Filemaker Pro 11 : the missing manual · TableofContents TheMissingCredits xix Introduction 1 PartOne:GettingStartedwithFileMaker Chapter 1: Workingwith a Database 15 AVeryQuick DatabaseTour

FileMaker Pro 11

THE HISSING NANUAL

The book that

should have been

in the box®

Table of Contents

The Missing Credits xix

Introduction 1

Part One: Getting Started with FileMaker

Chapter 1: Working with a Database 15

A Very Quick Database Tour 15

Content Area 16

Scroll Bars 17

Zoom Controls 18

Understanding Modes 19

Opening and Closing Database Files 20

Opening a Database 21

Closing a Database 22

Adding Data to Your Database 23

Creating a Record 23

Entering Data 23

Fields for Lots of Text 27

Deleting Records 28

Understanding Browse Mode Error Messages 29

Navigating Your Database 30

Navigating Record by Record 30

Keyboard Shortcuts 31

Finding Records 32

Performing a Find 33

Understanding Find Mode Error Messages 35

Sorting Records 38

Understanding Sorting 38

Beyond the Simple Sort 39

Multiple Sort Fields 39

Same Database, Different Views 41

Viewing a List 41

Viewing a Table 42

Creating a New Window 42

Hiding Windows 43

Automatically Arranging Windows 45

Saving Your Database 46

Saving a Copy of Your Database 47

Saving a Clone of Your Database 47

Using FileMaker's Help Menu 48

Chapter 2: Organizing and Editing Records 49

Views 49

Form View 50

List View 50

Table View 50

Advanced Find Techniques 55

Modify Last Find 55

Multiple Requests 55

Finding by Omitting 57

Constraining and Extending the Found Set 59

Refining Searches with Find Operators 61

Using the Find Pop-up Menu 65

Editing What's in Your Fields 69

Drag-and-drop Editing 69

Using the Replace Command 70

Find and Replace 72

Changing Text Appearance 75

Text Formatting 75

Paragraph Formatting 77

The Text Ruler 78

Formatting Tabs 78

Checking Spelling 80

Spell Checking with Menu Commands 80

Spell Checking As You Type 82

Managing Spelling Dictionaries 82

Preview Mode and Printing 83

Part Two: Bus/ding Your First Database

Chapter 3: Creating a Custom Database 89

Creating a New Database 89

Creating and Managing Fields in Table View 91

Creating Fields 92

Managing Field Types 93

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Creating Records in Table View 94

Inserting a File into a Container Field 95

Exporting Field Contents 96

Inserting a File Using QuickTime 96

Understanding Layouts 97

The Layout Bar 99

The Layout Status Toolbar and Layout Mode 99

Layout Objects 100

Customizing a Layout 102

Editing Text Objects and Fields 103

Using the Inspector 109

Inserting a Picture on a Layout 112

Adding Lines and Shapes 113

Formatting Fields 114

Customizing a Layout's Body Part 122

Creating a New Layout 123

The Format Painter 125

Making Two Layouts Match 126

Arrange and Align Tools 127

Chapter 4: Adding Power to Your Database 131

Creating a Simple Calculation 131

Creating Fields with Manage ->Database 132

Adding New Fields to a Layout 134

Creating a Related Table 136

Understanding the Elements of a Relationship 137

Creating a Key Field with an Auto-Enter Serial Number 137

Creating a New Table 141

Creating a Relationship Between Two Table Occurrences 143

Creating and Using Portals 145

Adding a Portal to a Layout 146

Resizing and Moving a Portal 149

Context 149

Creating Records Through a Portal 151

Editing Records Through a Portal 153

Performing Finds with Related Data 154

Using Tab Controls 155

Creating a Tab Control 155

Editing Tab Controls 158

Deleting a Tab Control 160

Adding Merge Fields 16°

Using Symbols to Show Important Info 162

Writing a Basic Script I63

Creating a Sort Script 164

Creating a Button 166

Applying a Script Trigger 167

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Creating a Dynamic Report with the Assistant 168

Creating a Trailing Group Report 173

Changing the Default Account 175

Summing Up 178

Part Three: Thinking Like a Developer

Chapter 5: Creating and Managing a Relational Database....

181

Understanding Relational Databases 182

Modeling Your Database 183

Choosing Entities 183

Finding Relationships 187

The Entity-Relationship Diagram 191

Keys 198

Join Tables 200

Creating a Relational Database 203

Creating Relationships 204

Sorting a Relationship 206

Managing the Relationships Graph 207

Using Relational Database Power 212

One Table Occurrence, One Found Set 212

Viewing Related Fields on a Layout 214

Creating a Value List Based on a Related Field 217

Lookups 220

Creating Lookups 222

Using a Relookup 224

Navigating Between Related Records 225

Reviewing Relationship Concepts 228

Bidirectionality 228

Implicit Relationships in Action 230

Chapter 6: Field Options 235

Understanding Field Types 236

Text 236

Number 236

Date 237

Time 238

Timestamp 239

Container 239

Calculation 240

Summary 240

Auto-Enter Field Options 240

Creation Values 241

Modification Values 244

Serial Number 244

viii TABLE OF CpNTENTS

Value from Last Visited Record 245

Data 246

Calculated Value 246

Looked-up Value 248

Validation Options 248

Making Validation Stricter 250

Validation Requirements 252

Storage Options 254

Global Storage 255

Repeating Fields 255

Indexing 256

Printing Field Definitions 260

Beyond Text: Container Fields 261

Pictures 262

QuickTime 263

Sound 265

File 267

Chapter 7: Layout Tools 269

Layout Parts 269

Parts in Form View 270

Parts in List View 271

Parts in Preview Mode 271

Part Setup Dialog Box 272

When to Use Each Type 273

Arranging Parts 274

Layout Types 277

Standard Form 277

Table View 277

List View 278

Report 278

Blank Layout 278

Labels or Vertical Labels 278

Envelope 279

Renaming a Layout 280

Setting Layout View 282

Found Sets and Layouts 282

Layout Setup 283

Manage Layouts 284

The Inspector's Data Tab 285

Field Control 286

Advanced Field Controls 291

Edit Box 291

Drop-Down List 291

Pop-Up Menu 293

Checkbox Set 294

TABLE OF CONTENTS I

Radio Button Set 295

Drop-Down Calendar 296

Auto-Complete 297

Repetitions 300

Display Data From 302

Field Behavior 302

Data Formatting 305

Number Formatting 306

Date Formatting 309

Time Formatting 311

Timestamp Formatting 312

Graphic Formatting 313

Buttons 317

Creating Buttons with the Button Tool 317

Turning an Existing Layout Object into a Button 319

Making a Button Not a Button 320

Button Actions 321

Tab Order 322

Customizing the Tab Order 323

Fixing the Tab Order in the People Database 324

Preserving the Automatic Order 325

Merge Fields 325

Merge Variables 328

Tooltips 329

Autoresizing 329

Autoresizing in List Layouts 336

Creating Layouts for Printing 337

Visualize the Result in Preview Mode 337

Print Margins 338

Columns 340

Sliding Layout Objects 342

Chapter 8: Understanding Calculations 349

Understanding Calculations 349

Creating a Calculation 351

The Structure of a Calculation 354

Using Fields in Calculations 355

Using Constants in Calculations 356

Using Operators in Calculations 357

Functions 362

Expressions 366

Using a Related Field in a Calculation 367

Understanding the Specify Calculation Dialog Box 370

Table occurrence context 370

Field list 371

Operators 371

x TABLE OF CONTENTS

Function list 371

Result Type 372

Calculation Box 373

Repetitions 374

Changing the Standard Evaluation Behavior 374

Auto-Enter Calculations 374

Validate Data Entry with a Calculation 377

Replacing Data Using a Calculation 380

Comments 381

Chapter 9: More Calculations and Data Types 383

Number Crunching Calculations 383

Number Function Types 383

Using Number Functions 384

Going Beyond Basic Calculations 387

Reviewing the Data and New Business Rules 387

Planning the Calculations 388

Constructing the Calculation 389

Text Calculations 390

Text Functions 392

Text Formatting Functions 401

Date and Time Calculations 404

Math with Dates and Times 405

Parsing Dates and Times 407

Calculations that Create Dates and Times 408

Containers in Calculations 410

Calculations with Pictures, Sounds, Movies, and Files 410

Calculations with References 411

Chapter 10: Understanding Scripts 413

Understanding Scripts 414

Your First Script 414

Preparing the Database 415

Planning Your Script 415

Creating Your Script 416

Improving Your Script 422

Shortcuts to the Edit Script Window 426

The Importance of the Layout 427

When to Switch 427

Running Scripts 428

The Scripts Menu 428

Buttons 430

Script Triggers 430

Performing Scripts When a File Is Opened and Closed 431

Timer Scripts 432

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Organizing Your Scripts 433

Creating Script Folders 433

Creating Menu Separators 435

Branching and Looping in Scripts 435

Branching with If, Else If, Else, and End If 435

Testing Multiple Conditions 442

Looping 443

Script Triggers 445

Creating a Simple Script Trigger 446

Layout Triggers 447

Object Triggers 450

Chapter 11: Exploring Script Steps 455

Go to Layout 455

Goto Object 456

Scripting for Fields 459

Navigating Fields 459

Editing Commands 460

Selecting Text 461

Editing Field Data 461

A Field Script in Action 466

Other Steps That Work with Fields 470

Working with Records 473

Creating, Duplicating, and Deleting Records 474

Navigating Among Records 475

Opening, Reverting, and Committing Records 478

Copying Records 481

Working with Portals 483

Finding Records. 484

Performing People's Find Requests 484

Static Find Requests 488

Using a Variable to Create Dynamic Find Requests 490

Constraining and Extending the Found Set 493

Omitting Records 493

Modify Last Find 494

Sorting Records 494

Sorting Records with an OnRecordLoad Trigger 495

Working with Windows 495

Creating Windows 495

Bringing a Window to the Front 497

Closing a Window 498

Moving and Resizing Existing Windows 499

Other Window-Related Script Steps 500

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Working with Files 502

Opening and Closing Files 502

Save a Copy As 502

Other File-Related Script Steps 503

Printing 503

Other Script Steps 504

Open URL 504

Dial Phone 504

Set Web Viewer 504

Execute SQL 505

Flush Cache to Disk 506

Exit Application 506

Part Four: Becoming a Power Developer

Chapter 12: Applying Developer Utilities 509

Copying and Pasting Database Structure 510

Importing Tables and Fields 510

Copying and Pasting Tables 511

Copying and Pasting Fields 512

Copying Scripts and Script Steps 512

Script Debugger 513

Controlling Script Execution 514

Breakpoints 517

Examining Errors 518

Pause on Error 519

The Call Stack 519

Working with the Debugger Window 519

The Data Viewer 521

The Current Tab 521

The Watch Tab 522

Disable Script Steps 524

The Database Design Report 526

Generating the DDR 526

Using the DDR 528

Finding Broken Elements with the DDR 530

Custom Functions 532

Defining a Custom Function 534

Editing Custom Functions 535

Sharing Custom Functions 536

Custom Menus 538

Editing a Menu 540

Creating a New Menu 543

Using Existing Commands 544

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Submenus 545

Removing a Menu 548

Installing Custom Menu Sets 548

Developer Utilities 550

Using the Developer Utilities 551

Delivering a Runtime Solution 555

File Maintenance 555

Chapter 13: Advanced Relationship Techniques 559

Advanced Relationships 560

Self-Join Relationships 560

Multiple Criteria Relationships 563

Relationship Operators 566

Portal Filtering 567

Understanding Table Occurrences 570

Table Occurrence Groups 575

Listing the New Elements You'll Need 576

Understanding Table Occurrence Groups 578

Creating a New Table Occurrence Group 581

Building the Assign Expenses Layout 584

Understanding Graph Arrangements 588

Connecting Database Files 591

Adding a Table Occurrence from Another File 591

Defining Data Sources Using a Path 592

Using Multiple Relationship Techniques 594

Creating the Invoice Finder Layout 595

Chapter 14: Reporting and Analysis 601

Summary Fields and Sub-summary Parts 601

Summary Fields 601

Other Summary Field Types 604

Advanced Sub-summary Parts 608

Leading and Trailing Grand Summaries 611

Sub-summary Parts and Printing 612

Web Viewer Objects 612

Putting a Web Viewer on a Layout 613

Web Viewer Options 615

Conditional Formatting 618

Conditional Formatting of Fields 618

Conditional Formatting of Text Objects 620

Advanced Conditional Formatting 622

Removing Conditional Formatting 623

Basic Charting (found set charts) 624

Chart Formatting 629

xiv TABLE OF CONTENTS

Charting and Reports 631

Picking the Right Fields 633

Choosing an Appropriate Layout Part 633

Using the Correct Sort Order 633

Advanced Charting 635

Delimited Data 635

Related Records 638

Chapter 15: Advanced Calculations 643

Understanding Boolean Functions 644

Using the Seif Function 646

Using Storage Options 648

Understanding Stored and Unstored Calculation Fields 648

Global Calculation Fields 652

Logical Functions 652

Conditional Functions 652

Constructing a Conditional Calculation 656

The Let() Function and Variables 659

Defining Calculation Variables 659

The Life of a Variable 660

Nesting Let Functions 663

Recursion 663

Step 1: Solve the First Case 664

Step 2: Assume Your Function Already Works, and Use It 665

Step 3: Find a Stopping Point 666

Plug-Ins 667

Installing Plug-ins 669

Old and New Plug-ins 669

Finding Plug-ins 670

Creating Your Own Plug-ins 671

Chapter 16: Advanced Scripting 673

Commenting Scripts 673

Importing Scripts 675

Communicating with Database Users 676

Showing a Simple Message 676

Asking a Simple Question 676

Organizing Complex Scripts 680

The Perform Script Script Step 682

Halt Script and Exit Script 683

Script Parameters 686

Script Variables 689

Handling Errors 692

The Set Error Capture Script Step 694

The Get (LastError) Function 694

The Allow User Abort Script Step 696

Advanced Script Triggers 697

Install OnTimer Script 697

Keystroke Triggers 698

Putting a Complex Script Together 704

Planning the Script 704

Considering Exceptions 705

Creating Subscripts 707

Finishing the Subscripts 711

Testing Scripts 724

Part Five: Integration and Security

Chapter 17: Sharing Your Database 729FileMaker Network Sharing 730

Setting Up a Host Computer 730

Opening a Shared File 732

The Open Remote File Dialog Box 733

Sharing over the Internet 735

Turning on Web Sharing 735

Connecting from a Web Browser 738

Custom Home Page 740

FileMaker Server 741

File Compatibility 742

Installing FileMaker Server 743

Administering FileMaker Server 747

Testing Your Server 757

Server Hardware 757

Chapter 18: Adding Security 761

How Security Works 761

Who Gets Access 762

What They Can Do 762

Privilege Sets 763

Understanding Privilege Sets 764

Understanding Individual Privileges 765

Managing Accounts 782

Adding a New Account 784

External Authentication 786

Extended Privileges 788

Creating an Extended Privilege 788

Checking for an Extended Privilege 789

Assigning Extended Privileges 790

Managing External File Access 790

XVi TABLE OF CONTENTS

Scripts and Security 794

Detecting Privileges in a Script 794

Handling Security Errors 795

Running Scripts with Full Access Privileges 795

Managing Security with Scripts 796

Chapter 19: Sharing Data with Other Systems 799

Sharing Your Data with Others 799

Save/Send Records As 800

Snapshot Link 805

External SQL Sources 806

Setting Up ODBC 808

Connecting FileMaker to a SQL Data Source 812

Adding SQL Tables to a FileMaker Database 814

Using SQL Tables 818

Exporting Data 819

Grouped Exports 821

Importing Data 826

Recurring Import 850

Importing over Existing Data 834

Creating Tables on Import 836

Creating a New Database from an Import File 836

Converting Older FileMaker Files 837

Import Data Sources 837

File 837

Folder 838

Digital Camera 839

XML Data Source 841

Bento Data Source 843

ODBC Data Sources 844

Importing and Exporting in a Script 845

Save Records Script Steps 846

The Import Records Script Step 847

The Export Records Script Step 848

Part Six: Appendixes

Appendix A: Getting Help 851

Appendix B: FileMaker Error Codes 863