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Questions s I hope you enjoy this FREE online training. Let me know if you'd like to see more! You can email me at jmo@filemakerpros.com. And, if you really like this online training, consider one of my live classes based on my wildly popular book and CD ROM. Happy FileMaking!

Field Labels

Another way you can use field filters is as a substitute for field labels. This variance on the technique allows you to save tons of layout real estate by putting the field labels in the fields themselves.

The first step is to create a calculation field for every field. In the our example, there are three fields, so we need to create three calculation fields.


The only difference between the three calculation fields is the field references in their formulas.

Once you have the three calculations done, place them on top of the fields they reference. Remember to set the calculation fields to not allow entry field Field Format. However, these fields should not be set to an opaque fill color. Instead, they should be set to transparent.



Your final result will look like the screen shot below. Field 1 is filled with data. Field 2 and Field 3 are empty which makes them display a light grey label that seems to be in the field.



An alternative approach is to use the auto-enter feature. The advantage of this technique is to eliminate the need for calculation fields.

All you have to do is set the auto enter options for every field to auto enter the field label you want.



Whenever you create a new record, the field labels will be entered into the fields. A nice option to set on the fields is to select entire contents of field on entry. This option is great for data entry speed. The text will be highlighted when you tab or click into the field so you can replace it with whatever you are typing.



Download an example FileMaker file  Mac  Win .

DONE
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