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 |
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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. Select Include arrow to show and hide list if you want to format the field as a combo box.
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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 as 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.)
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.)To allow a user to add values to the value list for the current record, select Allow entry of other values. An “Other” option appears in the value list. This option is not available if you selected Drop-down list.
To allow a user to add or change values in the value list across records, select Allow editing of value list. An “Edit” option appears in the value list. This option is not available if:
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To display data from a different field, click
next to the Display data from list. |
In the Specify Field dialog box, select the field to display data from. 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.
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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 the fill, line style, and borders on objects.
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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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