FileMaker interprets 12ax3 as 123 if you enter it into a numeric field, for example. Number fields can accept text (although not carriage returns), but any text in a numeric field is ignored. FileMaker Pro indexes the first 400 significant digits (numbers, decimal points, or signs) of a number field, ignoring letters and other symbols. Number fields can store values from 10 -400 up to 10 400, and negative values in the same range. For now, simply remember that each field type has different limits and approaches on indexing.
We'll cover indexing in more depth later in the chapter.
A text field can store up to 2GB of information, limited by RAM and hard drive space, of course, and indexes up to approximately 100 characters, depending on what language you're using. The only requirement is that it be character based-in other words, you can't place a picture in a text field. Users can enter any range of information in them, including carriage returns, and there's no expectation of what form or sort of information a text field will hold. Text fields are the most free-form of the field types. It's the combination of a proper identifying field name and a data type definition that gives a database its context and meaning. Generally it should be quite clear to you what each needs to be.įield types determine what types of operations can be performed on a given field, what information a field can accept, and the rules by which a field is sorted. A person's name is text, the dollar amount for a transaction is a number, a birthday is a date, and so on.
Simply stated, field types identify what kind of information each field of your database is expected to hold. One of the most important aspects of understanding FileMaker Pro is understanding field types, how they're different from one another, and how to use them effectively.
0 kommentar(er)
