Database Reference
In-Depth Information
POWER USERS' CLINIC: REWRITING THE DICTIONARY
You've already learned how to add to your dictionary by using the Learn button in the spell checker.
Well, if you've ever wanted to just
tell
it what words you want it to skip, you can. Just choose
Edit→Spelling→Edit User Dictionary to open the User Dictionary dialog box. Here you can add
new entries to the dictionary (type the word and then click Add), or remove existing entries (select
the word and then click Remove).
You can also export all the entries to a text file where you can edit them to your heart's content.
When you click Export, FileMaker asks where it should save the export file. The file is a plain text
file with one word on each line, which you can edit in a text-editing program.
If you already have a file that has words you want, then you can import those words into your user
dictionary in one shot. For instance, if you use a lot of technical terms, then you may be able to
download a list of terms from your industry and load them into a dictionary. The file has to have
each word on its own line, so if it's in some other format, then you need to clean it up first. (For ex-
ample, use your word processor's Find/Replace function to turn a comma-separated list into one
with a carriage return between each word.) Don't worry about alphabetizing the list, though.
FileMaker does that for you when you import the list.
Also, make sure the file is plain text. A Microsoft Word file (.docx) or other special format won't
work. Making a plain-text file in Windows is a breeze: Just use Notepad, the simple text-editor pro-
gram in the Accessories folder in your Start menu. On a Mac, however, you need a little more care.
You can use Text Edit—it's in your Applications folder—but you have to tell it you want plain text.
Just choose Format→Make Plain Text before you save the file.
Using the Import and Export features together can be particularly useful. You can export your user
dictionary, edit it manually in the text-editing program (where making lots of edits may be easier),
and then import it back in.
Preview Mode and Printing
It's a cruel fact of life that eventually you need to put your data on paper. You may want
mailing labels for all your customers in Canada, or a special printed form prefilled with pa-
tient information for insurance filing. Sometimes you just need your data with you when
you're away from your computer. As you'll learn in
Part 2
, you can arrange the data any way
you want in FileMaker, and make certain
layouts
that are particularly suitable for printing.
But for now, remember that FileMaker lets you print
anything
you see onscreen (just choose
File→Print). Its Print dialog box has a few special options.
Figure 2-18
shows the Windows
version. You can see the Mac version in
Figure 2-19
.
