Fifteen FileMaker Pro Tips
DATA ENTRY TIPS:
1. Learn to use keyboard shortcuts ... For example, Ctrl+- (minus sign) enters today's date into a date field. Ctrl+' (apostrophe) enters the same thing you entered into that field in the previous record.
2. Move quickly through a popup list ... type the first letter of the word you want (such as M for Malden) to go quickly to that letter. (Hint ... type U if you want to find Tyngsboro on a list of cities and towns ... and then use the arrow key to go up one item.)
3. Edit / shorten a popup list ... If the items in the dropdown list come from a file within the database, open the file and edit the list. From the main menu, use SCRIPTS on the menubar to open the list of cities and towns, the list of career areas, the list of schools, or other lists and feel free to delete the records that you don't need. Other popup lists are built into the field itself ... look at the end of the list for an Edit... option to see if you are allowed to edit the list.
4. Occasionally you'll need to update a large group of records ... learn to use the "Records, Replace" command to update data. Suppose that you have a group of 30 students that need an "End Date" of 5/15/2007. Do a FIND to find the group of students whose records you want to update. Click in the End Date field and change the date for one student to 5/15/2007. While the cursor is still in the End Date field, click Records, Replace on the menubar. Carefully read the message and then click Replace on the dialog box. This is a permanent, never un-doable change, so use this command with care! (Do a backup before doing any major database changes.)
VIEWING AND SORTING DATA
5. Use the BOOK in the top left of the screen to move from record to record.
6. Use the Layout button in the top left area of the screen to move to different layouts to view your data. You never "need" to go beyond Layout1, but if you explore you'll find a variety of useful layouts (lists, summaries, etc.)
7. Learn how to do a "FIND" to find a particular record, a subset of your records, or to find records that are missing certain information. *** Did you know that you can do a "FIND" using one layout and then move to another layout to view data and/or print? For example, you can do a "FIND" on the placement screen and then go to another layout within the same file to print a list or a set of mailing labels.
8. Use View as Table to view your records in rows and columns (datasheet) view. Also use View as Table if you want to easily sort your records and then go back to View as Form.
9. If you want to use Microsoft Excel to analyze your data or print out special reports, you can use "File, Send/Save Records As" to save your data into an Excel workbook.
NAVIGATING / USING SCRIPTS / MISCELLANEOUS
10. Use Ctrl-1 on the keyboard to return to the Main Menu at anytime.
11. Right click in any field and choose "Sort Ascending" from the popup menu to sort the data by that field.
12. Check out the Scripts command on the menubar ... each file has a set of "scripts" that are mini-routines that help with miscellaneous tasks, such as "Print Portrait" or "Print Landscape" or "Sort by Start Date."
MANAGING YOUR FILES
13. If you need to give School to Career database files to another person, you can simply exit from the database and either email the files or copy the program folder to a memory stick. Files are kept in the folder C:\MassSTW2008. The files you should share are Activity.skl, Employer.skl, STW.skl, MCASScores.skl, AllPlans,skl (optional), Contacts.skl (optional) and SContact.skl (optional).
14. If you are merging your files with others in the region, be sure that everyone sets a different "ID Prefix" using the Setup Screen. (Do this when you first install the database.)
15. Be sure to keep a backup of your database. You can run the backup routine that's available from the main menu. You should also occasionally copy all the database (*.skl) files that are in the MassSTW2008 folder to another media, such as CD, zip disk, tape backup, a network folder or a memory stick.