Help

Creating and managing layouts and reports
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 229
border to resize in Browse mode when you resize the FileMaker Pro window, specify that
objects automatically resize horizontally on the layout. See
Setting auto-resize options for
layout objects.
• Some themes have additional predefined styles for some objects. If you switch to a theme
that doesn’t support additional predefined styles, any objects formatted with additional
styles are reset to default styles. If you later switch to a theme that again supports additional
predefined styles, objects retain the default style setting. You can use the Styles tab in the
Inspector to reapply the additional predefined style. See
About layout object, part, and
background styles.
• To make data easier to read in portal fields, consider using predefined styles named
Minimal. See
Viewing and applying layout object, part, or background styles.
• Every layout is assigned a theme. If you want a layout to look similar to layouts created with
versions of FileMaker
Pro earlier than version 12, under Basic, choose the Classic theme.
• Occasionally FileMaker Pro software updates include formatting changes for the predefined
themes. If a file uses an older version of a predefined theme and you have write permission
for the file, FileMaker
Pro applies formatting changes automatically when you switch to
Layout mode, switch to a different layout, or change the layout's theme.
• If you’re creating a layout to be used with FileMaker Go, choose one of the Touch themes.
• If you’re creating a layout to be printed, choose one of the Print themes.
Changing the width of a layout
You can expand or reduce the width of a layout to accommodate more objects or eliminate blank
space on the layout. Making a layout wider helps you see the edge of the layout without resizing the
window.
To change the width of a layout: Drag the gray line on the right side of the layout.
Notes
• If the current layout theme has a border, the border corresponds to the width of the layout. If
you resize the layout in Layout mode, the border resizes proportionally. To allow the layout
border to resize in Browse mode when a user resizes the FileMaker
Pro window, set objects
on the layout to automatically resize horizontally. See
Setting auto-resize options for layout
objects.
• You can place objects on the gray area to the right of the layout. This lets you store objects
with a layout, yet prevent them from appearing in Browse, Find, and Preview modes.
Objects located in the gray area:
• are available for use in script steps.
• are right-anchored. (Auto-resize settings are ignored. If you move the object back onto
the layout, auto-resizing settings reactivate.)
• are skipped in the tab order.
• appear in dialog box lists and in Table View (field objects).
Working with layout parts
FileMaker Pro layouts are divided into layout parts, sections of the layout that determine how data in
a field is treated and displayed. By using parts, you can control how FileMaker
Pro prints data, for
example: