FileMaker 16 Layout Objects window – Why we love it

The Layout Objects window in FileMaker 16 didn’t impress me at first. It seemed like a solution to a problem we didn’t have: developers were already grouping and naming objects so they could move grouped objects out of way when editing layouts. But the more I see it in action, the more I recognize in it what makes working in Photoshop so straight forward: Photoshop supports document “layers” and now FileMaker kind of does too. At least the Layout Objects window supports the biggest things I use layers for: navigation and toggling visibility when editing.

[bctt tweet=”#FileMaker 16’s Layout Objects window turns grouped objects into layers.” username=”seedcode”]

Navigation

By “navigation”, I mean finding-your-way-around a busy layout during design-time, not a user navigating from screen to screen at runtime. In the video below, Dan shows how to use the window to edit slide panels in SeedCode Complete:

Toggling Visibility

Because each panel in Complete is relatively simple, you don’t need to use the visibilty toggles to have a clean layout to work on. But if you’ve got a lot of overlapping objects, the visibilty toggle can really help you focus on the areas you want to work on.

FileMaker 16 Layout Objects window

Just click on the “eye” in the Layout Objects window to hide objects in layout mode. Best of all, hidden objects can’t be selected or dragged out of place accidentally.


More info on using the Layout Objects window can be found here.

For more on SeedCode Complete, the template we use as the basis for our custom projects. You’ll find screenshots, pricing, and can download a demo here: SeedCode Complete: a starter solution for the real world.

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2 Comments

  • Henning

    Great feature, thanks for the introduction!

    • seedcode

      Thanks, Henning!!

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