Help

Editing objects, layout parts, and the layout background
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 347
Setting up a field to auto-complete during data entry
You can set up a field to use auto-complete (type ahead) to help users quickly enter values in
Browse mode or Find mode. FileMaker makes suggestions based on what the user has previously
entered into the field, or based on values in a value list.
You can use auto-complete on text fields displayed as:
• Edit boxes
• Drop-down lists
• Drop-down calendars
Note To set up fields to automatically enter information when a record is created or modified, see
Defining automatic data entry.
To set up a field to auto-complete during data entry:
1. In Layout mode, select the field.
2. Click Inspector in the layout bar, then click Data.
3. In the Field area, choose Edit box, Drop-down list, or Drop-down calendar from the
Control Style drop-down list. For more information, see
Setting up a field to display a pop-
up menu, checkbox set, or other control or Setting up a field to display a drop-down
calendar.
Tip To prevent suggestions from displaying in a list, choose Drop-down list, then select
Include arrow to show and hide list. Only the best match appears in the field.
4. Select an auto-complete option:
Notes
• Only fields defined as Text fields can be set to use auto-complete. (Numerical, date, or any
other type of textual data can be stored in a text field.)
• Auto-complete is not supported in drop-down lists when the value list used is configured to
use Also display values from second field, Show values only from second field, or
Sort by second field. For more information, see
Defining value lists.
Setting up the display of repeating fields
If you define a field as a repeating field, you can format the field to display only a certain range of the
repetitions, even though the information for all the repetitions is stored in the database. For
example, if a repeating field is defined to display up to eight repetitions, you could format one field
object to display the first four repetitions, and another field object to display the last four repetitions.
For information about defining a repeating field, see Defining repeating fields.
For Select
Edit box or Drop-down Calendar Auto-complete using existing values
The system makes suggestions based on the field’s index.
Drop-down list Auto-complete using value list
The system makes suggestions based on the value list
specified.