User manual

Table Of Contents
Chapter 3 | Creating databases 78
Working with layout themes
Use FileMaker Pro themes to enhance the appearance of a layout or report and to give all your
layouts a consistent look. A theme affects characteristics of the layout, including the background
color, field borders and fill, and text attributes in and outside of fields. A theme does not control the
placement or behavior of fields or objects. You can change the theme of an existing layout in
Layout mode.
To change the theme of a layout:
1. Display the layout you want to change.
2. In Layout mode, choose Layouts menu > Change Theme, or click in the layout bar.
3. Select themes in the Layout themes list to display a preview of each theme.
1 To apply a theme from this file, select a theme in the Layout themes list to display a preview
of each theme.
1 To apply a theme from another FileMaker Pro file, click Import Themes, choose the file
containing the theme(s) you want to import, and click Open. Select one or more themes in
the Import Themes dialog box, and click OK. Then select a theme in the Layout themes list.
4. Click OK to apply the selected theme to the current layout.
Keep the following points in mind:
1 When you change a layout’s theme, FileMaker Pro applies the attributes of the new theme to
all objects on the layout except the following:
1 The font and font size remain from the original layout or theme.
1 Buttons created using versions of FileMaker Pro earlier than version 12 retain their original
formatting.
1 Objects on the layout background that are filled with an image, or a layout background that
is filled with an image, retain the image.
1 You might need to resize layout parts and layout objects after a theme is applied for the layout
to display properly.
1 If you want the layout to look similar to layouts created with versions earlier than
FileMaker Pro 12, under Basic, choose the Classic theme.
1 If you’re creating a layout to be used with FileMaker Go, choose one of the Touch themes.
1 If you’re creating a layout to be printed, choose one of the Print themes.
1 The styles of layout objects, layout parts, and the layout background are controlled by the
layout’s theme. If the predesigned themes do not display the styles you want, you can create
and apply a custom theme. See
“Working with layout object, part, and background styles” on
page 101.