Creating a FileMaker Pro file
You can create as many files as you need to organize information. You can:
 •
Create an empty file, then design layouts yourself.
 •
Create an empty file using layouts defined in a FileMaker Pro Starter Solution. See Creating a FileMaker Pro file from a Starter Solution.
 •
Use FileMaker Pro to open a file containing data in another file format, then modify the design by adding layouts, if needed. For information, see Converting a data file to a new FileMaker Pro file.
To create a new file:
1.
Choose File menu > New Solution.
2.
Type a name for the file (choose a different folder, if needed).
Windows: For Save as type, select FileMaker Files. If you don't type a file extension, FileMaker Pro adds .fmp12 to the filename. (To view file extensions in Windows, see Windows Help and Support.)
3.
Click Save.
FileMaker Pro creates the file, displays a blank, empty layout in Layout mode, and displays the Field Picker dialog box, where you can define fields and add them to the layout.
4.
Define the fields, drag the fields to the layout, then close the Field Picker dialog box.
See Defining fields in the Field Picker dialog box.
5.
Add objects and other embellishments to the layout.
See Creating and managing layouts and reports.
6.
Save and exit the layout.
Notes
 •
To create a new file in the Launch Center window, click New, and choose New Solution, New from Starter Solution, or New from Existing. See Opening files.
 •
By default, choosing File menu > New Solution displays a blank layout in Layout mode. You can change the default setting to display the Manage Database dialog box whenever you choose File menu > New Solution. See Setting general preferences.
 •
To define tables, fields, and relationships, or to set field options in the Manage Database dialog box, choose File menu > Manage > Database. See Defining fields in the Manage Database dialog box and Defining database tables.
 •
To add fields and records, define field types, and set options for fields in a spreadsheet-like table, use the options in Table View. See Working with data in Table View.
 •
You can create a file by opening a non-FileMaker Pro data file (for example, a Microsoft Excel file) in FileMaker Pro, or by making a copy of an existing FileMaker Pro file. When you open a non-FileMaker Pro data file, a new FileMaker Pro file is created with the file’s data in it. See Converting a data file to a new FileMaker Pro file.
 •
If you see the error message This command cannot be used by this installation of FileMaker, the ability to create new files was disabled during the installation of FileMaker Pro. Contact your systems administrator for more information.
 •
For files you plan to host on FileMaker Server, avoid using more than one period in FileMaker Pro filenames. The filename should include only the period before the fmp12 filename extension.
Was this topic helpful? Send feedback.