LAYOUT Mode

LAYOUT is Genie’s second visible mode. It requires Coding Access and helps you create or revise FileMaker layout objects from plain-language instructions. Genie prepares a native FileMaker layout artifact for review, copy, and paste while FileMaker is in Layout mode.

LAYOUT mode is copy-and-paste by design. Genie does not silently change your FileMaker file, create tables or fields, resize layout parts, change themes, or apply layout changes for you.

When to use LAYOUT mode

Use LAYOUT mode when you want Genie to help with layout object work such as:

• adding a group of fields, labels, buttons, lines, and shapes
• restyling selected objects already on a layout
• making copied fields more readable or better aligned
• creating a pasteable card, panel, portal area, button area, or form section
• asking for object-level behavior such as tooltips, object names, tab order, hide conditions, field placeholder text, or portal filters

Use normal FileMaker tools when you need to create schema, relationships, layout parts, themes, security, custom menus, or broader file structure. LAYOUT mode can reference existing metadata, but it does not create new schema for you.

Create new layout objects

1. Open Genie and choose LAYOUT in the composer.
2. Describe the objects you want. Include the purpose, fields, labels, buttons, and visual style.
3. Send the prompt.
4. If Genie needs a real missing detail, it can stop at Layout Preflight and ask before generating.
5. When the result is ready, use Preview to inspect the human-readable result, or Copy for Paste to prepare the native FileMaker clipboard.
6. Switch to FileMaker Layout mode and paste.

Revise selected layout objects

For edits to objects that already exist on a FileMaker layout, copy those objects first and inject them into Genie.

1. In FileMaker, switch to Layout mode.
2. Select the layout objects you want Genie to use as the edit set.
3. Copy the selected objects.
4. In Genie LAYOUT mode, click the copied layout objects button in the composer.
5. Confirm that Genie shows the LAYOUT context chip with the number of copied objects.
6. Prompt Genie with the change you want, such as “center the text inside the fields and make the fonts a little larger.”
7. Use Copy for Paste, then paste the generated layout objects back into FileMaker.

Copied layout objects become the selected edit set for the next LAYOUT prompt. Genie tries to preserve the copied objects unless you explicitly ask it to remove, consolidate, or replace them.

Review and paste the result

When LAYOUT mode succeeds, Genie shows a layout review card with a short summary and the main object groups it created or changed.

• Preview opens the human-readable generated layout result without exposing raw XML.
• Copy for Paste prepares the FileMaker clipboard so FileMaker can paste the generated objects.
• The native clipboard package is intended for FileMaker Layout mode paste. The ordinary Preview remains human-readable.

After pasting, position the objects as needed and use FileMaker’s Inspector for final manual tweaks.

Tips for better prompts

• Name the fields, buttons, portals, scripts, or value lists you expect Genie to use.
• If a prompt depends on existing FileMaker metadata, select the relevant items in Metadata Explorer first.
• Tell Genie whether you want to preserve the original size and spacing, or whether it can reorganize the selected objects.
• For copied objects, be explicit when something should be removed. Otherwise, Genie treats the copied selection as material to preserve.
• Ask for one layout section at a time when the work involves many fields or several visual groups.

Example prompts

• Create a compact contact card with name, company, phone, email, status, and a Done button.
• Use the copied objects as the edit set. Center the text inside the fields and make the field text slightly larger.
• Restyle the copied portal area so the row text is easier to scan, but keep the fields and buttons in the same order.
• Create a schedule panel with start date, end date, start time, end time, notes, a divider, and a Done button.

Safety boundaries

LAYOUT mode keeps generated layout work separate from CODE and DATA.

• It creates a pasteable native layout artifact, not a script apply operation.
• It does not run SQL or change records.
• It does not create FileMaker fields, tables, relationships, layouts, or scripts.
• It does not send raw copied FileMaker layout XML to the model or expose raw XML in the ordinary preview.
• It does not auto-paste or auto-apply the generated layout artifact.

If the layout work depends on a field, value list, or existing script, make sure that metadata is available in Genie before sending the prompt.