Home > Designing and creating databases > Editing objects, layout parts, and the layout background > Using tools to precisely position objects > Using guides and dynamic guides

Using guides and dynamic guides

FileMaker Pro provides two types of guides to help you create and edit objects on a layout:

•	Guides help you position objects within the same layout and across multiple layouts.

•	Dynamic guides help you precisely size and position objects on a layout.

Using guides

You can create as many guides as you need on a layout. You can lock a guide to prevent it from being moved accidentally. You can make the guides appear on other layouts you create or edit, to help you place objects consistently on all layouts.

 

To	In Layout mode, do this
Create a vertical guide	Drag out from the vertical ruler. (If the ruler isn’t displayed, select View menu > Rulers.)
Create a horizontal guide	Drag down from the horizontal ruler. (If the ruler isn’t displayed, select View menu > Rulers.)
Move a guide	Drag the guide to the new position. If a guide is locked, you must unlock it before you can move it.
Use guides in other layouts you create or edit	Right-click the guide, then choose Share Guide with All Layouts. A guide shared with other layouts is a different color from the one used only for the current layout. To use a shared guide only with the current layout, right-click the guide, then choose Share Guide with All Layouts again.
Lock a guide	Right-click the guide, then choose Lock Guide. A locked guide is a different color from an unlocked guide. To unlock a guide, choose Lock Guide again.
Remove a guide	• Drag a horizontal guide back to the horizontal ruler, or a vertical guide back to the vertical ruler.  • Or, right-click the guide, then choose Remove Guide.
Show or hide the guides	To show guides, choose View menu > Guides > Show Guides. To hide guides, choose Show Guides again.
Turn the “snap-to” effect on or off	Choose View menu > Guides > Snap to Guides. To turn it off, choose Snap to Guides again. Note  Objects snap to guides even when the guides are hidden.

Note  Objects snap to layout part boundaries when View menu > Guides > Snap to Guides is selected.

Using dynamic guides

When you drag objects to move, resize, or position them on a layout, dynamic guides appear near or on other objects to help you create and edit them more precisely. Dynamic guides also “snap-to” the upper and lower boundaries and the centers of objects as you move, resize, or position them.

For example, when you drag an object to a new position on a layout, dynamic guides appear when an edge moves close to the edge of another object. When you drag an object to resize it, dynamic guides appear when the new width or height matches the size of another object on the layout.

To use dynamic guides:

•	To turn on dynamic guides, in Layout mode, choose View menu > Dynamic Guides.

•	To turn off dynamic guides, choose View menu > Dynamic Guides again.

Notes

•	Dynamic guides also appear when you use the keyboard arrow keys to move objects. When you move objects in this manner, however, dynamic guides do not “snap-to” other objects.

•	When you drag or resize an object that’s on a popover, dynamic guides appear only for the popover and other objects on the popover. When you drag or resize an object outside a popover, dynamic guides appear only for the popover and objects outside the popover. See Working with popovers on layouts.