Quick Start

Chapter 4
New features in FileMaker Pro
FileMaker Pro 5 brings a wide range of new features and
improvements to the application. Responding to feedback from users
and developers, much attention has been paid to the ways that users
interact with the software. Menus, dialog boxes, and toolbars have all
received attention in an effort to make the experience of using
FileMaker Pro more productive and enjoyable, while FileMaker Pro
software’s ODBC and Microsoft Office compatibility have also been
enhanced. Some of these changes will make using FileMaker Pro
easier for people who are new to the application, while others will
please longtime users and developers.
The user interface’s new look
The user interface of FileMaker Pro 5 has been redesigned with
Microsoft Office users in mind. FileMaker Pro menus now follow
the Microsoft Office standard, enabling new users who are familiar
with Microsoft Office-compatible products to quickly locate many
common menu choices.
Access to menu commands
There are two new ways to access menu commands:
1 selecting buttons on a toolbar
1 displaying context menus
Toolbars provide quick access to many FileMaker Pro menu
commands. Show or hide toolbars by choosing View menu >
Toolbars, then the name of the toolbar to display.
You can also quickly edit an object or data by choosing editing
commands directly from a context menu. To display a context menu
in Windows, hold down the right mouse button while the pointer is
over an object or data. In the Mac OS, hold down the Control key,
then click the mouse button over an object or data. The type of object
you click on and the mode you’re in will determine which menu
commands you can access.
Important Some menu commands and key equivalents have changed
from their previous location. (See appendixes C and D in the
FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.)
Resizable dialog boxes, multiple item list selections
Longtime users will appreciate subtle but much-anticipated
improvements, such as resizable Define Fields, Script Definition,
Define Relationships, and Define Value Lists dialog boxes. Multiple
items in each of these dialog boxes can now be selected and modified
at one time. Additionally, the contents of Define Fields, Define
Relationships, and Define Value Lists can be easily sorted with a
single click of a column heading.
Printing script definitions
Script definitions now print in a style that is more consistent with
their appearance in the Define Scripts dialog box. When a script is
printed, the steps appear in bold, and data associated with a step
appears in square brackets following the step name. Selected script
step options are displayed in plain text under the step. The overall
effect is that printed scripts are now easier to read and follow.
Drag a toolbar by the handle to reposition it
Th
e stan
d
ar
d
too
lb
ar
i
n
B
rowse mo
d
e