Working with data in Table View
When you view records in Table View, FileMaker Pro displays data in rows and columns, as in a spreadsheet. Each row displays a record, and each column displays a field.
Working with fields
While viewing data in Table View in Browse mode, you can create, modify, or delete fields.
Note You must log in using the Full Access privilege set to modify fields in Table View.
To |
Do this |
Create a field |
For the first field, click Create Field in the column heading for the first column of the table. To create additional fields, click + in the column heading. To cancel creating the new field, press Esc before submitting the change. You can prevent new fields that you create from being automatically placed on the current layout by deselecting Add newly defined fields to current layout in the Settings dialog. See Changing layout settings. |
Change a field name |
Double-click the column heading for the field you want to rename, then type the new name. To discard changes to the field name, press Esc before you exit the column heading. Tip You can press Tab or Shift-Tab to edit the field names. If you press Tab in the far-right column heading, FileMaker Pro creates a new column. |
Choose a field type |
Right-click the column heading, choose Field > Field Type to display a shortcut menu, and choose a field type. |
Set field options |
Right-click the column heading, then choose Field > Field Options. See Setting options for fields. |
Sort records by one or more fields |
Select a column heading and optionally Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (macOS) additional headings. Right-click one of the selected column headings and choose Sort Ascending or Sort Descending. A sort icon appears on the column headings indicating the sort setting. If you select multiple columns, the order in which columns are selected determines the sort order. |
Remove a field from a multifield sort order |
Select an unsorted heading to deselect the columns you are sorting by, then right-click the heading you want to remove from the sort order and choose Remove <field name> from Sort. |
Sort records by a predefined value list |
Select any column heading, right-click, then choose Sort By Value List, and choose a value list. |
Remove one or more fields from the sort order and re-sort |
Sort the file by two or more fields, select then right-click the column heading you want to remove from the sort order, choose Remove <field name> from Sort. Data re-sorts based on the fields that remain in the sort order. Tip Click Sort in the status toolbar to view the current sort order. |
Unsort the file |
Right-click any column heading in a sorted file and choose Unsort. |
Display more fields or hide fields |
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Delete a field |
Right-click the column heading, then choose Field > Delete Field. See Deleting table definitions, field definitions, and data. |
Working with records
To |
Do this in Browse mode |
Add a new record |
In the blank record at the bottom of the table, enter the data. Click in the left margin at the bottom of the table. A new row is added to the end of the table if the records have not been sorted or if Keep records in sorted order is cleared in the Sort Records dialog box. For sorted data, a new row is added to the last row of the sorted category for the currently selected row. |
Duplicate a record |
Right-click the left or right margin of the record that you want to duplicate, then choose Duplicate Record. |
Copy the data in a record |
Right-click the left or right margin of the record that you want to copy, then choose Copy Record. You can paste the copied, tab-separated data. |
Delete a record |
Right-click the left or right margin of the record that you want to delete, then choose Delete Record. |
Delete multiple records at a time |
You can switch to Find mode, find the records to delete, then choose Records menu > Delete Found Records, and click Delete All. See Making a find request. |
Sort records |
Right-click the left or right margin, then choose Sort Records. Use the Sort Records dialog box to specify how to sort records. See Options for sorting records. |
Setting display options for Table View
To |
Do this in Browse mode |
Reorder columns |
Drag a column heading to a new location. |
Set a precise column width |
Select one or more column headings. Right-click, then choose Table View > Set Column Width from the shortcut menu. |
Edit Table View properties |
Right-click a column heading or the right or left margin and choose Table View > Edit Properties. |
Change the color of the background |
Right-click the left or right margin of a record, choose Part Color from the shortcut menu, then choose a color. The color of the row for adding new records and the column for adding new fields will be slightly darker than the main background color. |
Display a different background color for alternating records |
Right-click the left or right margin of a record, then choose a color from the Alternate Color shortcut menu. If you customized the color or filled the part with an image, the part is locked. |
Create a dynamic report |
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Restore the default display settings |
Right-click a column heading or the left or right margin and choose Table View > Reset from the shortcut menu. Note Resetting Table View only changes the settings for the appearance of the table. For example, it removes any leading and trailing subtotals and fill colors that you added to the table. Resetting a table doesn't have any impact on the data. |
Notes
- To reorder, resize, or sort data in Table View, you can select multiple columns but you can't select multiple cells.
- Table View displays fields from the body part of the current layout. If a layout contains a portal displaying records from a related table, Table View displays the data from the first related record (the first row of the portal).
- You can edit a global field in any row of the table. See Defining global fields (fields with global storage).