Layouts

Layout design, parts, triggers, themes, and the tools that make FileMaker UIs work.

1

FileMaker layout parts — Header, Body, Footer, and more

Understand the purpose of every layout part: Header, Body, Footer, Sub-summary, and Grand Summary — and when each is the right choice.

2

Conditional formatting in FileMaker layouts

Apply dynamic colors, fonts, and styles to fields and objects based on calculation rules — without scripting.

3

Hide Object When — dynamic visibility in FileMaker

Make layout objects appear and disappear based on calculation rules — without overlapping objects or multiple layouts.

4

Layout and record script triggers in FileMaker

Fire scripts automatically when layouts load, records commit, or users navigate — using layout-level and object-level script triggers.

5

Tab controls in FileMaker layouts

Build multi-panel layouts with Tab Control objects — and learn how to programmatically switch tabs using Go to Object.

6

Slide panels in FileMaker — swipe navigation for iPad

Create horizontally swipeable panels using the Slide Control — ideal for iPad layouts where touch-based navigation feels natural.

7

Popover buttons in FileMaker layouts

Display a floating panel of content anchored to a button — without navigating to a new layout or opening a separate window.

8

Web Viewers in FileMaker layouts

Embed live web content in a layout and enable two-way communication between JavaScript and FileMaker scripts using FileMaker.PerformScript().

9

Value list field formats — radio buttons, checkboxes, and drop-downs

Choose the right UI control for value list fields: radio buttons, checkboxes, drop-down lists, and pop-up menus each have specific use cases.

10

Displaying container fields in FileMaker layouts

Control how images, PDFs, and files in container fields are displayed on layouts — crop, reduce, fit, and interactive content options.

11

Merge fields in FileMaker — inline field values in text

Use <<fieldname>> merge syntax to embed field values inside text blocks — ideal for letters, labels, and printed documents.

12

Building sub-summary reports in FileMaker

Create grouped reports with sub-totals using Sub-summary parts — and understand why the sort order is the key to making them work.

13

Card windows in FileMaker — modal overlays

Open a modal-like overlay window anchored to the parent using the Card window style, introduced in FileMaker 16.

14

Button bars in FileMaker — segmented controls

Use the Button Bar object (FileMaker 14+) to create multi-segment controls where each segment has its own icon, label, and script action.

15

Named styles and themes in FileMaker layouts

Create reusable named styles within a layout theme so you can update the look of many objects at once — like CSS classes for FileMaker layouts.

16

Anchoring for responsive layouts in FileMaker

Use object anchoring to control how layout objects resize and reposition when the FileMaker window is resized.

17

Slide and Resize for collapsing blank space in FileMaker reports

Use Slide Up and Slide Left settings to automatically collapse blank address lines and empty fields in printed FileMaker reports.

18

Using the FileMaker Inspector — Position, Appearance, and Data

Master the three Inspector tabs to configure any layout object: Position controls size and behavior, Appearance controls styling, and Data controls field assignment.

19

Layout themes in FileMaker — consistent styling across layouts

Apply and manage layout themes to maintain a consistent visual style across all layouts, and understand how changing themes affects existing objects.

20

Setting tab order in FileMaker layouts

Control the sequence the cursor follows when users press Tab — and remove specific fields from the tab order to improve data entry flow.