Setting up a field to display a pop-up menu, checkbox set, or other control
You can make data entry for a field easier and more consistent by displaying fields as drop-down lists, pop-up menus, checkbox sets, radio button sets, or other controls.
You can set these controls at the same time you place fields on a layout, or you can modify existing field controls. For more information on placing fields on a layout, see Placing and removing fields on a layout.
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In Layout mode, select the field.
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In the Field area, choose the Control style you want.
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Drop-down list displays value list items in a list. Users can use the arrow keys or “type ahead” to select a value.
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Pop-up menu displays value list items as a pop-up menu. Users must select an item with the mouse.
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Checkbox set displays value list items as checkboxes. Users can select multiple values for a field.
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Radio button set displays value list items next to a series of radio buttons.
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Drop-down calendar displays the current date. Users can choose another date from the drop-down calendar, or type one in. For more information, see Setting up a field to display a drop-down calendar.
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Choose the value list you want from the Values from list.
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To create a value list, click + next to the Values from list. For more information, see Defining a value list for data entry. (You can use value lists you define in the Inspector with other fields as well.)
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If you selected Drop-down list for the Control style, you have the option to format the appearance of the list by selecting Include arrow to show and hide list. An arrow control appears in the edit box. The user clicks the arrow or presses Esc to show or hide the drop-down list. (A drop-down list with an arrow control is sometimes referred to as a combo box.)
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To allow the user to enter values other than those defined by the value list, select Allow editing of value list.
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To choose the field to display data from, click the icon next to the Display data from list.
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Fields can be from the same table, a related or unrelated table in the same file, or a related table in another FileMaker Pro file. To choose a field in another table, choose the table from the tables list above the field list, then select a field from the list of fields in the table.
Select Create label to include the field name as text on the layout.
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If you added a checkbox or radio button set but can’t see it, make sure the color and line width of the border for the field are not set to none. For information about setting color and line width, see Setting color, pattern, line width, and object effects.
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During data entry, if the value list is blank, is missing values that should be present, or displays an error message, see Value lists troubleshooting.
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When you format a field to use a value list created from values in a field, FileMaker Pro displays the value list items in alphabetical order.
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Formatting a field with a checkbox allows users to enter more than one value for a field. If more than one value is entered for a field, on other layouts where the field is not formatted as a checkbox (such as a columnar report), FileMaker Pro displays only the first value. To see all values, make the field larger or click into the field.
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To allow users to begin typing a value and have the system suggest a completion for it, select Auto-complete using value list. For more information, see Setting up a field to auto-complete during data entry.
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To change the arrangement of value list items in checkboxes and radio buttons, resize the field. A field that is taller than it is wide displays items stacked vertically. A field that is wider than it is tall displays items side-by-side horizontally. For more information, see Resizing and reshaping objects.
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If the field you’re formatting to display a value list is in a portal and the value list is defined to include only related values, you may need to create a self-join relationship in order for the value list to display the related values properly. For an example of displaying only related values, see Example of a value list that includes only related field values.
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To format a field to no longer use a value list, select the field and in the Field area of the Inspector, for Control style, choose Edit box or Drop-down calendar.
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