U.M. (Windows)

Table Of Contents
3-58 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
Defining display formats for fields
Display formats make data in fields look consistent when the data is
displayed or printed. The formats don’t change the data as stored in the
file. For example, a number field can be formatted to display three
decimal places. You can do the following:
1 Set no formats in FileMaker Pro. When you set no formats,
FileMaker Pro displays numbers, dates, and times according to the
operating system settings that were in effect at the time the file was
created. (See appendix B, “Working with international files” and the
documentation that came with your computer or your copy of Windows.)
1 Set default display formats in FileMaker Pro for all text, number,
date, time, and container fields you plan to define (see “Setting
default display formats,” below).
1 Define data formats individually in FileMaker Pro for existing text,
number, date, time, and container fields (see the sections beginning
on page 3-59).
On a field by field basis, each layout can have a different set of formats.
For example, suppose you format number fields to display a currency
symbol, thousands separators, and two decimal places. If the currency
symbol is a dollar sign ($), the thousands separator is a comma (,), and
the decimal separator is a period (.), the value 5000 displays as
$5,000.00. However, only the value 5000 is stored in the file.
Setting default display formats
Set default display formats for newly created fields. Default formats set
in FileMaker Pro override formats set in the Regional Settings control
panel and affect only FileMaker Pro files. Default formats apply to
newly defined fields added to the current and new layouts.
1. With no fields selected in Layout mode, choose Text, Number, Date,
Time, or Graphic from the Format menu.
2. In the Default Format dialog box, select options, and then click OK.
You can also set a default display format if you have just added a new
field to a layout.
Choose FileMaker Help Index from the Help menu, and then type:
E formatting fields
?