D E M O N S T R A T I O N S O F T W A R E G U I D E
New FileMaker Pro 2.0 for Macintosh
FileMaker® Pro 2.0 is the one database software program that has the power and sophistication to effortlessly handle all your business needs. From invoicing, mailing lists and business reports, to purchase orders and project tracking, FileMaker Pro 2.0 gives you the power to accomplish even your most complex data management needs.
Whether you’re a first-time database buyer or an advanced user, FileMaker Pro makes sure you’re productive in minutes. FileMaker Pro puts you in control--giving you easy access to sophisticated features without having to learn complex programming skills.
With new FileMaker Pro 2.0 for Macintosh, you can:
• Customize your files and accelerate data entry by using features such as checkboxes, radio buttons, pop-up lists and menus.
• Automate menu operations and task sequences with the new, powerful ScriptMaker™ feature.
• Share data across a network with colleagues using Macintosh computers and PCs running Windows.
U S I N G T H I S G U I D E
This guide shows you why FileMaker Pro 2.0 is the number one database for Macintosh and will help you get started using FileMaker Pro. You'll find seven sections to help you:
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
GETTING STARTED
CREATING A NEW FILE
CREATING A REPORT
CREATING MAILING LABELS
BUTTONS AND SCRIPTS
IMPORTANT BENEFITS
To use the demonstration software, you'll need the following items:
• FileMaker Pro 2.0 Demonstration Disk
• This demonstration software guide
And the following system requirements:
• A Macintosh family computer, with 1MB of memory (4MB recommended for System 7)
• A hard disk drive
• System software 6.0 or later (System 7 required for System 7 features)
NOTE: In this demonstration version of FileMaker Pro 2.0, you'll be limited to a maximum of 25 records in your database, and the import graphic, spell checking, and online help features will be disabled. When printing, a banner will appear in the background of each page.
After installation, you should have a FileMaker Pro 2.0 Folder on your hard disk, containing:
• FileMaker Pro 2.0 Demo application
• Customer.txt file
• Names file
• FileMaker Network file
CREATING A NEW FILE
To show you how easy it is to use FileMaker Pro, here’s how you can create a new database, customer report and mailing labels in only a few minutes.
• Open FileMaker Pro by double-clicking on the FileMaker Pro Demo icon on your hard disk.
• Enter your name and company name. No serial number is required.
• Click OK.
For the purpose of this demonstration, you’re the Sales Manager for a travel agency called EveryWhere Travel. You have a file with the names of all your clients and need to quickly create a mailing list and print out labels so you can send each customer a letter.
Start by creating a new file:
• Click New; type “Customer”; click New.
FileMaker Pro guides you through the creation process. When creating a new file with FileMaker Pro, you start by defining the fields, which are the categories of information that you need to track.
In these fields you can store Text, Number, Date, Time, Calculation and Summary data. And because information is not limited to just text and numbers, FileMaker Pro gives you the ability to store Pictures and Sound.
To set up the fields, just type in the following field names and select the field types.
• Type in field name and select field type; click Create or press Return.
Contact First Text
Contact Last Text
Address Text
City Text
State Text
Zip Text
Enter Date Date
Phone Text
Contact Type Text
• Once you have created the Contact Type field, click on the Options button.
Creating a database that will print labels and allow you to view your information in a number of different ways might be a difficult task using other programs, but with FileMaker Pro it’s simple.
A dialog box will appear prompting you for more information.
• Select “Use a pre-defined value list.”
• Type the following into the dialog box and press Return after each one:
Pers.
Bus.
Trade
• Click OK in the Display Values dialog box.
• Click OK in the Entry Options dialog box.
You have just created a field that will allow you to select the contact types from a pop-up list!
• Click Done.
While setting up text fields, you don’t need to worry about the number of characters that a field contains. Fields in FileMaker Pro are variable length, so you can enter as much information as you need. This allows you to concentrate on your work, not your software.
FileMaker Pro automatically arranges fields on a standard layout in the order you create them. Layouts are used to arrange the way you view your information, such as for data entry or customized reports.
Now instead of entering data for a new record, you’re going to import the data from an existing text file.
• Choose Import Records... from Import/Export under the File menu.
Once the fields are set up, you can use the file import capability that is built into FileMaker Pro to bring data into this new file.
NOTE: FileMaker Pro supports a wide variety of file types: everything from DBF (dBase format) to DIF, and popular spreadsheet formats, WKS and SYLK (full listing is included in the FileMaker Pro documentation).
• Open customer.txt.
• Click Scan Data arrows to browse record data.
The Scan Data arrows allow you to browse through the data before it's imported, change the mapping, and block fields from being imported.
This import mapping capability allows you to decide which data will go into which fields and guarantees that your data will be imported into FileMaker Pro correctly the first time. If you’ve ever made two or three attempts at getting your data into the right fields, you know how much time this will save you! Claris® has taken the guesswork out of importing data.
If you look closely, you’ll notice the State information is going into the Contact First field. You can correct this situation by dragging the State field to the top, and your data will be imported correctly the first time.
• Click and hold the State field; drag to the top.
• Click OK.
Once your data has been imported, you can browse through your records easily. To move up and down in the database, just click on the upper or lower page of the book icon, or move through your database quickly by using the slide control.
Have you ever moved data from one program to another? There’s usually a lot of guesswork involved. But not with FileMaker Pro 2.0.
CREATING A REPORT
Now let’s create a report that shows all of your records in a list. With most databases, this would be complicated. Not so with FileMaker Pro. You can view your data any way you wish. These different views are called layouts.
To create a new layout:
• Choose Layout from the Select menu.
• Select New Layout... from the Edit menu.
Call this layout Contact List and select Columnar report from the many pre-defined layout formats.
• Type “Contact List.”
• Click Columnar report radio button.
• Click OK.
Now, select the fields you want to have in this report and click the Move button. As a shortcut, simply double-click the fields you want to have appear in your list.
• Select Contact First; click Move.
• Double-click:
Contact Last
Phone
Contact Type
• Click OK.
FileMaker Pro automatically sets up your layout in column format based on the information you selected.
To see what this will look like, switch back to Browse mode.
• Choose Browse from the Select menu.
But databases are used for more than just tracking names. One of the most common uses for a database is for mailing purposes.
CREATING MAILING LABELS
FileMaker Pro has taken the pain out of creating mailing labels. Here’s how:
• Choose Layout from the Select menu.
Just as you did with the Contact List layout, give this new layout a name and select Labels from the choices of pre-defined layout formats.
• Choose New Layout... from the Edit menu.
• Type ”Avery 5260.“
• Click Labels radio button; click OK.
• Click and hold the Label Measurements pop-up menu list.
EveryWhere Travel uses Avery 5260 labels, so all you need to do is choose that format. FileMaker Pro does the rest!
To make labels easy, FileMaker Pro incorporates over 50 pre-defined Avery label configurations, including international formats. No guessing is involved.
• Choose Avery 5160/5260.
• Click OK.
As in the Contact List layout, you tell FileMaker Pro what fields you want to appear on this report by moving the field names.
• Double-click:
Contact First
Contact Last
Address
City
State
Zip
• Click OK.
FileMaker Pro automatically sets up your layout elements for you. At this point, you can further customize the layout by resizing and moving each field to its correct position.
• Click on the Zoom icon to view your label at 200%.
• Click on the Contact First field.
• Click on the bottom right hand corner and resize by dragging to the left.
Make sure you reduce the field size to just under half the width of the label. Now do the same for the Contact Last field. Move the Contact Last field up next to the Contact First field by clicking and dragging.
• Select the Contact Last field and hold the mouse button down.
• Drag the Contact Last field to its new position.
• Use the arrow keys to position exactly.
You can now adjust the Address, City, State, and Zip fields so they fit on the label.
To see how the labels will print, switch to Preview mode.
• Choose Preview from the Select menu.
You can now print these labels knowing they will be correct the first time. FileMaker Pro has eliminated the guesswork!
BUTTONS AND SCRIPTS
To become more productive, you can automate menu commands using ScriptMaker, and create custom buttons from any graphic.
To see how easy this is, open the Names file in your FileMaker Pro Demo folder. User-definable buttons, extra layouts, and scripts can make the database you just created even more powerful.
• Select Open... from the File menu.
• Double-click on Names.
This is an enhanced version of the database that you have just created.
How to define a button:
• Choose Layout from the Select menu.
• Click on the Add Name button so that it becomes highlighted.
• Select Define Button... from the Scripts menu.
Notice that New Record/Request is highlighted in the scroll list. This alone automatically creates a new record in your database when you click on the Add Name button in the data entry layout.
• Click OK.
You will notice if you follow the same procedure for the Labels button, it is defined to “Perform Script[...]” with the script specified as “Avery 5260” in the pop-up menu.
How to define a script:
• Select ScriptMaker... from the Scripts menu.
• Double-click on Avery 5260.
This is the dialog box where scripts are created and changed. This script has four steps that automate task sequences and menu operations. These steps can be rearranged, removed or added to with just a click of a mouse!
• Click OK.
• Click Done.
Investigate some of the other features and buttons. Try creating your own layouts and buttons to enhance this contacts file even further.
That gives you an idea of just how easy it is to set up a database with FileMaker Pro. And underneath what you’ve seen is even more database power...power that is just as easy to access!
IMPORTANT BENEFITS
Manage information with unrivaled power
• Get started quickly with pre-designed, professional templates.
• Easily customize your files with user-definable buttons.
• Automate routine tasks and menu operations using the ScriptMaker feature.
• Integrate file data with other applications by importing and exporting text (tabs), comma-separated, SYLK, DBF, DIF, WKS, BASIC, and Edition Merge files.
Layout and arrange information
• Streamline the generation of reports and layouts with comprehensive graphics tools.
• Design multiple layouts to view, enter, and print your information.
Share information among workgroups
• Share files transparently with other FileMaker Pro 2.0 users, directly or via a file server, whether they are on a Macintosh or using Windows.
• Define and modify user access to files and operations with password protection.
Utilize System 7 features
• Create charts and graphs of your data using dynamic links to spreadsheets such as Claris Resolve™ and Microsoft Excel applications.
• Integrate movies and sound with Apple QuickTime software.
To purchase FileMaker Pro 2.0, just call 1-800-3CLARIS for the location of the Claris reseller nearest you.
