FMPRO Session 4
Customizing
Your Layout
Move and Resize Objects
Adding and deleting fields on a layout
You can add a field anywhere on a layout in Layout mode.
Fields can be either from the same file or from another FileMaker Pro file.
To add a field to a layout:
- In Layout mode, choose the layout you want from the
layout pop-up menu.
- Drag a field from the Field tool to the position you
want on the layout.
- The pointer becomes a hand when
you position it over the Field tool. As you drag the field onto the layout,
you see a border and text baselines to help you align the field with other objects
on the layout. Release the mouse button when the field is where you want it.
- In the Specify Field dialog box, select the field to
add.
- To choose a field from another file (a related field), select
the relationship from the relationship pop-up menu. (Use a portal to add a related
field displaying values from multiple records, for example, line items on an
invoice or classes on a student schedule.)
- To include the field name as text on the layout, select
Create field label.
- Click OK.To replace a field on a layout:
In Layout, double-click the field and select another field
name in the Specify Field dialog box.To delete a field from a layout:
- In Layout, click the field to select it and press Delete.
Deleting a field from a layout does not delete the field or its data from
your file.
Tip: You can copy fields from one
layout to another, and from one file to another, as long as the field names
match fields in your database. You copy the field's attributes (including formats
and text styles), not the field's definitions.Moving Fields in Layout:1. Click, hold, and drag the field to the desired new location
on the form.2. Shift-click on several fields to select multiple fields.3. Use the dotted base line as guide to align fields and
labels on the same plane.Resizing Fields in Layout:Tip: Resizing in One Direction
Hold down the shift key while you drag on the object or its handle.
- Shortcut: Fast Sizing and Styling in Layouts When you
use the text tool to type field labels or enter other text, you'll get the
currently selected font, size, and type style. Do not tediously reset these
options: It's faster to just copy & paste an existing label that has the
settings that you want and then edit it.
- Instead of cutting and pasting, you can also get a copy
of any object on a layout by holding down the option key and dragging it to
another part of the layout. When you drag a field this way, you get a dialog
box that lets you choose which field you want to appear in the new spot–it
does not have to be the one you moved. This is an easy way to give several
fields the same font and size.
Formatting the Layout
- Use the Layout mode to apply text and numeric formats
to objects.
Number formats:
- If a field contains numbers, you can choose several different
ways to display the numbers. First double-click the field box and then choose
the format from a dialog box. You can add a currency symbol, show the number
as a percent, insert commas every three digits, and say how many places you
want after the decimal
Adding Merge Fields to a Layout
- Use a merge field (a placeholder on a layout that resizes
to fit a field's value) to insert the field's value into a line of layout
text when you browse or print a layout. For example, when the merge field <<First Name>> is between the text "Dear" and ":", FileMaker Pro
displays "Dear Charles:" in Browse or Preview modes if the First Name field
contains "Charles".
- FileMaker Pro uses merge fields to create Labels and
Envelope predefined layouts. You can use merge fields to quickly create a
form letter.
Note: FileMaker Pro treats merge
fields as not editable layout text in Browse and Find modes. You cannot edit
or enter values into a merge field in Browse or Find. To add a merge field to a layout:
- In Layout mode, click where you want the merge field
to appear.
- To insert the merge field into a line of text, select
the text tool (in the tool panel) and click where you want to set the insertion
point in the text.
- Choose Paste Special from the Edit menu, and then choose
Merge Field.
- In the Specify Field dialog box, select the field to
add.
- To choose a field from another file (a related field),
select the relationship from the relationship pop-up menu.
- Click OK.
You see the field name enclosed by double less-than (<<)
and greater-than (>>) symbols on the layout.
- If a merge fields is not contained within a line of text,
it only display as much text as will fit within its boundaries in Browse and
Preview mode. Enlarge the field boundaries to display as much data as you
want.
- Merge fields shrink to fit the amount of text in the
field (including collapsing an entire line, if the field is by itself on a
line and the field contains no data).
- You can add a merge field by typing the field name surrounded
by the double less-than and greater-than symbols directly on the layout.
Tip: If you want to close up space
between fields and non-text objects, align value lists or repeating fields,
or reduce the size of an enclosing layout part, set sliding options.
