by dragging the pointer in the body of the layout. 4 Type the contents of the letter and merge fields wherever required. To insert a

merge field, choose Insert, Merge Field. The Specify Field dialog box appears. Select the name of the field you want to insert and click OK.

Exhibit 5-6: The Invitation letter layout in Layout mode

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Do it! C-3: Creating a form letter by merging fields


1 Switch to Layout mode

Choose Layouts, New Layout/Report…

You’ll create an invitation letter for a party to be sent to all the employees of Outlander Spices.

Tell students that Outlander Spices has organized a party for its employees. Therefore, the organization is sending invitation letters to all employees. 2 Edit the Layout Name box to read

Invitation Letter

From the Select a layout type list, select Blank layout

Click Finish To create a blank layout. You’ll add more information later to the body of the letter.

3 In the Tools panel, click

Help students drag the pointer to cover the entire body part.

Click the top-left corner of the body of the layout and drag, as shown

To create space to type the contents of the letter.

4 In the top-left corner, type Dated:

You’ll insert a date symbol that displays the current date in the layout.

Press q

Choose Insert, Date Symbol Tell students that they can type the symbol instead of typing the date. Press e twice To insert two lines of spacing between the date

and salutation.

5 Type To

Press q

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Layouts 5–23

6 Choose Insert, Merge Field… The Specify Field dialog box appears.

From the list, select First_name

Click OK To insert First_name in the layout. In Browse and Preview mode, each record will display the corresponding first name for the employee.

Tell students that they can also double-click First_name to add it to the layout.

Press q

Tell students to add spacing between the fields.

Insert more fields, as shown

Press e twice

7 Type Dear

Press q

Insert First_name Choose Insert, Merge Field and select First_name.

Press e twice

8 Open Notepad Choose Start, All Programs, Accessories, Notepad.

Open letter Help students to locate the letter text file in the current unit folder. Copy the contents of the file Select the contents of the file. Choose Edit,

Copy.

Close Notepad

Tell students to click Yes if a dialog box appears.

9 Choose Edit, Paste Unformatted Text

To move the contents of the text file in the layout. The final letter will appear, as shown in Exhibit 5-6.

10 Switch to Browse mode

Scroll through the records The date symbol that you inserted displays the current date, and the merge fields display the data value for each record.

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Mailing labels Explanation FileMaker Pro provides a layout for creating mailing labels. You can specify custom

measurements for the layout or choose a predefined label type. To create a Labels layout:

1 In Layout mode, start the New Layout/Report assistant. 2 In the Layout name box, specify a name for the layout. In the Select a layout

type list, select Labels. Click Next. 3 From the first drop-down list, select the measurements for the label. Click Next. 4 Select the fields you want to include from the first list and click Add Field. Click

Next to move to the last step. 5 Select View in Preview mode and click Finish.

Exhibit 5-7: The Employee mailing labels layout in Preview mode

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Layouts 5–25

Do it! C-4: Creating a mailing label

Here’s how Here’s why 1 Switch to Layout mode

2 Start the New Layout/Report assistant

Choose Layouts, New Layout/Report.

3 Edit the Layout Name box to read Employee mailing labels

From the Select a layout type list, select Labels

Click Next

4 In the list, verify that Avery 5160 is selected

To specify the settings that match the dimensions of the label paper. Avery 5160 sets three labels across the page, which have dimensions of 1 by 25/8 inches, as shown in Exhibit 5-7.

Click Next You’ll add fields in the Label Contents list.

5 From the list, select First_name

Click Add Field To add the field to the Label Contents list.

Press q

6 Add other fields to the Label Contents list, as shown

Click Next

7 Verify that View in Preview mode is selected

Click Finish The name of the layout is added to the Layout pop-up menu.

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Printing layouts Explanation It’s good practice to preview the contents of a layout before printing it. To preview and

print a layout:

1 Switch to Preview mode by choosing View, Preview Mode. View the layout. 2 Choose File, Print to open the Print dialog box. 3 In the Print list, verify that Records being browsed is selected. Under Print

range, verify that All is selected. 4 Click OK to print the layout.

Do it! C-5: Printing a layout

Here’s how Here’s why 1 View the contents of the layout Select View, Preview mode.

2 Choose File, Print… To open the Print dialog box.

In the Print drop-down list, verify that Records being browsed is selected

Under Print range, select All To print all the pages in the layout.

3 Click Cancel If students have printers installed on their computers, ask them to click OK. 4 Close the database file

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Layouts 5–27

Unit summary: Layouts Topic A In this topic, you learned how to create a value list and a repeating field. You also

learned how to resize and move fields. Finally, you learned how to set the tab order for fields.

Topic B In this topic, you learned how to add custom text and graphics to a layout.

Topic C In this topic, you learned how to create a Columnar list/report and add fields to it. In addition, you learned how to create form letters and mailing labels. You also learned how to print a layout.

Independent practice activity 1 Open Product_layouts.

2 Create a value list for the Product_category field. Name it Categories and display the value list as a pop-up menu. (The values to be defined are Whole, Ground, and Raw.)

3 Resize and arrange the fields on the layout, as shown in Exhibit 5-8.

4 Add the heading Product Details. Change the font size to 18. Insert the logo of Outlander Spices to the header. Select the logo from the current unit folder within the Student Data folder. (Compare your work with Exhibit 5-9.)

5 Close Product_layouts.

6 Open Supplier_layouts.

7 Create a columnar list/report layout and name it List of suppliers. Include the Supplier_code, Company_name, and Percentage_discount fields in the layout. Sort the list by Supplier_code and select a Standard layout theme. Resize the Company_name field to display all its contents. (Compare your work with Exhibit 5-10.)

8 Add the Credit field to the layout.

9 Create a mailing label layout for suppliers. Name it Suppliers mailing label. Add Company_name, Address, City, Zip_code, and Country fields to the label.

10 Create a form letter layout. Name the letter Invitation letter. Copy the contents of the letter from Supplier_letter text file in Notepad (in the current unit folder of the Student Data folder).You may need to resize the text box. (Compare your work with Exhibit 5-11.)


Exhibit 5-8: A sample of Product_layouts after step 3 of the Independent Practice Activity

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Exhibit 5-9: A sample of Product_layouts after step 4 of the Independent Practice Activity

Exhibit 5-10: A sample of the Supplier list layout after step 7 of the Independent Practice Activity

Exhibit 5-11: A sample of the Letter layout after step 10 of the Independent Practice Activity

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S–1

F i l e M a k e r P r o 6 : B a s i c Course summary

This summary contains information to help you bring the course to a successful conclusion. Using this information, you will be able to:

A Use the summary text to reinforce what students have learned in class.

B Direct students to the next courses in this series (if any), and to any other resources that might help students continue to learn about FileMaker Pro 6.0.

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S–2 FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Topic A: Course summary At the end of the class, use the following summary text to reinforce what students have learned. It is not intended as a script, but rather as a starting point.

FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Unit 1

In this unit, students learned about database-related concepts such as records, fields, and data values. They learned to start FileMaker Pro 6.0 and open a database file. They learned to explore the FileMaker Pro window and the database window. Next, students learned to use FileMaker Pro Help. They learned how to use the Contents, Index, and Find tabs. Finally, they learned to close a database file and FileMaker Pro.

Unit 2

In this unit, students learned how to plan and design a database. They also learned about the different field types available in FileMaker Pro. In addition, they learned about field naming conventions. Students learned how to create a database and enter records in it. Finally, they learned to change field definitions and save a copy of the database file.

Unit 3

In this unit, students learned how to view, edit, and delete records. Next, they learned how to find records based on criteria in single or multiple fields and use wildcard characters, the Omit option, and a comparison operator. They also learned to replace the contents of records. Finally, students learned how to sort records.

Unit 4

In this unit, students learned to use Auto-Enter to set a serialized number or default value for a field. They learned to set validations on data-entry. Finally, they learned to create a calculation field to specify a formula for generating calculated values for a field.

Unit 5

In this unit, students learned to create a value list and repeating fields. They also learned how to move and resize fields. In addition, they learned to set a tab order and add custom text and graphics to the layout. Finally, students learned to create a report layout, mailing label layout, and form letter layout, preview them, and print them. They also learned how to add fields to a layout.

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Course summary S–3

Topic B: Continued learning after class Point out to your students that it is impossible to learn to use any software effectively in a single day. To get the most out of this class, it is important that students begin working with FileMaker Pro 6.0 to perform real tasks as soon as possible. Course Technology also offers resources for continued learning.

Next courses in this series This is the first course in this series. The next course in this series is:

• FileMaker Pro 6: Advanced

Other resources In addition to the other courses in this series, students might also find some of these Course Technology resources useful as they continue to learn about FileMaker Pro 6.0. For more information, visit www.course.com.

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S–4 FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

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Q–1

F i l e M a k e r P r o 6 : B a s i c Quick reference

Button Shortcut keys Function

! Opens the Help feature

Returns to the Help Topics index

Returns to the last page viewed in the Help feature

Prints the Help topic

Displays the next page of the Help text

Displays the previous page in the Help text

Opens a new database

Opens the Modes pop-up menu

Opens the Layouts pop-up menu

Creates space to add custom text to the layout

Selects an object on the layout

Draws a line on the layout

Draws a rectangle on the layout

Draws an oval on the layout

Adds a field to the layout

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Q–2 FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

Button Shortcut keys Function

Submits the find request

Opens the Symbols pop-up menu

c + S Sorts records

c + N Creates a new record

c + E Deletes a record

c + P Prints the current layout

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I–1

Index

A AND condition, 3-9 Auto-Enter option, 4-2

B Backing up data, 2-13 Browse view, 3-2 Button tool, 5-3

C Calculation fields, 4-10 Closing FileMaker Pro, 1-20 Columnar list/report layouts, 5-16 Comparison operators, 3-13 Constraining a found set, 3-14

D Data values, 1-2 Database

Planning, 2-2 Window components, 1-8

Database Management System (DBMS), 1-2 DBMS, 1-2 Deleting records, 3-7

F Field tool, 5-3 Fields, 1-2

Types of, 2-5 Fill color menu, 5-3 Find view, 3-2 Finding records, 3-8 Form letters, 5-21

H Help feature, 1-12

L Layout

Mode, 5-2 View, 3-2

Line tool, 5-2

M Mailing labels, 5-24

Menu bar, 1-6 Modifying records, 3-6 Moving fields, 5-10

N Naming conventions, 2-4

O Omit option, 3-12 OR condition, 3-10 Oval tool, 5-2

P Part tool, 5-3 Planning a database, 2-2 Preview view, 3-2

R Records, 1-2 Rectangle tool, 5-2 Repeating fields, 5-7

S Selection tool, 5-2 Sorting records, 3-19 Spelling check feature, 3-4 Starting FileMaker Pro, 1-4 Status bar, 1-6

T Tab order, 5-12 Templates, 2-8 Text tool, 5-2 Title bar, 1-6 Tool panel, 5-2 Toolbar, 1-6

V Validations, 4-6 Value lists, 5-4 Viewing records, 3-2

W Wildcard characters, 3-10 P

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I–2 FileMaker Pro 6: Basic

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FileMaker Pro 6- Basic

Documents

Transcript of FileMaker Pro 6- Basic