Working with Your Database - FileMaker Pro 13: The Missing Manual - page 22

Navigating with Keyboard Shortcuts
FileMaker also has a few keyboard shortcuts to make record navigation painless. If you
haven't used a database program before, you'll notice that some keys act in ways you may
not expect—like the Enter key. Spending a little time getting used to using these keystrokes
saves you hours of time down the road:
▪ To go to the next record, press Ctrl+down arrow.
▪ To move to the previous record, press Ctrl+up arrow.
NOTE
If the up and down arrow keys don't work, check your operating system for custom keystrokes
(PC and Mac) or disable the OS X Mission Control arrow keystrokes (Mac only). Both of these
settings will override FileMaker's behavior.
UP TO SPEED: NUMBERS SOMETIMES LIE
As you create the records in your database, FileMaker numbers each new record as you add
it—the record number that appears next to the topic icon (see Figure 1-9 ). You may think that
this number is a great way to locate a particular record later: “I need to give Daniel over at
Graystone Industries a call to reorder supplies. I put his contact information in record #87. I'll
just go to that number.” Alas, record numbers are ephemeral and change when you perform a
find, add records, delete records, or sort them.
For instance, if you delete the first record in a database, every record below it moves up one
slot. Now, what used to be record #2 becomes record #1, what used to be #3 is now #2, and so
on. Daniel may have his business sold out from under him before you find his record that way.
If you want to assign every record its own number, and have that number stay with the record
forever, then you want serial numbers . Serial numbers are discussed on Understanding the Ele-
ments of a Relationship .
▪ To activate the Current Record indicator without using the mouse, press Esc. Now type a
record number and then press Enter to go to that record. (This shortcut works only when
you're not in the record; see the box on Commitment, or On the Record .)
▪ Pressing Enter on your keyboard's numeric keypad automatically commits the record,
rather than inserting a new line in a field, as you may expect based on what the Enter key
does in other programs. To insert a new line in FileMaker, press Return.