set calendars and tabs

Add a drop-down calendar to Date fields. As a new feature of FileMaker Pro 8, any Date field can be formatted to display a drop-down calendar. Unless the date is a distant one, it's simpler to set a date by clicking its number on the calendar than by typing the entry. To format the Date fields as drop-down calendars, follow these steps:

Date Field	Layout
Stk_Purchase Date	Main (Stock/Mutual Fund tab)
Stk_New Date	Main (Stock/Mutual Fund tab)
CD_Purchase Date	Main (CD tab)
CD_Maturation Date	Main (CD tab)
Bond_Issue Date	Main (Savings Bond tab)
Transaction Date	Savings
Dividend Date	Stocks
Date	CD

Switch to Layout mode. Double-click a Date field on the current layout. The Field/Control Setup dialog box appears.

From the Display as drop-down list, select Drop-down Calendar. Then click OK.

The table lists Date fields you can format to display a drop-down calendar.

Set the tab order. When entering data, it's common to press to move from field to field. However, the process of adding and moving fields while creating a layout can cause the cursor to jump unpredictably around the layout. The fix is to set a specific tab order for the layout. In general, only fields in which you can enter data are included in a layout's tab order. Buttons and fields in which you aren't allowed to enter data are normally omitted from the tab order.

As a simple example, we'll set the tab order for the Savings layout. Switch to Layout mode and select Savings from the layouts pop-up menu.

Choose Layouts > Set Tab Order. Numbered arrows appear on the layout, indicating the current tab order.

Renumber the arrows to indicate the fields to which you'll be able to tab and their order (see next page). Click in an arrow to delete or change its number.

Click OK.