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. For the Field Name box, type a name for the field. See “About naming fields” on page 39.
5. For Type, select a field type.
See “About choosing a field type” on page 40.
You can enter a description of the field in the Comment box. 6. Click Create.
7. To define options for the field, click Options.
For more information about field options, see Help.
8. Continue to define fields, or click OK.
Defining calculation fields
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.
To Do this in the Options for Field dialog box
Automatically enter values into the field
Click the Auto-Enter tab, select the options, then click
OK. See “Defining automatic data entry” on page 45.
Make sure data is entered into the field correctly
Click the Validation tab, select the options, then click
OK. See “Defining field validation” on page 46.
Important To avoid confusion when using dates in FileMaker Pro, set field validation options to make sure dates are always entered with four-digit years. Make the field
repeating
Click the Storage tab, then select Maximum number of
repetitions. Type the number of repetitions (up to 1000),
then click OK. For more information, see Help.
Select options for indexing the field
Click the Storage tab, select the options, then click OK.
Make the field use one value for all records in the file
Click the Storage tab, select Use global storage, then
click OK.
Create a link between the “parent” data field and the Furigana “child” field, so that when you input Kanji characters into the “parent” field, the corresponding Kana reading appears in the Furigana “child” field.
Click the Furigana tab, select Use Furigana Field, the
Furigana field, and the Kana reading input format, then click OK.
Note This option is available if your operating system is configured to support Japanese text entry. Available for text fields only.
4. For Field Name, type a name for the field. See “About naming fields” on page 39. 5. For Type, select Calculation.
You can enter a description of the field in the Comment box. 6. Click Create.
You see the Specify Calculation dialog box.
7. If necessary, for Evaluate this calculation from the context of, choose a table from the list.
Setting the context for a calculation is only necessary when you’re creating a calculation field in a source table that has two or more occurrences in the relationships graph. The source table is the table defined in the Tables tab of the Define Database dialog box. The choice you make may affect the calculation results, particularly if your calculation will include fields in related tables.
8. Build a formula for your calculation.
Click where you want the item to appear in the formula box, then do the following. You can also type the formula into the box.
Procedures for working with formulas and a reference to all FileMaker Pro functions (organized alphabetically or by category) are available in Help.
9. Select calculation options for the field.
To add a Do this
Reference to a field In the field list, double-click a field name.
To display field names from another table, choose a table from the table list.
Mathematical or text operator
In the keypad in the dialog box, click an operator. (Quotation marks and parentheses are copied to the formula as a pair, with the insertion point blinking in the middle).
Comparison or logical operator
For Operators, choose an operator from the list.
Constant value Type the value. A constant can be text, number, date, or
time. Use date constants with the functions Date and GetAsDate, time constants with the functions Time and GetAsTime, and timestamp constants with the functions Timestamp and GetAsTimestamp,
Text constants can be up to 29998 characters long.
Function In the functions list, double-click a function (a predefined,
named formula that performs a specific calculation and returns a single, specific value). In the formula box, replace the placeholder parameter with a value or expression.
To add a Do this
Choose field references
Formula box
Select comparison and logical operators Select functions Choose a formula result type Choose indexing and storage options Make the calculated field repeating Choose a table
from the list
Calculate only if at least one field in the formula has a value Select mathematical
and text operators
Choose the way functions are listed in the dialog box Choose the table from which the
10. To select indexing and global storage options for the field, click
Storage Options, select options in the Storage Options dialog box, then click OK.
11. Click OK to close the Specify Calculation dialog box.
12. Continue to define fields, or click OK.
For more information about defining calculation fields and the use of context in calculations, see Help.