Tutorial
Table Of Contents
- Lesson 1 FileMaker Pro basics
- Lesson 2 Browsing information
- Lesson 3 Finding and sorting records
- Lesson 4 Creating a database and entering records
- Lesson 5 Customizing what you see
- Lesson 6 Creating lists, mailing labels, and form letters
- Lesson 7 Simplifying data entry
- Lesson 8 Automating tasks with buttons and scripts
- Lesson 9 Creating and running reports
- Lesson 10 Making databases relational
- Lesson 11 Keeping your data safe
56 FileMaker Pro Tutorial
About related tables
The Companies table and Members table are related tables.
When you enter a company name in a record in the Members table,
FileMaker
Pro identifies the record for that company in the
Companies table. FileMaker
Pro then displays the address from this
matching company record in the Members table.
How does this happen? The Members table has a relationship to the
Companies table. The relationship is based on matching data in the
Company field in both tables. The Company field is the
match field.
The Members file displays the company address using
related fields.
You will learn both parts of this process: how to define the
relationship and how to display data using the relationship.
Display a related record in a file
Define a relationship to another table
1. Open the Tutorial folder on your hard drive.
2. Open the Working Files folder.
3. Open MyFile10.fp7.
MyFile10.fp7 has the same tables as the sample file, but without the
relational structure. You will build the structures now.
4. Choose File menu > Define > Database.
5. Click the Relationships tab.
You see the relationships graph. The relationships graph shows all
the tables in the current file.
When you work with tables in the relationships graph, you are using
them to organize your view into your data. Each table occurrence in
the relationships graph represents a separate view into your data.
When you create a relationship between two tables, you make the
data stored in either table accessible to the other table, according to
the match fields and the criteria you establish for the relationship.
6. In the Members table, click the Company field and drag a line to
the Company field in the Companies table.
7. Release the mouse button. You see the relationship you have
created.
Records are related when data in the Company field in one table
matches the data in the Company field in the other table.
8. Click OK.
Display data from a related record
Once you’ve defined the relationship, you can modify a layout to
display data using that relationship. Here, you want to display the
company address.
1. In MyFile10, choose the Corporate Account Information layout
from the Layout pop-up menu.
2. Choose View menu > Layout Mode.