Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Deleting a Field
In the Manage Database window, you can delete a field (and its contents in all records of the
current table) by selecting it and then clicking Delete. You'll see a dialog box asking you to
confirm that you really do want to delete the selected field. There's a caveat, though: Calcu-
lation fields (like Lease Value) make reference to other fields. That is, the formula for Lease
Value is Lease Duration * Rental Fee . If you try to delete either Lease Duration or Rental
Fee, FileMaker shows you a warning dialog box and refuses to delete the field. If you abso-
lutely, positively have to delete either field, you have a choice: Either change Lease Value's
formula so it doesn't refer to the field you want to delete, or delete Lease Value first. Then
when you try to delete the field again, FileMaker still asks you to confirm that you want to
delete the field, but it doesn't need to warn you about the other ones that refer to it—because
there aren't any.
NOTE
You'll also get a warning if you try to delete a field that's used in a script. But in that case, you get
the choice to proceed anyway or cancel the delete. If you delete a field used in a script, be prepared
to do some repair work. The script can't do its work properly once a field it needs is gone from your
database.
Discard Changes
There's a fallback position if you delete or change fields and then change your mind or real-
ize you've made a mistake. Click the Manage Database dialog box's Cancel button.
FileMaker asks whether you want to “Discard ALL changes made in this dialog to tables,
fields, and relationships.” Click Discard, and FileMaker performs none of the changes
you've made since you opened the Manage Database dialog box. You may lose work you
would have preferred to keep, but that's often a better option than losing a field with a tricky
calculation that you can't quite remember.
Creating a Related Table
Now that you've got the basic information stored for your leases, you realize that you can
centralize your data if you record rent payments in the same database as the lease documents.
Your first thought might be to create a field or two (Date Paid and Amount Paid) to record
each payment, but you quickly realize that since some leases last 36 months, you'll have to
create 72 fields and then place them on your layout. Worse yet, for your 12- and 24-month
leases, most of those fields will be empty.
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