Creating a Custom Database - FileMaker Pro 13: The Missing Manual - page 117

fields have solid borders around them to show their shape and dimensions (unless
someone has turned them off). Each field's name appears inside the borders, so you can
tell which is which. Just as with text objects, you can apply text and paragraph format-
ting to fields; the formatting you choose will apply to all the data that appears in your
formatted field.
TIP
Fields are so important that FileMaker's normal behavior is to add any new field you create to
the current (active) layout without even asking you. That's helpful in the beginning stages of
creating a database, but it can become annoying after you've honed your layouts to look just so.
You can turn off this behavior by choosing Edit→Preferences (Windows) or FileMaker
Pro→Preferences (Mac). Click the Layout tab and then click “Add newly defined fields to cur-
rent layout” to deselect it.
▪ Buttons . Buttons can run automated tasks for you. You'll learn about them on Creating a
Button .
▪ Tab Controls . Tab Controls probably aren't what they sound like (they have nothing to
do with the Tab key). Instead they help you make use of the limited space on your lay-
outs. Get the lowdown on Using Tab Controls .
▪ Portals . Portals open a window that shows records from other related tables. Find out
how they work on Creating and Using Portals .
▪ Charts . Charts let you convert your dry data to visual form. See Basic Charting (Found
Set Charts) to learn how to create and manage them.
▪ Web Viewers . Web Viewers are like miniature web browsers. See Web Viewer Objects
for more information.