FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual

Value Lists

You flirted a bit with the Field/Control Setup dialog box in Chapter 4, when turning the Goodness Rating field into a pop-up menu (see Other field type formats). Field controls can be more than pop-up menus, though. The six main field styles are Edit Box, Dropdown List, Pop-up Menu, Checkbox Set, Radio Button Set, and Drop-down Calendar.

Each style (except Edit Box and Drop-down Calendar) lets you associate a value list with the field. Value lists give you more efficient access to a few frequently used terms, numbers, dates, or times. Using a field control, you can then easily enter a value from the value list into the field. You tell FileMaker how you want these choices presented, by selecting one of the field control styles.

Using a value list-based field control helps in two ways. First, you can more easily enter data into your database. If folks need to put a part number into a field, for example, they can just pick it from a list and avoid typing it exactly. Just as important, fields formatted with a value list help ensure consistency. As your database grows, one of the toughest challenges you face is inconsistent data. For example, suppose you have two people entering addresses in your database. Cheryl is a fussbudget, and she always spells things out. Frank, on the other hand, is, ahem, keystroke efficient. He likes to abbreviate wherever possible. If all your customers are in central Arizona, you may wind up with some people in Phoenix and others in PHX, some in ...