I am trying to find an easy way to use tabs as layouts. Instead of having 10 different layouts (say one for each of my databases tables), I could create just one, have 10 tabs and make them fit the entire screen. The problem seems to be that each tab would have to have a portal as i have to nominate 1 table for the master layout.

I then loose the ability to view as form or list.

I know I could create fake tabs and create 10 seperate layouts but it seems a wasted oppotunity to use what should be quite a flexable feature in Filemaker.

Any suggestions would be welcome

Thanks

Your understanding is correct: a tab control belongs to a layout (more precisely to a layout part) and in turn a layout belongs to a table (more precisely to a table occurrence). You could simulate a form view by showing fields from a selected related record in another tab panel, but there comes a point where maintaining a tab control structure becomes more tedious than managing multiple layouts.

You should have at least one layout per table anyway - or you'll be very limited when it comes to scripting.

thanks for the reply, I think instead, I will use buttons along the top of each layout and have the active layout in a different colour.