Working with Your Database - FileMaker Pro 13: The Missing Manual - page 4

Content Area
The content area is where you put the information that makes your database work for you.
When you create a new FileMaker database, the standard view looks like Figure 1-2 : It's
plain, with just a few boxes for storing data and some buttons and stuff at the top and bottom.
That's because you haven't added any content yet, and you haven't started arranging your
data in a way that mirrors your needs. In Figure 1-3 , you can see that data has been entered,
and the fields are arranged so that they look more like information the way it's normally
used. For example, the address fields look like addresses on envelopes. (In Chapter 3 , you'll
learn more about changing the way your data looks.)
Figure 1-2. Unlike the stark emptiness shown in Figure 1-1, this view of the database has fields for
entering information, and some fields even have something in them before you start to type (see
page 227 for more information on auto-enter fields). The fields are arranged in a column, the way
FileMaker throws them on the screen when you first create them. Compare this screen with Figure
1-3, where the fields are resized and rearranged to create a more pleasing interface to showcase
your data.
Scroll Bars
As with most windows on your computer, you can resize FileMaker's windows. And if you
make your window too small to display all the data in the content area, scroll bars appear so
you can see the stuff outside the current window size.