Database Reference
In-Depth Information
NOTE
The auto-complete list behaves just like a regular drop-down list, so if you prefer, you can highlight
an item using the arrow keys and then press Enter.
POWER USERS' CLINIC: WHEN IS AUTO-COMPLETE NOT USEFUL?
With such a cool feature, one that seems to know what people want to type before
they
do, you may
be tempted to add auto-complete powers to most of your fields. But sometimes it just isn't very
helpful.
Auto-Complete depends on the index to know what to show in its list. At least one record has to
have data in the field for FileMaker to have any entries in the index. And indexes increase the size
of your file, so if you index a lot of fields just for Auto-Complete, you may find that the file size
balloons. Remember, this feature comes with all of indexing's dark sides as a tradeoff for its power
(see the box on
The Dark Side of Indexing
)
.
Another weakness: When someone types a letter that's not used much—like X, J, or Z—Auto-Com-
plete may not produce a drop-down list. This lack of a list doesn't mean Auto-Complete is broken. It
just means the index doesn't have any entries beginning with that letter. The index saves no time in
such cases and may be confusing to the uninitiated.
Auto-Complete works best in databases with lots of records. And it's usually most effective if the
records have a fairly wide range of data in them. For example, if a field is going to have only a few
possible values (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17), then a drop-down menu or a pop-up menu is a better
choice than an auto-complete edit box.
None of these cautions means that you shouldn't use Auto-Complete. Just be aware of its limita-
tions, and the overhead it places on your file.
Auto-Complete in Drop-Down Lists
If your field is formatted as a drop-down list, you can make it even smarter by adding auto-
complete behavior. Visit the Data tab of the Inspector, make sure “Control type” is set to
Drop-down list and then turn on “Auto-complete using value list.” When used in conjunction
with a drop-down list, Auto-Complete uses the values from the associated value list. In fact,
in many ways, it works just like an ordinary drop-down list. Now, though, you get the auto-
matic type-ahead behavior you've come to know and love: As you begin to type, FileMaker
automatically narrows the list to include items that start with what you've entered so far. This
can make your drop-down lists even faster and easier to use.
