Layout Design - FileMaker Pro 13: The Missing Manual - page 390

Chapter 8. Layout Design
In Chapter 7 , you learned all about creating and managing layouts. Now that you understand
what they are and how to make them, it's time to apply FileMaker's range of design tools to
make the layouts usable and maybe even beautiful. The advent of FileMaker 13 brings a ma-
jor expansion and restructuring of layout design tools that leave no excuse for ugly data-
bases.
Layout Themes
There's not much point in using FileMaker to organize your information if you don't make it
look good. But developing color schemes and interface designs from scratch can be time-
consuming and even frustrating. FileMaker has you covered with themes . Any time you cre-
ate a new layout, the last step is selecting the theme. Figure 8-1 shows just one of the 51
choices available. When you select one and click Finish, FileMaker sets up the colors, fonts,
field formatting, and everything else to match the theme. And as you add new layout ele-
ments, FileMaker stays true to the theme so you don't have to worry about making
everything match. This being FileMaker, though, you can of course go off-theme and modify
the layout elements however you wish.
Having selected and lived with a theme for a while, you may come to the realization that
you're less of a Cool Gray guy or gal and more inclined toward the Electric. Not a problem.
In Layout Mode, choose Layouts→Change Theme and that familiar dialog box from Fig-
ure 8-1 reappears. After you choose a new theme, you may be disappointed when some of
your layout objects don't take on the new look. If you've changed any elements from their
default theme style, FileMaker won't mess with your handiwork. So if you want previously
customized layout components to match the theme again, the simplest thing to do is delete
and recreate them, leaving the default settings alone.