User manual

46 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
6. Click OK to close the Options for Field dialog box, or click another
tab to set additional field options.
Defining field validation
You can select field validation options to ensure that data is entered
into the field correctly. FileMaker
Pro displays a message if you enter
data incorrectly.
Important To avoid confusion when using dates in FileMaker Pro, set
date field validation options to make sure dates are always entered
with four-digit years.
1. With the database open, choose File menu > Define > Database.
2. In the Define Database dialog box, click the Fields tab.
3. If your file contains more than one table, select the appropriate
table from the Table list.
4. Double-click a field in the fields list.
5. In the Options for Field dialog box, click the Validation tab.
6. Specify how FileMaker Pro handles an invalid entry.
For Validation options for this field, select Always for ongoing field
validation, or
Only during data entry to limit validation to instances
when data is being entered. Deselect
Allow user to override during data
entry
if you want to prevent users from entering invalid data.
7. Select validation options for the field.
Select options for
entering default
data in the field
Click Auto-Enter
To require that
the entered value Select
Contains only numbers Strict data type, then choose Numeric
Only from the list
Is a date containing numeric values
for the month and day, and four digits
for the year (for example,
5/12/2004)
Strict data type, then choose
4-Digit Year Date from the list
Is a time containing numeric values
for hours and minutes between 00:00
and 23:59 (seconds are optional)
Strict data type, then choose Time of Day
from the list
Is not blank Not empty
Does not duplicate a value found in
this field in other records
Unique value
Matches another value in the same
field in any other record
Existing value
Matches a value in a specified value
list
Member of value list, then choose an
existing value list or define a new one
Is within a specific range of letters,
numbers, dates, or times
In range, then type the beginning and
ending values
Matches the result of a calculation Validated by calculation, then enter a
calculation in the Specify Calculation
dialog box. Select or clear Validate only
if field has been modified. Then click OK.
The result must be Boolean—true or
false. The result is true when the result
is any number except zero; any other
result (zero, no data, or non-numeric
data) is false.
For more information about the Specify
Calculation dialog box, see “Defining
calculation fields” on page 41.