VISUAL QUICKPRO GUIDE FileMaker Pro 7 Advanced FOR WINDOWS AND MACINTOSH [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Creating and Formatting Value Lists

One of the most convenient ways to speed up data entry and eliminate mistakes is with value lists. You can format a field to display a pop-up menu, pop-up list, radio buttons, or check boxes. These formats strategically narrow your users' choices, since they present only those options that you consider valid actions. Once a value list is created, it's available for every field in your database, and even to external related files. For example, if you have several fields that will contain a Yes/No, you only have to create one Y/N value list.

Choosing a value list style

The value list style you choose should match the type of data you want to present. Styles are more than aesthetic or arbitrary choices. They affect how long it takes users to figure out what they should do next, and how easily they can do it. Choosing the wrong format negates the efficiency of creating a value list and leads to mistakes.

Radio buttons

Use radio buttons when the choices you offer are both mutually exclusive and limited. For example, a radio button format is a good choice for a field containing the type of credit card used in a transaction.

Check boxes

Use check boxes when the user can choose multiple items in a field. A check box is also a good format for turning a choice on or off or for confirmation (like a check box next to Yes). Remember that the text next to the check box or radio button is the content of a field, not the X or bullet that appears. In other words, you can't count, add, or otherwise manipulate the checks or radio buttons themselves. They're only a format to help the user navigate the field options you've set. If you change a check box field back to a standard field, you'll only see the selected values for the record, not the whole group of choices (Figure 3.37).

Pop-up list

Use pop-up lists when the number of choices in the value list is very long, or you want the user to be able to input an option not already listed. When the user clicks in a field with a pop-up list, they see a scroll bar. The user can either click on the scroll bar to advance the list or type the first letter or two to jump to an item.

Pop-up menu

Use pop-up menus when there are more than three or four mutually exclusive choices, but few enough not to cover up something important beneath them when the pop-up menu opens.