Working with data in Table View
When you view records in a table, FileMaker Pro displays data in rows and columns. Each row displays a record, and each column displays a field. In Table View’s spreadsheet-like format, you can add, modify, and delete data, create quick reports, and create charts. For information on quick reports, see Creating dynamic reports in Table View. For information on quick charts, see Creating quick charts.
Working with fields
While viewing data in Table View in Browse mode, you can create, modify, or delete fields.
Note  You must log in using the Full Access privilege set to modify fields in Table View.
 
For the first field, click Create Field in the column heading for the first column of the table. To create additional fields, click + in the column heading. A new column is added on the right in the table.
To cancel creating the new field press Esc before submitting the change.
You can prevent new fields that you create from being automatically placed on the current layout by deselecting Add newly defined fields to current layout in the Preferences dialog box. For more information see Setting layout preferences.
To discard changes to the field name, press Esc before you exit the column heading.
Tip  You can press Tab or Shift-Tab to edit the field names. If you press Tab in the far right column heading, FileMaker Pro creates a new column.
Right-click the column heading, choose Field > Field Type to display a shortcut menu, and choose a field type. For more information about field types, see About choosing a field type.
Right-click the column heading, then choose Field > Field Options. For more information, see Setting options for fields.
Sort records by one or more fields
Select a column heading and optionally Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) additional headings. Right-click one of the selected column headings and choose Sort Ascending or Sort Descending. A sort icon appears on the column headings indicating the sort setting.
Remove a field from a multi-field sort order
Select a non-sort heading to deselect the columns you are sorting by, then right-click heading you want to remove from the sort order and choose Remove <field name> from Sort. You can Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) multiple headings to remove more than one field from the sort order.
Sort records by a predefined value list
Select any column heading, right-click, then choose Sort By Value List, and choose a value list.
Remove one or more fields from the sort order and re-sort
Sort the file by two or more fields, select then right-click the column heading you want to remove from the sort order, choose Remove <field name> from Sort. When you release the mouse, data re-sorts based on the fields that remain in the sort order.
Tip  Click Sort in the status toolbar to view the current sort order.
Display more fields or hide fields
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Click Modify in the layout bar and use the options in the Modify Table View dialog box. See Displaying and hiding fields in Table View for more information.
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Or, right-click a column heading, then choose Field > Hide Field to hide the selected field. To display a hidden field in Table View, right-click the + column heading, then choose a field from the list of existing fields.
Working with records
While viewing data in Table View in Browse mode, you can add, duplicate, sort, or delete records.
 
In the blank record at the bottom of the table, enter the data. Click Add record icon in the left margin at the bottom of the table. A new row is added to the end of the table:
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if Keep records in sorted order is cleared in the Sort Records dialog box
Right-click the left or right margin of the record that you want to copy, then choose Copy Record. You can paste the copied, tab-separated data into a field or into Microsoft Excel.
Right-click the left or right margin, then choose Sort Records. Use the Sort Records dialog box to specify how to sort records. For more information, see Options for sorting records.
Save data as a Microsoft Excel file or Adobe PDF file, or save the current found set of records as a snapshot link
Send email messages based on record data
Setting display options for Table View
While viewing data in Table View in Browse mode, you can resize or reorder the columns, change the background or alternate color, or restore the default display settings.
 
Set a precise column width
Select one or more column headings. Right-click, then choose Table View > Set Column Width from the shortcut menu. In the dialog box, type a width, choose units from the list, then click OK.
Change the color of the background
Right-click the left or right margin of a record, choose Part Color from the shortcut menu, then choose a color. The color of the row for adding new records and the column for adding new fields will be slightly darker than the main background color.
Display a different background color for alternating records
Right-click the left or right margin of a record, then choose a color from the Alternate Color shortcut menu. If you customized the color or filled the part with an image, the part is locked.
You can group data by a field, display subtotals for a field, or create subtotals for each group of data. If you customized the color or filled the part with an image, the part is locked.
Restore the default display settings
Note  Resetting Table View only changes the settings for the appearance of the table. For example, it removes any leading and trailing subtotals and fill colors that you added to the table. Resetting a table doesn’t have any impact on the data. For example, if you created fields and added records to the table, resetting the table doesn’t delete the fields and records.
Notes
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To use the column heading to create fields in Table View, you have to select the Include column headers option in the Table View properties. To display Table View properties, right-click a column heading or the left or right margin and choose Table View > Edit Properties. For more information, see Setting up form, list, and table views for a layout.
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You can’t use Table View to change the schema for related tables or external data sources. To change the schema for related tables, use the Manage Database dialog box.
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Table View displays fields from the body part of the current layout. If a layout contains a portal, Table View displays the data from the first related record (the first row of the portal).
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Global fields display one value for all records. You can edit a global field in any row of the table. See Defining global fields (fields with global storage).
Topics in this section
Displaying and hiding fields in Table View
Creating dynamic reports in Table View