Number Crunching Calculations
Although they don’t come first in the function list, number functions are the most obvious application of calculations. Since most people easily understand them, number functions are a logical place to start. A lot of the concepts you’ll learn for number functions apply to other functions as well.
Number Operators
Operators, along with fields, constants, and functions, are one of the basic building blocks of a calculation. FileMaker has five operators that specifically apply to numerical calculations, the same five that you probably already know:
+ is for addition
− is for subtraction
* is for multiplication
/ is for division
^ is for exponentiation (“to the power of”)
“Text constants” explains how to use these operators in detail. In your day-to-day work with FileMaker, you usually use these operators to calculate the numerical values in your fields.
Note
If you’re new to calculations, you’ll want to get a handle on the material in this chapter before proceeding. But if you’ve worked with logical tests before, you can skip straight to Chapter 11.
Say you’re an event planner and you always plan for 10 percent above the expected number of attendees. Use this calculation to find your fudge factor:
Confirmed Attendees * 1.1
Number Function Types
FileMaker also gives you dozens of functions that do special things to numbers. Because there are so many number functions, the function list breaks them up into smaller groups. The groups have descriptive names, so you can ...