About choosing a field type

When you define a field, you select a field type based on the kind of information the field will contain. The field type determines what kind of data can be entered and what kinds of operations FileMaker Pro can perform with the data.

FileMaker Pro uses the field type to interpret the data for tasks like sorting records and performing calculations. For example, if you create a text field and enter numbers, you can sort the data only in alphabetical order. (The first character sorts, then the second, so that 11 sorts before 2.) You must use a number field, or a calculation or summary field with a numeric result, to sort data in numerical order.


Select this type	If the field data will be
Text	Letters, symbols, and/or numbers used as text per field repetition, limited by available RAM and disk space. See About text fields.
Number	Digits or other characters, and the negative values of the same range. See About number fields.
Date	Dates only. See About date fields.
Time	Times only. See About time fields.
Timestamp	Dates and times together to reference a fixed point in calendar time. See About timestamp fields.
Container	A file of any type, such as a picture, a PDF, or a multimedia file. See About container fields.
Calculation	The result of a calculation formula that uses field values from the current record or related records. See Defining calculation fields.
Summary	A value that’s produced by summarizing field values from more than one record in the same table. See Defining summary fields.