Table occurrence naming conventions

Expert

Apply consistent naming conventions for table occurrences (TOs) so the Relationships Graph stays navigable as the solution grows.

What you'll learn

A practical table occurrence naming convention
How to distinguish anchor TOs from related TOs at a glance
How to name filtered or context-specific TOs clearly

Every node in the FileMaker Relationships Graph is a table occurrence (TO), not a base table. A solution with dozens of TOs becomes impossible to navigate without deliberate naming. Consistent conventions identify the base table, the context (anchor vs. related), and any filtering applied — making the graph self-documenting.

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Anchor TO: uppercase base table name

The primary TO for each table — the anchor from which most relationships originate — uses the base table name in uppercase or title case. It is the "home" occurrence you use for most layouts and direct field references.

FileMaker Script

// Anchor TOs:
CONTACTS        // base table: Contacts
INVOICES        // base table: Invoices
PRODUCTS        // base table: Products

// These are used as the anchor on layouts and
// for direct field references in scripts

Cascading deletes and relationship delete options Many-to-many relationships with a join table