FileMaker Function of the Week: FieldComment

File this one under “something useful I learned today that someday will come in handy.”  Somehow I did not remember (or perhaps really understand the use of) the use of the FieldComment function. But I have had times where having the comments available in the data viewer when in layout mode would have been helpful.  Or, as noted in the comments, in a tooltip.  Either way, read this and tuck it away in your tool chest:

FileMaker has provided the field comment box since (I think) version 7. Here you have another hundred characters to explain the field’s purpose or rationale, which is great when you’re in the Define Database window with that particular field selected. Unfortunately, the time that field comment can really help you is when you’re looking at it on a layout or constructing a calculation and you just can’t remember whatsum_ExternAttendEventState is supposed to do.

Here’s where our friend the FieldComment function can assist.

FieldComment ( fileName ; fieldName )

Fill in the appropriate file and field names (be sure to use the fully qualified field name in the form oftableName::fieldName) and FieldComment will display the comment line from the field’s definition.

FileMaker Function of the Week: FieldComment.

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