User manual

5-2 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
For information about entering data into a database, see “About
entering data in records” on page 2-6. For more information about
creating a relational database, see chapter 8, “Working with related
files.”
Creating a FileMaker Pro file
You can create a file from a template—a predefined database file that
you can modify to suit your needs. Or, you can create a file without
using a template.
Tip You can also create a file by making a copy of an existing
FileMaker Pro file, or by importing data from another application.
See “Saving files” on page 1-7 or “Converting a data file into a new
FileMaker Pro file” on page 12-6.
If you didn’t install templates and want to use them, see the
FileMaker Pro Getting Started Guide.
1. In FileMaker Pro, choose File menu > New Database.
2. In the New Database dialog box, do the following:
If Templates in New Database dialog isn’t selected in the General tab of
the Application Preferences dialog (or if the templates aren’t
installed), the New Database dialog box doesn’t appear. Skip to the
next step. To select the preferences option, see “Setting general
application preferences” on page A-1.
3. In the dialog box that appears, type a name for the file (choose a
different folder, if needed), then click Save.
Windows: For Save as type, select FileMaker Pro Files. If you don’t
type a file extension, FileMaker Pro adds .fp5 to the filename. (To
view file extensions in Windows, see the Windows operating system
Help.)
4. Click Save.
Sample Database Design Form
Project Name
Purpose of this database
File name for this database
Fields
Name Type Comments
Layouts
Name Purpose Screen Print Web
To Do this
Create a file using a
template
Select Create a new file using a template, then double-
click the name of a template.
Create a file without
using a template
Select Create a new empty file, then click OK.
Open an existing file See “Opening files” on page 1-6.
Select an
option for
creating a
file
Select
to stop
showing this
dialog box
Click to open a database that
describes the templates
Choose a
template from
the list
Choose
“Templates” to
display a list of
FileMaker Pro
templates