FileMaker Pro 4.1 Mac User's Guide

Managing files
Creating and opening files
FileMaker Pro basics 1-9
The following sections tell you how to work with FileMaker Pro files.
You can create a file when you start FileMaker Pro or after
FileMaker Pro is already running.
Create a file from a copy of a template—a predefined file that you use
as is, or modify to suit your particular needs. Or create a file from
scratch, without using a template. (If you didn’t install templates and
want to use them, see the FileMaker Pro Installation and New Features
Guide.)
After you name a new file, you see the Define Fields dialog box, where
you create the database fields and define their characteristics. (See
chapter 2, “Creating a database file.”)
The following table describes the ways to create or open a file in
FileMaker Pro. If FileMaker Pro isn’t already running, start it by
double-clicking the application icon. When you start FileMaker Pro,
you see the New Database dialog box, and you can skip the first (Choose
New...) step in the following directions.
To Do this
Create a file using a
template file
Create a file without
using a template file
In FileMaker Pro, choose New from the File menu. In the New
Database dialog box, select Create a new file using a template, choose
a template category from the pop-up menu, and then double-click
the name of a template file in the list. In the Create New File dialog
box, type a name for the file (choose a different folder, if needed),
and then click Save.
In FileMaker Pro, choose New from the File menu. In the New
Database dialog box, select Create a new empty file, and then click
OK. In the Create New File dialog box, type a name for the file
(choose a different folder, if needed), and then click Save.