Defining number fields

Contents > Creating a database > Defining database fields > Defining number fields

Defining number fields

Use number fields to store values from 10^-400 up to 10⁴⁰⁰, and negative values in the same range.

To define number fields:

1.	With the database open, choose File menu > Manage > Database.

2.	In the Manage Database dialog box, click the Fields tab.

3.	If your database contains more than one table, select the appropriate table from the Table list.

4.	For Field Name, type a name for the field.

See About naming fields.

5.	For Type, select Number.

6.	Click Create.

7.	To select options for the field, click Options.

See Setting options for fields.

8.	Continue to define fields or click OK.

Notes

Use number fields to store:

numbers that need to be sorted in numeric order. FileMaker Pro indexes the first 400 significant digits (numbers, decimal points, or signs) of the field, ignoring letters and other symbols.

numbers used in calculation formulas or summary fields. By default, FileMaker Pro performs fixed-point math with a minimum of 16 digits of precision to the right of the decimal point. Use the SetPrecision function to further expand the precision of this number.

values that are a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters that still need to use the numbers in calculations and sorting (for example, $400 or best offer).

Use text fields instead of number fields to store postal codes, phone numbers, and other values with leading zeroes or characters like hyphens or parentheses.

The characters displayed for the decimal separator and thousands separator depend on the system formats set for the database file, and the display format for the field. To change the display format for a field (for example, 2.45 or $2.45), set options in the Number Format dialog box in Layout mode. See Specifying formats for fields containing numbers.

To specify how data in a number field displays (for example, to specify the number of decimals or whether the number displays a currency symbol), see Formatting and setting up field objects in Layout mode.

If you are using FileMaker Pro Advanced, you can copy field schemas from one file and paste them into the same file or some other file. For more information, see Copying and pasting field schemas (FileMaker Pro Advanced).

Contents > Creating a database > Defining database fields > Defining number fields