--- description: An invented book list shows how display and data have to fit together. url: https://www.schmalzl.tirol/en/blog/2023-01-10-filemaker-links-listen-diagramme lang: en date: 2023-01-10 deutsch: /blog/2023-01-10-filemaker-links-listen-diagramme.md --- # Links, lists and charts in a small database _10 January 2023 ยท Archive date_ A database can hold correct values and still be hard to use. A link looks like a link but cannot be clicked. A list is sorted but does not say by what. A chart shows a number without a recognisable unit. Such details seem small. But they decide whether an interface stays understandable. An invented book list is a good frame for looking at them one by one. ## A view should show its rules The list contains title, series and volume number. Sorting by title needs a visible sign of the direction. When sorting by volume number, it should stay clear whether different series are viewed together or separately. A search also has to explain what it does. An exact comparison finds identical spellings. A search for similar sounds takes a different approach and can return extra, less clear-cut hits. Users should therefore be able to follow the results. A PDF export adds another layer: visible web address text and an area you can actually click are two different things. To test this, you have to open the exported document and try the link. Whether a particular FileMaker approach produces this depends on the method and version used. ## Less chart, more meaning For the number of books per series, simple bars are often enough. A round gauge can look nice, but without a traceable scale it says little. Colours should not be the only way to tell things apart. The most important exercise is to check display and data against each other: are the count, order and labels right? The [official FileMaker help](https://help.claris.com/en/pro-help/) is the starting point for concrete implementation steps. The example can be built entirely with data you create yourself. ## Original finds These links were the starting point for this post. The assessment in the text is my own; the linked posts are not my own tests. - [Clickable links in PDFs from FileMaker]() - [Charts in FileMaker: JSON and gauge charts]() - [Charts in FileMaker: JSON and gauge charts]() - [Sorting lists clearly in FileMaker]() - [Phonetic search in FileMaker]() > **About the date:** This post was written on 11 October 2026. The archive date is the date of the earliest related find in the collection, not of a publication at that time. Technical assessments and sources added later refer to the time of writing.