User manual

7-8 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
Allowing or preventing entry into fields
You can allow or prevent entry into a field in Browse and Find
modes. For example, you can restrict entry into a field containing a
serialized number, like an invoice number, so the field can’t be
modified.
If you allow entry into a field, you can control whether the entire
contents of the field is selected when you click or tab into the field in
Browse mode or Find mode (otherwise, FileMaker Pro places the
insertion point after the last character in the field).
To customize entry into a field:
1. In Layout mode, select one or more fields.
Or, to specify attributes for fields you add later, start with no fields
selected.
2. Choose Format menu > Field Format.
In the Field Format dialog box, for Behavior, select options.
3. Click OK.
Note Clearing Allow entry into field for a field only affects the field on
that layout. To always restrict access to a field on any layout of the
database, define “read only” access privileges for that field. See
“Defining groups” on page 9-3. You can also limit a user’s ability to
edit a field’s value if, when defining the field, you specify an auto-
entered value and select Prohibit modification of value. See “Defining
automatic data entry” on page 5-8. You may want to allow entry into
fields set to prohibit modification so values can be copied to the
Clipboard or values can be entered and searched for in Find mode.
Setting the tab order for data entry
When you press Tab in Browse mode or Find mode, the default
FileMaker Pro behavior is to make fields active from left to right and
top to bottom. You can change this default tab order in a number of
ways.
1. In Layout mode, choose Layouts menu > Set Tab Order.
FileMaker Pro displays numbered arrows pointing to each of the
fields on your layout, along with the Set Tab Order dialog box.
To Do this
Prevent entry into a field Clear Allow entry into field.
Select the entire field’s contents
when the field is entered
Select Select entire contents of field on entry
(Allow entry into field must also be selected).
Each arrow indicates the field’s position in the tab order