Interface Design Discussions

Is there any way to make a field that is divided into sections so that when the form is used each section can only be edited by the authorized person depending on there log in password.

Hi all...We've been fairly successful into creating an archive for our reporters to look up material using the Web Companion plug-in that is running via FM Unlimited. However, we have a small problem with layouts. Problem 1) We cannot get IE to display imported pictures. Problem 2) No matter what Web Style is chosen (Grey, Blue & Gold, etc.), Navigator displays everything in a sickly green. Does anyone have any suggestions how to fix these problems? Thanks...Bill

Hey, I know you can't slide/shrink a header, but I am producing a multipage report, and have a piece of information--whose size changes greatly, that I would like to preface the report with (in the header or the equivalent thereof..) the problem is that if there isn't the maximum of information in there, there can be a ton of white space before the data begins... is there any fix to this? Thanks

Howdy folks. I have created a relational database that I think flows well from layout to layout, lots of GoTo buttons positioned near relational data etc. And still, a few of my users are begging for a "Back" button like the ones they use in their browsers so they don't have to remember where they came from. It would have to remember both which file they came from and which layout because there is a multitude of ways to get anywhere in the whole database. I am using version 4 on a Mac. Thanks in advance for any help. ------------------ Regards, K. ~~~~~~~~ Data is not information unless it is informative.

quote: Originally posted by richshone: I tried to lay one field over another so that if one is filled in it shows through the other one (which in this case stays blank), and visa versa. I am having a problem whereby my tab function makes the second field (which would be blank) block out the first one if I tab through them, even both are set as see through. This problem doesn't occur if I mouse click past the second field, and this allows me to see what is in the first field just fine. Is there any way that I can change this so that I can use tabs for this part of my database? Thanks I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish, but you could simply remove bo…

This may seem like a stupid question, but what is the difference between a footer and a trailing summary. I am trying to create a summary that (a) has the page numbers at the bottom of each page (I used a footer for this) and (: has the totals etc at the end of the report no matter what the number of pages. So far I have placed the totals in my footer but this would place the totals at the bottom of each page woulnd't it? Which would I put first? Footer or Summary? Thanks for clearing up a dumb question...

Here's what I'm trying to do. I have a portal showing the leaderboard of a motor race: who the driver is, laptimes, position etc. Can I put a button in this portal next to each driver so that, when the user presses the driver's picture, team info, past performance etc are shown elsewhere on the layout? This information is held in another file. If I can't do this, is there any other way to do what I want?

I have a long, narrow portal, 30 records long. If I could split this into two short portals of 15 records, it would display oh so nicely on a web page. Can I do it? Note: the data changes dynamically. I can't rely on setting up two portals and using a function of the related data to tell it which portal to go to.

I need to average flows every seven days for each month and haven't got a clue as to how to create this formula. Can anyone help?

Currently, each record in the database is set up where the top section is the user information, and the bottom is the course the user has signed up for. Each record only shows one course, and a user can have multiple records with different courses for each record. How do I create a layout which shows the user's information once on the top part, and on the bottom is a list of ALL the courses the user has chosen? Thanks, Anita

When I try to size a field with the object size box I can never get exactly the number I need. For example: I want the box to be exactly .220 inches but the thing always rounds it to .222. No matter what number I enter it rounds it to something that is close. Can I have an exact number such as .220? Please Help.

When I select an object and bring up the Object Size Box it shows me the size of the box. When I select several objects at one time and bring up the Object Size Box it shows me the size of the entire selection, not just each individual object and if I were to change the size number it would change each object that was selected just a little to match the entire size that I requested. Now my question is, Is there any way to select several objects then make each object the same exact size?

How can I get rid of the drop shadow on pop-up menus? They look ugly and a bit funny when they are in portals... I'd like it so they looked like normal fields. I don't want to use pop-up lists because I don't want the user to be able to enter anything but what is in the value list. Thanks

This problem will be hard to explain but I'll give it a try. In a layout I have, I have a text box that has text baselines giving me a box that looks like a piece of lined paper. To the right of this box I need to place individual fields for each text baseline because of password reasons, but I can never get each field to line up perfectly because the size of the area made by the text baseline is not know and the field that I am trying to create on the right of each text baseline will not conform to the size I need. HELP

My company has used File Maker for years on MAC computers, but they have decided to switch to PC's. When we transferred the database from the MAC's to the PC the layout on the screen was fine, but when we print a sheet the layout becomes misaligned. We have sheets of data that display operation numbers in one column and they must line up with the operation data in another column. Well on the screen the numbers line up with the data, but when we print the sheet the numbers no longer align with the data. It worked perfectly on the MAC version, but when used on a PC we have that problem. What could cause this problem? Please help.

hey I have two pull down menus and I wanted to change the second menu based on what was selected in the first menu, my fix was this, have the second value list defined from a field, the field it refrenced was a calculation based on the first pull down menu...the calculation part of it worked very well... but the value list didn't update properly sometimes, and was slow to update if it did.... I was wondering if anyone has done something like this, and if so what the fix was...... thanks

I would like to know about a layout I saw on FileMakerPro database. This person has the multiples databases. There is not a switchboard to connect them. Instead there is tabs at the bottom of the screen like tab manila folders. If I press on the tab it takes me to the different database. Is this difficult to do? I have not seen ways to do this in my database. Perhaps my version is too old? (I have the 4,1). Thank you for anyone who can respond. ------------------ Mikhail Petrovich Vimov

Is there an easy way to hide buttons on a layout for printing? If not, is there a hard way? Also, I read the response to Phil's question about buttons as menu bars and am just a little confused by the answer. I would appreciate a little clarification on global containers etc. as designing a menu bar (that also doesn't print) is most likely the next thing I need to figure out. Thanks....

Hi, I'm creating databases using FMP 5 on an iMac using OS9. Every so often the files are copied to my obsses computer an Apply Laptop which is also running FMP 5 and OS9. What I noticed this morning when I looked at his files is that the font used in the headers of the layouts is different from the one I defined it to be. I set the Header font to be Calisto MT and the body to be Arial in my files. In his, however, both the header and body use Arial (the header looks like Arial, not sure cause I couldn't look, but it wasn't Calisto.) It doesn't look bad, but the other way it just looks nicer! I'm just wondering if this is a result of the copying or what or a diffe…

Hi there, I'd like fields to be strongly highlighted for the user as they tab around a layout entering data....for all fields...text boxes, pull-down menus etc...so that the can see very quickly just where they are. The best visual look I would like would be if the border surrounding the field changed colour (perhaps to a thick yellow) How do you do this ? Phil

Is there a way to highlight the record that is currently in focus (Other than the tiny black line at the left of it)? Try it in a columnar list report in Filemaker 5 or above.

I would like to be able to customize colors on the color palette. If this is possible, how is it done? (I am working on a PC- if that makes a difference)

I want a common footer to run through all the various layouts I am creating. This will be the menu bar. I also want to have a button that shows "Switch to Admin mode" that disappears when clicked on (and the user is put in admin mode) to be replaced by a different button (I DON'T just want the text of a button to change) that says "Back to standard mode". How do I make a button invisible ?

Is there a technique for keeping ALL of the fields from "highlighting" (showing their borders and changing color) when selecting just one field?

posted June 07, 2000 10:27 AM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I want to paste a pdf data file into a database of FM Pro 4. If I create a container field I am able to do it, but it will not allow me to move or re-position it within the container and also it does not keep the filename assigned to the original pdf, it is just a generic label for the file. It would be great to find a way that FMPro could accept pdf's the same way that e-mail excepts them. I would like to resolve this issue this week. Thank you for your help on this frustrating topic. Brian Unger ([email protected])

I am designing a database for my role-playing game and I want my radial buttons to appear as a 3D raised button rather than the flat button that is created. I've seen it on other FM databases and was wondering how to do it. Please help?

in version 5 there is no "new break" option in the layout setup (used to be accessed by "option" clicking the layout setup menu item. Does anybody know what happend to it, is there another trick to achive the same, and if not, are FMP ever going to bring it back Thanks

Hello, I am working on a contact db which is predominantly used in list view. I need to make the currently selected record in list view visibly different to the other records. Can anyone tell me if it's possible to 'highlight' the records background or a text field in a different colour - ONLY WHILST IT IS THE CURRENTLY SELECTED RECORD. The little black vertical bar on the left extremity of the current record is okay but I need to make the whole record or just the main info 'jump out from the crowd'.? Thanks.

The 2/98 FMP Advisor advised using the MS San Serif fonts from the MS True Type Font Pack II for the best looking user interfaces. Is this still good advice, and if so, from where can these be obtained? The URL listed in the magazine no longer works to obtain the pack? Thanks. ------------------