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Defining container fields

Use container fields to store any file:

•	graphics, movies, photos, bitmaps, sounds up to 4 GB in size

•	multimedia file types supported by QuickTime 7.5

•	documents, including Microsoft Word and Excel files, PDF files, and so on

•	OLE objects (Windows only)

You can reference container fields in calculation formulas or summary fields.

To define container fields:

1.	With the database open, choose File menu > Manage > Database.

2.	In the Manage Database dialog box, click the Fields tab.

3.	If your database contains more than one table, select the appropriate table from the Table list.

4.	For Field Name, type a name for the field.

See About naming fields.

5.	For Type, select Container.

6.	Click Create.

7.	To set options for the field, click Options.

See Setting options for fields.

8.	Continue to define fields, or click OK.

To define container fields in Table View:

1.	With the database open in Browse mode, click Table View in the layout bar.

2.	Click + in the column heading to add a new field.

3.	Right-click the column heading for the new field.

4.	Choose Field Type > Container from the shortcut menu.

5.	To select options for the field, right-click the column heading for the field, then choose Field Options.

Notes

•	To put a static graphic (like a logo) on a layout, create, paste, or import the graphic directly onto the layout, or use a global container field. Either option will use less storage space than storing the same graphic with every record.

•	You can't find or sort records based on a container field, but you can define a text field to describe or identify the contents of the container. Then, you can find or sort records based on the information in the text field.

•	To specify how data in a container field displays (for example, whether the image is cropped or scaled), see Formatting and setting up field objects in Layout mode.

•	If you are using FileMaker Pro Advanced, you can copy field schemas from one file and paste them into the same file or some other file. For more information, see Copying and pasting field schemas (FileMaker Pro Advanced).

Related topics 

Inserting graphics into fields

Inserting QuickTime movies and multimedia into fields

Inserting files of any type into fields

Specifying formats for container fields

Deleting data from container fields

Creating file paths