Appendix A. Getting Help

This book provides a solid foundation in FileMaker and takes you well into power user territory, but it doesn’t cover everything there is to know about this vastly versatile program. (You wouldn’t be able to lift it if it did.) This appendix is a guide to the many resources available to help you plumb the depths of FileMaker database design and development.

Some of these resources are accessible in more than one way. For example, you can get to FileMaker’s online Knowledge Base by going to www.filemaker.com, clicking the Support menu, and then choosing Knowledge Base. But there are also quick links in the help files to specific Knowledge Base articles. Read on to see some of the ways to get to the bountiful resources provided by FileMaker and third parties.

Getting Help from FileMaker Pro

Like most commercial software packages, FileMaker has a Help menu. Choose Help→FileMaker Pro Help to launch the Help file. The main screen (Figure A-1) lets you choose from a variety of ways to find help on the topic you’re interested in. Major topics are listed on the left side of the screen, and some featured topics are listed on the top right.

You can click a link to see a topic you want, but it may be faster to type a question in the search box at the upper right. Type a few words to identify your subject and then press the Return key. You’ll see a list of topics that relate to your search term. Click the item that best relates to your question. If it’s not quite right, scroll to the bottom of the screen, where you’ll usually find a Related Topics or Topics in this section area with similar links.

Figure A-1. You can click a link to see a topic you want, but it may be faster to type a question in the search box at the upper right. Type a few words to identify your subject and then press the Return key. You’ll see a list of topics ...

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