User manual

Table Of Contents
Chapter 3
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Creating databases 85
Formatting field data on a layout
Use FileMaker Pro field formats to control how data appears on a layout. The formats you specify don’t
change the data as it’s stored in the database, and you can specify different formats each time you place a
field on a layout (whether it’s on the same layout or a different layout). For example, if you enter
–5123
into a number field, you can format it in one place to display as –$5,123.00 and in another place as <5123>.
FileMaker Pro applies field formatting in the following precedence:
1 If you don’t specify formats, FileMaker Pro displays numbers, dates, and times based on the system
formats set in the Regional and Language Options control panel (Windows) or the International pane in
the System Preferences (Mac
OS) when the file was created.
1 In FileMaker Pro, you can specify display formats for text, number, date, time, timestamp, or container
fields with no objects selected. FileMaker
Pro applies these default formats to fields you place on layouts
later. For number, date, time, and timestamp fields, these display formats override the system formats.
Specifying text formats for fields
In Layout mode, you can specify a set of text character attributes for each field. All the characters in that
instance of the field (including all repetitions of repeating fields) share the same font, size, style, color, line
spacing, tab, and paragraph settings.
Note You can also format characters in text fields in Browse mode (for example, italicize or underline a
word for emphasis). Unlike text formatting specified in Layout mode, this formatting is stored with the data,
and you see it in any layout that displays that field.
1. In Layout mode, select one or more fields.
Or, to set text formats for fields you place later, start with no fields selected.
2. Click Inspector in the layout bar, then click Appearance.
3. Select the formats you want to use.
Use the Text area to format the style, size, font, or color of the text or make text highlighted, bold, italic,
or underlined. Use the Paragraph area to set paragraph alignment, indenting, and line spacing for fields.
Use the Tabs section to position and align tab stops, and create a leader character to fill the width of the
tab indention.