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Creating a database
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 170
Related topics
About defining database fields
Specifying text formats for fields
About number fields
Use number fields to store values from 10
-400
up to 10
400
, and negative values in the same range.
Notes
• Use number fields to store:
• numbers that need to be sorted in numeric order. FileMaker Pro indexes the first 400
significant digits (numbers, decimal points, or signs) of the field, ignoring letters and
other symbols.
• numbers used in calculation formulas or summary fields. By default, FileMaker Pro
performs fixed-point math with a minimum of 16 digits of precision to the right of the
decimal point. Use the
SetPrecision function to further expand the precision of this
number.
• values that are a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters that still need
to use the numbers in calculations and sorting (for example, $400 or best offer).
• Use text fields instead of number fields to store postal codes, phone numbers, and other
values with leading zeroes or characters like hyphens or parentheses.
• The characters displayed for the decimal separator and thousands separator depend on the
system formats set for the database file, and the display format for the field. For information
on changing the display format for a field (for example, 2.45 or $2.45), see
Specifying
formats for fields containing numbers.
• If you are using FileMaker Pro Advanced, you can copy field schemas from one file and
paste them into the same file or some other file. See Copying and pasting field schemas
(FileMaker Pro Advanced).
Related topics
About defining database fields
Specifying formats for fields containing numbers
About date fields
Use date fields to store:
• dates you need to sort or search through
• dates used in calculation formulas or summary fields
Date fields can store values from January 1, 0001 to December 31, 4000.
Important To avoid confusion when using dates in FileMaker Pro, always use four-digit years. For
information on how FileMaker
Pro handles dates with two-digit years, see Conversion of dates with
two-digit years.
Notes
• The separators in date fields and the order in which the date parts appear depend on the
system formats set for the file and the display format for the field. For information on