Tips on Filemaker usage

Filemaker Pro is a wonderful database-system. I work for about 12 years with it and know it through and through. Here are a few of my tips.

I'm a freak, I'm a freak, I'm a Filemaker-freak !

Recordtypes
    If you need to go relational (I think most people do), try to    conceive as much as possible files into one file. Instead    of having them all seperate, just define your fields in subtables.    Your fieldnames then look like

RECTYPE1_keyfield
RECTYPE 1_field2
RECTYPE 1_field3
...
RECTYPE 2_keyfield
RECTYPE 2_field2
RECTYPE 2_field3
...
etc.

You can then link on the different keyfields just as you like.    Linking within the same file goes much faster and safer. And as    you only have one file, wrong navigation between files is not    possible anymore. Of course make sure that you switch of    column-functions for endusers and that every navigation and    searching goes by well defined scripts.
Colouring layout's
    Did you know that having a background for your layout is easy? In    layout-modus just click one time on the part-label and select    colour and/or patern as you like it.