FileMaker Pro 4.0
Records:
One set of fields in a database file. Each record contains data about a single
activity, individual, subject, or transaction.
To enter
data in a database file, you create a record and then enter data in the fields. After you
have records in a file, you can work with them in various ways, such as sorting them,
finding a group of records that contains particular data, or importing and exporting
records.
Fields:
the basic unit of data entry in a record. You define a field to hold a specific type
of data: text, number, date, time, container (for pictures, movies, and sound),
calculation, summary, or global. (Global fields contain the same value for all records in
a database and can be of type text, number, date, time, or container)
Getting
Started:
When you
create a new file, you see a dialog box for defining the fields in your database. To
define a field, you first give it a name, and then select options to tell FileMaker Pro
how to interpret, enter, calculate, store, and display the data in that field.
After fields
are defined, choose Define from the File menu and then choose Fields to add, change, or
delete field definitions.
Field
types:
A field is
the basic unit of data entry in a record. When you define a field, select a field type
based on the kind of information the field will contain. The field type determines what
kind of data can be entered and what kinds of operations FileMaker Pro can perform with
the data.
| Select this |
If
the field's data will be |
| Text |
Letters, symbols,
and numbers (up to 64,000 characters) |
| Number |
Numbers, letters,
or symbols (up to 255 characters) |
| Date |
Dates only |
| Time |
Times only |
| Container |
A picture, movie,
sound, or OLE object (Windows only) |
| Calculation |
The result of a
calculation formula. The result can be text, a number, date, time, or container. |
| Summary |
The result of a
summary formula that uses field values from more than one record in the same file. The
result can be a number, date, or time. |
| Global |
One value to be used in all records of the file. The value can be text, number, date, time, or container. |
FileMaker Pro uses the field type to interpret the data when you sort records and perform calculations. For example, if you create a text field and enter numbers, you can sort the data only in alphabetical order. (The first character sorts, and then the second so that 11 sorts before 2). You must use a number field, or a calculation or summary field with a numeric result, to sort data in numerical order.
Field names
Field names can be up to 60 characters. If you plan to put a field reference in a calculation formula, do not use a number at the beginning of the field name, and do not use any of the following symbols and words in the field name:
- ,(comma), +, -, *, /, ^, &, =, ¹, >, <, (, ), ", :: (relational indicator)
- AND, OR, NOT, XOR, or the name of any FileMaker Pro function
- Don't begin a field name to be used in a formula with a period (.) or a number
When you first run FileMaker, you get the option of "creating a new file via a template", "creating a new empty file", or "opening an existing file". For the purpose of this tutorial, you should "create a new empty file". You must now select a name for your file and a location to save it to.
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If you were creating a database
of your home video collection, you might create text
fields for "title", "rating", "category" and number fields for "running time" and
"cost". Press "done" when you are "done". After you create a
database file and define fields, you can start entering data. Each set of fields is called
a record.
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