Creating a solution > Creating a FileMaker Pro file
 
Creating a FileMaker Pro file
You can create as many files as you need to organize information. You can:
•Create an empty file, then design layouts yourself.
•Create an empty file using layouts defined in a FileMaker Pro Starter Solution. See Creating a FileMaker Pro file from a Starter Solution.
•Use FileMaker Pro to open a file containing data in another file format (for example, a Microsoft Excel file), then modify the design by adding layouts, if needed. See Converting a data file to a new FileMaker Pro file.
Note  To quickly create a file using any method described above, choose File menu > Get Started.
To create a new file:
1. Choose File menu > New Solution.
2. Type a name for the file (choose a different folder, if needed).
Windows: For Save as type, select FileMaker Files.
3. Click Save.
FileMaker Pro opens the new file in Browse mode and displays the Manage Database dialog box, where you define the fields for the file.
4. Define the fields and choose options for them. See Defining and changing fields.
You can also add tables and define relationships using the Manage Database dialog box. See Defining database tables and Working with related tables.
5. Click OK to close the Manage Database dialog box.
6. (optional) Switch to Layout mode and add embellishments to the layout. See Creating and managing layouts and reports.
7. In Browse mode, add data to the file. See Adding and viewing data.
Notes 
•To define fields using the Field Picker dialog box in Layout mode, see Defining and changing fields in the Field Picker dialog box.
•Avoid using the following in FileMaker Pro filenames:
•more than one period; the filename should include only the period before the fmp12 filename extension
•quotation mark ("), slash (/), backslash (\), angle brackets (<>), asterisk (*), question mark (?), colon (:), vertical bar (|)
See the FileMaker Knowledge Base.
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