FileMaker Pro 4.1 Mac User's Guide

2-6 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
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Choosing data entry options
Keep these points in mind:
1 Because they often include non-numeric characters like hyphens or
parentheses, define postal codes and telephone numbers as text fields,
not number fields.
1 You can’t search or sort records based on container fields, but you
can define text fields to describe or identify them. Then search and
sort based on the description or identifying number of the field’s
value.
1 You can change the way data is displayed in text, number, date, and
time fields. See “Defining display formats for fields” on page 3-59.
1 The characters displayed for the decimal separator and thousands
separator in number fields, and the part separators in date and time
fields, and the order in which date and time parts appear depend on
the system formats set for the file and the display format for the field.
See appendix B, “Working with international files,” and “Defining
display formats for fields” on page 3-59.
Choose FileMaker Help Index from the or Help menu, and then type:
E fields, defining
For each text, number, date, time, and container field, you can set or
change options to make entering data fast and accurate. You can have
default data entered in the field and have the data checked against
validation requirements set for the field.
1. Create a file, or choose Define from the File menu and then choose
Fields.
2. In the Define Fields dialog box, double-click a field you want to set
data entry options for.
3. In the Entry Options dialog box, choose the type of entry options to
set from the pop-up menu (at the top of the dialog box).
1 To have a default value automatically entered in the selected field
for each record, choose Auto Enter.
1 To have data in the field checked against validation requirements
you set for the field in each record, choose Validation.
4. Define repetitions and storage options.