Essential Shortcuts by Group
In this section well call out shortcuts we believe are essential in each of a number of areas. Well also delve into some more specialized or lesser-known shortcuts in each area as well.
Keyboard Essentials
Shortcuts in this section should be required knowledge for all FileMaker developers. If you haven mastered these, you need to spend more time with FileMaker!
Working with Modes
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Browse Mode | Ctrl+B | |
Layout Mode | Ctrl+L | |
Find Mode | Ctrl+F | |
Preview Mode | Ctrl+U |
Working with Files
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Open (File) | Ctrl+O | |
Open Remote (File) | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+O |
Force a password dialog to display when opening a file. | Hold down the Option key while opening the file. | Hold down the Shift key while opening the file. |
Working with Records
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
New Record/Request/Layout | Ctrl+N | |
Delete Record/Request/Layout | Ctrl+E | |
Duplicate Record/Request | Ctrl+D | |
Omit Record | Ctrl+T | |
Show All Records | Ctrl+J | |
Sort Records | Ctrl-S |
Developer Essentials
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Define Fields | Shift- | Shift+Ctrl+D |
Define Custom Functions | Alt+F+D+C | |
Define Value Lists | Alt+F+D+V | |
ScriptMaker | Shift- | Shift+Ctrl+S |
When using keyboard shortcuts, keep the following in mind:
- Its possible to hold down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows) to skip a confirmation dialog when deleting an item, be it a record, a field, a script step, or the like. The sole exception concerns deleting a layout: FileMaker will always prompt you before deleting a layout.
- The only available shortcuts for Define Custom Functions and Define Value Lists are Windows Alt-key combinations. This is unfortunate because these tools form an integral part of at least our own development processes, so wed love to see a single shortcut working on both Mac and PC for each of these items.
Navigation
The shortcuts in this section are not only concerned with moving around between records, but also between layouts and among found sets of records.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Next/Previous Record | Ctrl-up/down arrow | Ctrl+up/down arrow |
Next/Previous Layout | ||
Next/Previous Request | ||
Next/Previous Page | ||
Hide/Unhide Status Area | Ctrl+Shift+S | |
Zoom/Unzoom Window | Ctrl+Shift+Z | |
Omit Multiple Records | Ctrl+Shift+M |
When using shortcuts for navigation, keep the following in mind:
- The Ctrl+up/down arrow shortcut has a different meaning in each mode; in Browse mode it moves between records, in Layout mode between layouts, in Find mode between find requests, and in Preview mode between different pages of the output.
- In order to omit all records from the current record to the end of the found set, perform the Omit Multiple Records command and choose a very large number of records to omit. FileMaker will respond that it can only omit a certain number of records, and fill in the correct number of remaining records. You can then go ahead and omit these without needing to calculate the exact number yourself.
Data Entry and Formatting
The shortcuts in this section have to do with the mechanics of putting data into fields, and with formatting data after its been entered into a field.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Select All | Ctrl+A | |
Cut, Copy, Paste | Ctrl+X, C, V | |
Copy Current Record (When Not In A Field) | Ctrl+C | |
Copy All Records | Ctrl+Shift+C | |
Paste Without Text Styles | Ctrl+Alt+V | |
Plain Text | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+P |
Bold Text | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+B |
Italic Text | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+I |
Underline Text | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+U |
Left-Justify Selected Text | Ctrl+[ | |
Center Selected Text | Ctrl+ | |
Right-Justify Selected Text | Ctrl+] | |
Increase/Decrease Font Size | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+>/< |
Insert Current Date | Ctrl+ | |
Insert Current Time/Timestamp | Ctrl+; | |
Insert Non-breaking Space Into Text | Opt-space | Ctrl+space |
Insert Tab Character Into Text | Opt-tab | Ctrl+tab |
Be aware of the following when using keyboard shortcuts for data entry and formatting:
- Using Ctrl+C or
-C in Browse mode when youre not in any field of the current record will copy the entire record as tab-delimited text. Using -Opt-C or Ctrl+Shift+C will copy all records in the found set, again as a tab-delimited text block. - ->/< or Ctrl+Shift+>/< to increase or decrease font sizes will normally move the font size up or down through the list of "standard" font sizes. If you hold down Shift (Windows) or Option (Mac), the changes will occur in one-point increments instead.
- images/U2318.jpg border=0>/Ctrl+; shortcut will insert the current time if the selected field is of type text, time, or number, but will insert the current timestamp if the current field is of type timestamp.
Defining Fields
The shortcuts in this section work only within the Fields tab of the Define Database dialog.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Define Database | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+D |
Text Data Type | Ctrl+T | |
Number Data Type | Ctrl+N | |
Date Data Type | Ctrl+D | |
Time Data Type | Ctrl+I | |
Timestamp Data Type | Ctrl+M | |
Container Data Type | Ctrl+R | |
Calculation Data Type | Ctrl+L | |
Summary Data Type | Ctrl+S | |
Field Options | Shift- | Alt+N |
Reorder Tables or Fields in a List | Ctrl+ |
Working with the Relationships Graph
There are quite a large number of keyboard shortcuts and techniques that apply to the Relationships Graph. The following is a selection of the most useful: Consult the online help for a full listing.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
New Table Occurrence | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+T |
New Relationship | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+R, Insert |
New Text Note | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+N |
Duplicate Selected Items | Ctrl+D | |
Select All Table Occurences Directly Related to the Current Table Occurrence | Ctrl+R | |
Select All Table Occurences with the Same Source Table As the Current Table Occurrence | Ctrl+S | |
Toggle the Display Mode of Selected Table Occurrences (Toggles Among Fully Expanded, Fields, and Table Name Table and Related Name Alone) | Ctrl+T |
Following are some additional shortcuts to be aware of:
- The Up, Down, Left, and Right arrows can be used to cycle through the elements of the Graph (table occurrences, relationships, notes), selecting each one in turn. Once an item has been selected, other keyboard shortcuts can open the item for editing.
- Typing on the keyboard will select objects containing text that matches what is being typed.
- Using the Option/Shift key in conjunction with the arrow keys will move any selected table occurrences.
- Using Ctrl+Shift in combination with the arrow keys will resize any selected table occurrences.
Working with Layouts
Layout mode is where FileMakers famously quick-to-develop GUIs (graphical user interfaces) get built. A thorough knowledge of important layout shortcuts is a must-have for a FileMaker developer.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Group | Ctrl+R | |
Ungroup | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+R |
Lock | Opt- | Ctrl+Alt+L |
Unlock | Shift-Opt- | Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L |
Bring Forward | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+[ |
Bring to Front | Opt- | Ctrl+Alt+[ |
Send Backward | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+] |
Send to Back | Opt- | Ctrl+Alt+] |
Align Left, Right, Top, Bottom | Opt- | Ctrl+Alt+ |
Field Control Setup | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+F |
Field Control Behavior | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+K |
Field Control Borders | Shift- | Ctrl+Shift+B |
Insert Merge Field | Shift- | Ctrl=Shift+M |
View Object Sizes | Alt+V+Z | |
Select Similar Objects | Opt- | Ctrl+Shift+A |
When working with layouts, the following may also be of some value:
- In Layout mode,
-dragging or Ctrl+dragging will cause all objects touched by the selection rectangle to be selected. This can be easier than dragging a selection rectangle that fully encloses the desired objects. - -A/Ctrl+Shift+A to select all objects of the same type as the currently selected objects. You can use this technique to select all text labels, for example.
- The Object Size window is extremely useful for exact positioning of objects. We usually set the measurement units to pixels. Unfortunately, the only shortcut to this feature at present is an Alt-key combination on Windows.
- Shift-dragging restricts the movement of selected objects to a horizontal or vertical direction.
- Ctrl+/
-dragging will create a duplicate of the selected objects. - or Ctrl key, will drag a duplicate of selected objects along a horizontal or vertical axis.
- Any object formatting options chosen while no layout object is selected will become the defaults for any new objects. If you
images/U2318.jpg border=0>-click (Mac) or Ctrl+click (Windows) an existing object, its attributes will become the default.
Scripting
There are a number of useful shortcuts that pertain to ScriptMaker.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Open ScriptMaker | Ctrl+Shift+S | |
Scroll Through Script List | Up/Down arrows | Up/Down arrows |
Move Selected Script Up or Down in the List | Ctrl-Up/Down arrows | Ctrl+Up/Down arrows |
Toggle Checkbox to Include Selected Script in Scripts Menu | Space | Space |
Select a Script by Name (When Scripts List Is Active) | Begin typing script name | Begin typing script name |
Select All Scripts | Ctrl+A | |
Copy Selected Scripts (A) | Ctrl+C | |
Paste Copied Script(s) (A) | Ctrl+V | |
Navigate Up or Down Through Available Script Steps | Up/Down arrows | Up/Down arrows |
Select a Script Step by Name (When Script Steps List Is Active) | Begin typing script name | Begin typing script name |
Insert Selected Script Step into Script | Return/Enter or Space | Enter |
Select All Script Steps | Ctrl+A | |
Copy Selected Script Steps (A) | Ctrl+C | |
Paste Copied Script Steps (A) | Ctrl+V | |
Move Selected Script Steps Up or Down in the List | Ctrl-Up/Down arrows | Ctrl+Up/Down arrows |
Delete Selected Script Steps | Delete | Backspace/Delete |
Note that functions marked with an (A) are only available in FileMaker Pro Advanced.
When editing a script step that has options accessible via a Specify button, pressing the spacebar on the Mac is generally equivalent to clicking the Specify button. On Windows, Alt+F accomplishes the same thing.
Navigating the FileMaker Interface
A number of shortcuts can help you navigate through the FileMaker interface itself. Using keyboard commands, you can trigger buttons, move between elements of a dialog box, and scroll quickly though pop-up lists and menus.
Function | Mac Key | Windows Key |
---|---|---|
Move Between Tabs in a Dialog Box | Ctrl+Tab | |
Move Backward and Forward Between Items Within a Dialoh | Shift-Tab/Tab | Shift+Tab/Tab |
Move Up and Down Within a Pop-up List or Menu | Up/Down arrow | Up/Down arrow |
Move to Beginning or End of a Pop-up List or Menu | Home/End | Home/End |
Cancel a Dialog | Esc | Esc |
Submit a Dialog (Choose the Default Button) | Enter | Enter |
The Mac OS has weaker support for tabbing through and activating elements in a dialog box. For those dialogs where its possible to do this on the Mac OS, only a few of the elements are accessible via the keyboard. In Windows, by contrast, virtually every aspect of a dialog can be selected and triggered via the keyboard.
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