Technical Brief

FileMaker Go 1.2.1 Technical Brief
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Adopting this sort of mechanism clearly depends on how developers approach their database and on the
expectations of their users. This is one example of how a developer might consider adjusting an interface to
accommodate both performance issues and the different experiences with mobile devices. An argument can be
made that this practice would benefit FileMaker Pro users across wide area network connections as well.
Sizing Layout Elements
On the iPad and iPhone the pointing device—a human finger—is less precise than the pointer for a mouse. As such,
you may want to adjust the size of your layout objects, including buttons, field heights, and the row height for list
views and portals, accordingly.
InApple’sHumanInterfaceGuidelinesfortheiPhone,Applerecommendsusing
fontsbetween“17-pixeland22-pixel.”InFileMakerterms,usingHelveticaonMac
OSX,thefont’sverticalpixeldimensionisgenerallytwohigherthanitspointsize.
In the screenshot below there is a gray box shown behind the font that is sized to
the point size of the font in each row.
In practice, you can generally make labels smaller than buttons and field text.
Since users do not interact with labels, the size of a human fingertip does not mat-
ter as much as it does in situations where a user needs to edit or click the text.
Likewise, row height— for both portals and list views—should be between 34 and 42 pixels high.
Lastly, button hit areas should be a minimum of 32 pixels square and can be as large as 52 pixels high to conform
to what most users on the iPhone or iPad are used to.