1. Start with one keyboard task
A neat contact form can still be tiring when Tab jumps from email to notes and back to the person’s name. This exercise checks the path through a desktop Form View layout, including the focus indicator that shows where typing or an action will go.
In a disposable file, create Contacts with Text fields ContactID, FullName, Company, Email, Phone and Notes. Use fictional contact C001, Mira Chen at Cedar Workshop, with mira@example.com and 555-0101. Give Notes two lines so you can also inspect its input behavior.
Place a read-only ContactID display above the five editable fields. Add a harmless button labeled “Review details” that displays a confirmation message without changing records. This provides an action to test without suggesting that a button labeled Save automatically implements a save workflow.
2. Record the current route
In Browse mode, click FullName once, then move through the form with Tab. Write down every stop. Repeat backwards with Shift-Tab. Record any skipped field, unexpected jump or moment when you cannot see which object has focus.
For this exercise the intended route is FullName → Company → Email → Phone → Notes → Review details. ContactID should remain readable but should not become an editable stop. The diagram describes the intended route, not a native FileMaker capture.
1 Name → 2 Company → 3 Email
4 Phone → 5 Notes → 6 Review details
Test the controls you actually placed. A familiar visual order does not prove the keyboard sequence follows it. Start in Form View: List View has different navigation constraints.
3. Set the sequence deliberately
Switch to Layout mode and choose Layouts → Set Tab Order. Use the numbered arrows to put the five editable fields and the review button in the intended sequence. Remove the identifier from that sequence. Inspect every number before closing the dialog; renumbering one object can affect subsequent objects.
Return to Browse mode and repeat the forward and reverse routes. Check entry settings too: removing an object from tab order is not the same as protecting its value against mouse edits or script changes.
Claris notes that entry-disabled fields cannot receive tab focus in the corresponding mode. Calculation and summary fields also have special rules. Start with ordinary editable fields here, then consult the reference before applying the same plan to calculated displays or a Find layout.
4. Make the active control visible
Place focus in each field and compare it with its unfocused appearance. Look for an indicator you can identify at the normal working zoom: for example, a clear border change that remains visible against the field background. Text and selection should remain readable.
In Layout mode, inspect the supported display states for that object type in the Inspector. Adjust the focused appearance where available, using the existing button-state guide for the style workflow. Save an intentional named style only after checking it on representative controls; a shared change can affect other layouts.
Do not rely on hover to explain keyboard focus. A user who is tabbing may never move the pointer over the button. Check the review button while focused, activate it using the supported keyboard action on your system, and confirm that the message appears once. Record the key you actually tested rather than promising identical behavior on every platform.
5. Test the conditions that change the route
| Condition | Check |
|---|---|
| Long name or company | Text remains usable while focused |
| Multiline notes | Newline and move-on keys do what the user expects |
| Read-only ID | Readable; not accidentally editable |
| Alternate panel | Only the intended panel’s controls are visited |
| Narrower window | Focused control remains visible |
| Return from message | Focus returns to a sensible place |
If the layout uses tab or slide panels, repeat the task on each relevant panel. If an object is conditionally hidden, test both visible and hidden conditions. An object missing from the route may be intentional; describe the condition before changing it.
Try the longest label and normal zoom as well as a narrower window. Anchors solve positioning questions, while tab order solves navigation. A good result needs both. Neither a clear focus border nor this checklist alone proves accessibility conformance.
6. Keep the route in your review checklist
Download the keyboard walkthrough checklist ↓
Save the layout, reopen the practice file and complete the same task with fictional data. Ask another person to do it without coaching. Note where they hesitate, lose focus or reach for the mouse. Compare those observations with your intended six-stop route.
A FileMaker theme supplies appearance and reusable styles; it does not establish tab order, bind fields or assign button actions. Spring Garden Lite is a free theme sample. Full Filesoft themes are separate paid products. Apply the workflow to a copied layout before changing shared styles in an existing app.
Finished result: a recorded forward and reverse route, visible focus and a harmless action that works predictably. Record your exact FileMaker and operating-system versions. Test Go and WebDirect separately if your app uses them; this desktop review does not validate those platforms.
References
Use a practice copy and verify the result in your FileMaker version. Product requirements and platform support remain specific to each product.
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