As eager as you might be to start creating your own database, the truth is you’ll spend most of your time using FileMaker to view and modify existing records. Whether it’s zipping through a big corporate health benefits database or working with your personal cookie recipes, knowing how to get around FileMaker records efficiently will save you lots of work over the long haul.
If you’re working alone and this is your first time using FileMaker, you may not have any records to view. Never fear. To spare you the bother of having to create some records just for viewing, we’ll be using some of the existing records that came with your copy of FileMaker. If you already have a FileMaker database to work with, feel free to use it.
By the way, when you first open a FileMaker file it automatically appears in Browse mode, which enables you to look at a record without worrying about the layout or how it’ll print. For more on each of FileMaker’s four modes, see page 22.
If you haven’t started the FileMaker program, do so now by either choosing ProgramsFileMaker Pro from the Start menu (Windows) (Figure 3.30) or double-clicking the FileMaker Pro icon in the FileMaker Pro 6 folder (Mac) (Figure 4.1).
A dialog box will appear asking whether you want to create a new file using a template, create a new empty file, or open an existing file. Select Open an existing file... and click OK (Figure 4.2). See Using Templates and Scripts on page 209 to learn how templates can save you time in creating your own databases.
If you’ve turned off the opening dialog box (see Tip on page 35), you still can open an existing file by choosing File > Open (Figure 4.3). Or use your keyboard:
(Windows) or 
(Mac).At this point, you can open a FileMaker file you may already have, in which case navigate your way through the dialog boxes to find it. If you don’t have your own file, see the next step to open the example file featured in this chapter.
Navigate your way down to the file Sample02.fp5, nested inside these folders: FileMakerFileMaker Pro 6FileMaker TutorialSample Files (on Macs the path is FileMaker Pro 6FileMaker TutorialSample Files). Open the file by double-clicking it, clicking the Open button, or using the keyboard commands:
(Windows) or (Mac). Now that you have the Sample02.fp5 file onscreen (Figure 4.4), we’ll use it to explain how to view records, move from one record to another, and get around within individual records.
FileMaker lets you view records three different ways: as single records using the View as Form choice or as multiple records using the View as List or View as Table choice. Viewing one record at a time helps you see more detail within a particular record. Inspecting multiple records at the same time makes it easier to compare one to another.
Our example, Sample02.fp5, opens showing just one record (Figure 4.4). To view several records at once, choose View > View as List or View > View as Table (Figure 4.5). Depending on your choice, the file will display as many individual records as your screen can accommodate (Figure 4.6) or display a table of records (Figure 4.7).
Figure 4.5. To see more than one record at once, choose View > View as List (left) or View > View as Table (right).
To view one record at a time, choose View > View as Form (Figure 4.8). The file will shift back to a view with only one record showing.
FileMaker offers you three ways to quickly jump from record to record within any file. And, as with most things in FileMaker, you have several options within each view.
Click on the flipbook’s pages to move forward or backward—one record at a time. Click the lower page to move forward in the sequence (Figure 4.9); click the upper page to move back. A blank upper or lower page indicates there are no more records in that direction (Figure 4.10).
To quickly skip ahead or back within the records, click and drag the flipbook’s bookmark bar. Dragging it down will skip you ahead in the sequence (Figure 4.11); dragging it up moves you back.
You can use the flipbook pages and bookmark bar in List or Table view as well (Figures 4.12–4.13).
The List and Table views also allow you to skip from record to record simply by clicking anywhere within the records visible on your screen (Figure 4.14). This is especially handy when you need to change data in one field within each record. Clicking directly on that field will highlight it, enabling you to begin entering your new data.
Tip
When you’re working in List or Table view, a thin black bar just left of the records marks the current record (Figure 4.13).
If you know the number of a particular record, you can go right to it by clicking on the current record number, typing in the desired number, and pressing
(Windows) or 
(Mac) (Figure 4.15). Pressing 
will automatically highlight the current record number, allowing you to work mouse-free. This method works in Form, List, or Table view.
Getting around within a single FileMaker record couldn’t be easier, but as usual, there are several ways to do it.
Using your cursor to directly select a field works best when you need to change only a couple of items within a particular record. Using the 
key generally works best when you’re filling in new blank records or when you want to keep your hands on the keyboard. Both methods work in either Form or List View.
Double-click on any field you want to modify (left, Figure 4.16). Once the field becomes highlighted, type in your data (right, Figure 4.16). To reach another spot in the record, click your cursor on the desired field.
After a record opens, press the
key to reach the first field. Continue pressing the key until you reach the desired field. To move backward among the fields, press 
.
Tips
You can’t tab to fields that contain calculations or summaries. But the contents of those fields are based on values set in other fields, so it’s not really a problem. Just keep it in mind.
FileMaker lets you set the tab order for all the fields in a record. Reordering the tabs is particularly handy if you need to reach only a few scattered fields within each record. For more on setting the tab order, see page 168.