Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Copying and Pasting Database Structure
Since a large percentage of a database designer's work is fairly repetitive, FileMaker Pro Ad-
vanced provides some tools that let you take shortcuts through the tedious process of creating
tables, fields, and scripts. By copying work you've already done, you can spend less time de-
fining fields or recreating complex scripts, and more time doing the creative work of design-
ing a database. You can import tables and fields without copying data between tables in the
same file and between different files.
FileMaker Pro Advanced also provides Copy and Paste capability in several major dialog
boxes so you can reuse fields in the Manage Database window, scripts and script steps in
Script Maker, and even entire tables. (You need full access privileges in both the source file
and the target file to import or copy and paste elements from file to file.)
Importing Tables and Fields
If you have a handful of tables in one file that would also be useful in another, then you can
import
the table and field information. Importing tables doesn't copy the data inside them.
Rather, it copies the tables' design and structure, with all their fields, including their names,
types, comments, calculations, and so on. Start by choosing File→Manage Database and
then clicking the Table tab. Click Import and then locate the file that contains the table you
want to copy.
NOTE
Whether you import tables or copy and paste them from another file, be aware that you're
not
im-
porting
table occurrences
or
relationships
from the Manage Database window's Relationships tab,
which might be used in fields' calculations or somewhere in option settings.
Next, tell FileMaker Pro Advanced which specific tables to import in the Import Tables dia-
log box, shown in
Figure 13-1
. When FileMaker Pro Advanced has finished importing the
tables and fields, it displays a dialog box similar to the one you see when you import data.
You see a summary of the items that were imported.
