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

Formatting Elements as Buttons

FileMakers Button tool allows you to create a simple rectangular button and assign a command to it. But virtually any object on a layout can be formatted as a button (including fields). Creating a recognizable graphic for a custom button can help you quickly identify what the button does, and can make for a more professional, customized presentation (Figure 3.14).

To use a graphic as a button

1. Go to the layout where youd like to place a button. Go to Layout mode (Control+L/ Command+L). Follow the instructions in "To import graphics from a file" on page 33 for copying or inserting a graphic in Layout mode.

2 . Select the graphic youve copied or inserted into your layout, and choose Format > Button (Figure 3.15).

3. When the Specify Button dialog box appears, choose the command in the list that you wish to assign to the button, then click OK.

Tips

When you choose a command for your button, the Options box on the right will display check boxes or a drop-down list (Figure 3.16) if there are more choices for you to make. Otherwise, the Options area will be blank.

Enhance the flexibility of your buttons by using FileMakers new Get(ScriptParameter) function to use one script command in a variety of ways. See Chapter 9 for more information on how to do this.

One of the most helpful interface features allows you to use a field as a button. If you make the Name field a button that switches to an individual record layout, you can click a name and be switched directly to the details layout.

To make a field into a button

1 . Go to the layout to which youd like to add a field button, and enter Layout mode (Control+L/Command+L).

2. Click the field you want to make into a button.

3 . Choose Format > Button.

4. When the Specify Button dialog box appears, click Go to Layout (Figure 3.17) in the Navigation section of the scrolling list.

5. From the drop-down list in the Options section, choose the layout to which you want to switch, then click OK.

When you click the field button in Browse mode, the layout will switch and the data for the record you clicked will be displayed (Figure 3.18).

Chapter 9 for more about attaching scripts to buttons.

If you would like to use some FileMaker graphics without having to create your own, refer to Appendix A, "FileMaker and Third-Party Tools" for information about commercially available button sets.