How can i add a field and NOT Have it automatically be put into my layout?

Edit>Preferences>Application

Layout tab, uncheck "Add newly defined fields to current layout"

Thanks, too, for that info. I always wondered how to do that. Perhaps if I had read the manual or payed more attention, I would know more about FM.

Ken

The other trick is to have a layout without a body as the active layout when you define the field. An example would be a report with header, summary parts, and footer. Since the new field is always inserted into the body portion of the current layout, the field would not show up.