Help

Creating a database
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 157
• It is not necessary to put all of the fields on a layout in order for users to perform sorts on
them.
• Decide if you intend the layout to be mainly used in Form View or Table View, especially if it
will be used on an iOS device. For layouts to be used on an iOS device, choose one of the
Touch themes in the Change Theme dialog box. Then design the layout accordingly. For
more information on designing layouts to be used on iOS devices, see the F
ILEMAKER GO
D
EVELOPMENT GUIDE.
• If you plan to host your database for FileMaker WebDirect users, see the
F
ILEMAKER WEBDIRECT GUIDE for tips on designing layouts that work well in web browsers.
• Use tab controls or slide controls to group fields that have relevance to each other and to
indicate their connectedness. See
Working with panel controls on layouts.
• Use layout parts appropriately to organize and summarize information. See About layout
part types.
• In general, use a limited number of colors and fonts per layout. Use fonts consistently:
assign one for headings, one for field labels, and one for field contents.
• Use sans serif fonts such as Verdana, Arial, and Trebuchet MS for high readability when
viewing forms onscreen.
• Use serif fonts such as Times for forms that will be printed and for fields that will contain
large amounts of text.
• Choose colors for text and backgrounds that provide enough contrast for easy readability.
For example, light gray text on dark gray backgrounds is difficult to read, especially in poor
lighting or with small font sizes. Light colors are suitable for headings but not for data entry
fields.
• To make reading and navigating a layout easier and to enhance its overall appearance, be
generous with the whitespace (empty space) between groups of fields.
• The Slice feature lets you take advantage of your existing image resources to quickly create
a visual effect for a header, body, or footer part. For example, you want to add a custom
color to the header part. You already have an image with an area that contains the color you
want. Use the Slice feature to add the desired color to the header. See
Filling objects, layout
parts, or the layout background with an image.
Related topics
Best practices for designing layouts
Creating a FileMaker Pro file
You can create as many database files as you need to organize information. You can:
• Create an empty file, then design layouts yourself.
• Create an empty file using layouts defined in a FileMaker Pro Starter Solution (template).
• Use FileMaker Pro to open a file containing data in another file format, then modify the
design by adding layouts, if needed. For information, see
Converting a data file to a new
FileMaker Pro file.
To create a new file:
1. Choose File menu > New Database.
Tip You can use the FileMaker Quick Start Screen to create new files. Choose Help menu >
Quick Start Screen, click Create a New Database, and continue with step 2.