Tutorial

Lesson 7
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Simplifying data entry 55
16. Notice that the format of the Renewal Fee label does not match the format of other labels in the sample
database. Use the Format Painter tool
to reformat it.
Your calculation formula is now complete. When data is entered in the Membership Type field,
FileMaker
Pro will compare it to the word we are testing for, “Continuing.” The test is true if it matches this
word, and the calculation will return your first result, 100. If it doesn’t match, the test is false, and the second
result is returned.
Test your calculation
To see if your calculation works, save and exit the layout and switch to the Membership info tab, then try
switching the value in the Membership Type field from New to Continuing. Notice the result in the Renewal
Fee field—it changes as the membership type changes.
Automatically enter a serial number
FileMaker Pro lets you automatically enter certain types of data—for example, incremental numbers—when
you create a new record.
Create a field for serial numbers
1. Click Edit Layout.
2. Choose File menu > Manage > Database.
3. In the Manage Database dialog box, click the Fields tab if it is not already selected.
4. For Field Name, type Member Number.
5. Select Number as the field type.
6. Click Create.
7. Click Options.
8. Select Serial number on the Auto-Enter tab. You don’t need to change the Generate choice, or the
amounts for next value or increment by for this exercise.
9. Click OK, then click OK again to close the dialog box.
The new field appears at the bottom of the layout. Again, you might need to scroll down to see it.
10. Drag the field and field label onto the Membership info tab, then use the Inspector and Format Painter
tool
to reformat it to match other fields and labels on this layout.
Select Serial
number