Interface Design Discussions

Hi, I inserted hundreds of pictures to my database but forgot to check the "store only a reference to the file" box. Now my database has a 10GB size. :-( Is there a simple way to change all those pictures "status" (from embedded to referenced) in a single move or do I have to delete each individual picture and insert it again as a reference?

Is there a way to place a comma in the Capacity line? Thanks!  TextSize (TextStyleAdd ( Clients::Name; Uppercase + Bold); 18 ) & TextSize ( TextStyleAdd (" ("& TypeDay &")"; Uppercase); 18) & ¶ & TextSize ( TextStyleAdd ( Print_CityCSState;Uppercase ); 14) &¶ & TextSize ( TextStyleAdd ( Venue; Uppercase); 14) & ¶ & TextSize ( If (not IsEmpty ( Capacity ); "Capacity: " & GetAsNumber ( Capacity );If (not IsEmpty ( Venue ); "Capacity: Unknown"; "")); 12) Â

I am using FM 12 04 advanced on Windows. I created a report that uses 10 pt Verdana font. But, when I distribute the report to a user, when he runs the report it looks like 16pt TImes Roman. Huh? Is there someway to 'force install' a font on a user machine? Or is there some other source to explain this phenomena? Thanks Ron I just heard from the user and DOES have Verdana installed on his PC. Is this weird or what?!

Greets, all! I thought that since this is more of an eye candy topic than say, a script or calc, so I'm posting this question here. I'm sure this is easily accomplished just that I'm not seeing it; I perused the Get functions and didn't see anything there that would help. Then again, I'm known for missing stuff. *blush* I'd like to have a text field's fill highlight itself when when a user clicks his or her mouse while inside the field but de-highlight itself once the user starts entering text. It's tricky since I can't use a container or a conditionally-formatted button behind the field since the text field has to use a pre-set color fill so it can't be set to transp…

Hi... how to set time in minutes in install on timer script.. i dnt want do like 2 min...

Hey guys, Any body here working on an EMR project like ComChart? I wish he/she is a member/s of this site because I really admire the project. Any idea guys how they make the navigational interface of this filemaker program? Thanks

PNG buttons added to a layout via INSERT-PICTURE from a FMP Advanced v11.3 Windows client to (assumed to be FMPv11) server hosted database display properly on the Windows client, but cannot be seen from a Mac client. The converse is NOT true: png pictures inserted by the Mac client CAN be seen by both the windows client and the Mac client. When this occurs, the graphic looks like a place holder, sort of like the picture is missing. (I am developing on the windows client using FMP11 Advanced, and my client is viewing from FMP11 Standard for Mac, and the database is hosted by a 3rd party. I do not know the version or platform of server installation that is hosting…

Maybe I'm missing something totally obvious here, but why do the fonts behave so differently in MacOS and Windows with regard to styles (bold, italic). On a Mac you'd choose a separate font face such as Arial Bold Italic for example which on Windows in the same database is going to be rendered as just plain Arial. On Windows you have to select the "i" and "b" buttons to achieve the same effect, however on a Mac this becomes plain Arial with artificial bold and italic effects applied (definitely not the same thing as a true Arial Bold Italic). This totally breaks any cross-platform font compatibility for me beyond using plain font versions. Why's that? Any way to get aroun…

Hello What is the best way to keep a floating document window on the same record as it's launch window when both windows are based on the same table? Also, is there any way to get the Floating Document Window to work in an expected way with Windows 7? It does not seem to be possible to work in both the floating window and the main window with the main window maximized and the floating window kept to specific dimensions. Thank you

What I want to do is manually select a word or two and hit a keyboard shortcut that turns the text color to red. I have (on my Mac) Keyboard Maestro, which can select a menu and/or do all sorts of UI tasks. But to change to red you have to select a swatch from a palette. I think the solution will be to make a script that does something similar to TextStyleAdd (red). Then I can just select that script from the script menu. But the script creation window seems to allow only a few commands, none of them related to text. Can I do this?

I have a solution with half a dozen layouts. I have the same series of buttons on the top of each page. When I add a new button to one layout I want to add it to all the layouts. Now I have to do that process manually. In HTML there are includes that make this process simply. Is there a way similar to includes to allow for changing the buttons one place and they are automatically changed in all the layouts? Thanks, Rich

Hi Everyone, I have created a form in FileMaker v11 on Windows 7, which has 3 text fields across and 25 text fields down and covers two A4 pages. The form is used by staff to fill out, however, certain fields can have more text typed into them then can be printed out. Is there a way that I can make the fields automatically expand to accomodate the extra text that's typed and automatically move the fields down that are below? Many thanks Neil45156

Now this is cool and it doesn't seem to be discussed so I wanted to bring it up ... We can remove some of the tricks we've had to use to identify the active row on list view, at least if we use one of the themes. BTW, who came up with those themes? It would have been nice if a graphic artist handled it. Only a few of them are usable (in my opinion), but still it is a good start. But the 'delineate current record' is nice. :laugh2:

Okay so do you rotate your text clockwise one quarter to rotate to vertical or do you rotate three times to three quarter position? Do you like to cock your head to read sideways text to the left or to the right? Does it bother you if the text is the opposite direction? Now don't you laugh ... I really want to know which way people prefer reading sideways text, such as longer labels on narrow columns. :laugh:

Hi all In Autocad a flag can be attach to an item and when the flag is double click then an excel spreadsheet opens and the item information is displayed. Does anyone know if FM a database be attached to Autocad the same way that the excel spreadsheet is. If so, does any one know how to do it? Thanks for the information Lionel

Is there any way to keep a window that was opened using GTRR (GoToRelatedRecord) on top (active) until the close window button is pressed? The GTRR window is smaller than the main interface and as of now, when you click anywhere outside the GTRR window it hides in the back. This is allowing multiple GTRR windows to open from the same script.

When I set a script trigger to OnObjectExit to navigate to a field it just goes to the next field instead of the desired field. Here is what I have: If [CLOCKS::status = "Complete"] Go to Field [CLOCKS::clock_out] End If This script works if I run the script from the menu. It just doesn't work with the script trigger. I have a similar script that goes to a layout and it works fine. Does anyone have a solution? Thank you

I'm obessed with trying to make my database to function like a touch (click button) screen cash register. I'm using the Invoice Starter Solution, with no changes to their fields and relationships. I've tried for hours and hours different methods to accomplish the following : How do I create the following? Starter Solution for Invoices "Invoice lay-out:" object is a (picture of a apple) button to select the field "product ID". I have written many scripts but to no luck. If anyone can help me, this is a time senstive matter otherwise I would love to fiqure it out myself. Thanks!

I have the uneasy feeling that you guys are going to embarrass me by pointing a simple and obvious solution to my problem. Long sigh..........here goes: I have a layout with a single field on it. The UI is set up to open a new window and go to this layout upon clicking a button. The script opens the window and goes to that field. I don't want the user to be able to exit the field by clicking into the background so I thought I would use an OnObjectExit script trigger to run a script that simply goes to that field using the Go To Field or Go To Object script step. I found that I need either an Exit Script[0] or Halt Script step following the Go To F…

weird.fp7.zip hope you guys enjoy the file. -ian

In this days there are lots of rumors about FM12, one of those is related with this article http://help.filemaker.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/10021/~/deprecation-of-patterns Which brought “buzzes” about a new feature related with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) for FM. I would like you option about that, because I can’t see any advantage of CSS in FM. Please open my eyes.

Is it possible to add new values to existing zoom levels? (FM Pro Advance 11) 50% - 75% - 100% are just fine but... On a 24 inch monitor for example, most of my layouts appear a bit to small. Scrolling to the next zoom value makes them too big so the user spends time scrolling in and out. Is it possible to add more zoom percentages like 66% 83% 112% ? One program that reacts nicely to zoom scroll is Internet Explorer. It would be fine to have a way to do it in Filemaker.

I have an X button on a portal which only shows on real records. Conditional format on it sets to custom font 500 if IsEmpty(primaryID). It works well to hide the non-record row. But there is also a drop-down calendar with the icon showing. It looks silly. I want to make the icon disappear also but I can't figure how to do it. Text and background don't work to hide it. Any ideas please?

Hello everybody, I got a question regarding ordered lists and the ways to read the text format attributes of a text within a text field. Challenge: Within a text field the client wants to add some ordered lists with indents (Text Ruler) and some text lines without. He then wants to export all the records as HTML while keeping the text attributes (like indents). Solution: I know there's getAsCSS but it doesn't get all text attributes (indents should become ul resp. ol tags) and in addition to that it doesn't output valid XHTML. So I have to find my own solution. Question: How can I read out all attributes of a text field (including indents). Any id…

Hello, I have about 15 "Categories" that are set up in a value list check boxes. I would like to create a layout that only shows the text of the "Checked" boxes. Can someone please help! Thanks Dave

How can I fix my IWP interface icon? How do I get rid of that black box behind my icon? its always appear on my IWP interface Normal Filemaker icon IWP icon

Good evening everyone and happy new year. I have serveral fields which use repetitive text. On layouts which use merge fields, is there anyway to embolden the text used as descriptions within the fields? Examples are below... If ( IsEmpty (ShorePowerSpecs );"Amps:____ Location:____________" ; "Amps: " & ( ShorePowerSpecs[1] & " Location: " & ShorePowerSpecs[2])). I want to embolden the words Amps and Location.

Hello All, For nicer appearance of my layouts I have inserted a jpg image of a nice web button into my layout and assigned a script to it. Both mouse buttons (left and right) work to click the button but when clicking with the left button the graphic of the button turns into its negative colors which for the time of the click which makes it look very strange. This does not happen when I click with the right mouse button. Is there anything I can do to prevent the button from changing its colors? Thanks in advance, Andy

Hey All, just wanted to know of best design strategies for user layout? Dashboard(s), tab panels, portals ( to show related information), multiple layout(s) or single layout with multi access panels. Ideas, other posts within forum would be great. thanks,

I am especially interested in the information on good Filemaker design that was presented. Thanks Neil Murphy

It seems like much of Filemaker has evolved over the years with the exception of how pop-up menus and scroll bars look. I am trying to design a modern looking GUI and these two elements are holding me back in 1989. What's the deal with these, why hasn't Filemaker given us an way to alter the appearance of these two elements in over a decade? I am trying to design an interface for a touch screen display and the scroll bars are just plain butt ugly and way too tiny. Are there any third party add-on that can help solve this problem?

Hi All.. Not sure if this is the correct forum.. but here goes.. Is there a way to format insert merge variables with Dollar signs and 2 decimals. When I try to format this with the inspector telling it to use dollar sign and 2 decimal I just get the number without the Dollar sign or the decimal Thanks Stu

Greets, all: I'm waffling between including Record Created and Record Last Modified fields in all of the layouts of a solution I'm about to market. I'm short on real estate and it'd be aesthetically more pleasing not to have those fields on-screen. For my own solutions I have them visible but for end-users, who 99% of the time probably don't care when a record was created or modified, does he or she really need to see these dates? As an aside, the solution doesn't involve inventory or time-critical data so there's no got-to-know-when need for the dates. TIA for your input, Rich

I recently converted a FileMaker 6 solution to FileMaker 11. Every layout used the Arial font in various sizes and styles. I used the Arial Narrow font when needed; I never used FileMaker's "Condense" font style. I have always designed on the Mac and had been in the habit of "shrink-wrapping" the fonts to make the element as small as possible, paying little heed to what it would look like on Windows (the Mac snob in me, I guess). The problem was, upon conversion, that the difference between the Mac and Windows version of the Arial font has appeared to grow to a greater level (i.e. white gaps above the characters), and this difference even caused some data to disa…

I have a field in the header that presents the layout name as a page title. It works great, but when in Find mode it disappears. Is there anyway around this? It does this both with a merge field as well as with an edit box. The field is an unstored calculation: Substitute ( Get ( LayoutName ) ; "_" ; " " ) thanks,

Hi folks, I am working on a POS system and was wondering if any of you had run into the same frustrations with FileMaker that I have. First off, using a touchscreen to enter dollar amounts. Ideally, I would like FM to imitate a standard cash register by NOT requiring the entry of the decimal point. I can accomplish this with scripting and a calculated field quite easily, but it is WAY TOO SLOW!! If you touch the buttons in rapid succession, FM can't keep up. I have seen seasoned users type on these touchscreens very quickly, so this simply won't do. I can enter the numbers using a 3rd party virtual keyboard, the entry is then as quick as the fingers but the calculated f…

Greets from the land of 100°F+ (38°C+) daily temps for months on end. Ugh. I'm creating a runtime where it includes the typical address fields you'd find in most solutions: Street, City, State, Postal Code and Country. To make things a little easier for end users I encoded the sorting scripts so if users sort by Country then the State and City fields are automatically sorted along with it; if the Country field is sorted in ascending order then the sort order is ascending for State then City as well; descending order...well, there's the problem: If Country is sorted in descending order should the State and City fields also be sorted descending or to make it easie…

Hi everybody, Firstly, allow me to preface this post by saying that I expect to feel somewhat silly by asking what I am about to ask, as it may appear very, very obvious! So obvious that I can't see the wood for the trees. When working on code at the field level I am unable to either: alter the font size to make things more readable or copy and paste it to a text editor and enlarge and print it to suit my own eyes. This also applies to scripts and so I am at a loss as to why may not be possible. I have the latest Macs, latest OS, latest devices and can't understand why I am working so hard to comprehend my own code. Getting too close to the c…

I'd like, when one of the four small images is pressed/selected, that it appear in the larger box. They are container fields.. it's just not making sense to me at all how to get that to happen.

Is there a simple way to keep my various related databases within a "window" frame - I know this can be done by calculating the position of the window from which one is navigating and making the new window take that position - but i was wondering about a simpler solution so that I do not have to go back and work out all the instances in my solution where such a calculation would be needed.

Hiya, I have created a Runtime running in Kiosk mode. When I run it, the rest of the screens (two screens) go black. This means the user can not access anything else on the desktop (not related to the Runtime Application) whilst they are using it. Is this normal? What I would like to see is the application in its "popup" window sitting on the desktop with everything else on the desktop visable. Am I missing the point of running in kiosk mode? Cheers

I am trying to toggle a color of a label based on if a field is active or not. If I made and edit I am fine but if just tabbing through field without any edits no luck, any suggestions

I have some funky behavior with the FMP 11 Advance icon. It often displays the icon from another app (see attached). I think it is quite bizarre. Anyone have any idea why this is happening and how I can get it to stop?

Admittedly, I'm more autistic than artistic so designing a stylish, yet functional, GUI for my runtime solutions is beyond my ability. Short of hiring a graphic designer (meaning big $$$), is there a website or book that you know of that shows different database designs? The sample solutions that are included with FileMaker are too simplistic and klunky for my taste; I'm thinking of something more elegant. TIA for your replies.

This is a problem I've never personally had before, but I would guess that other developers have… I have a report that includes an Instructions field, and the contents ranges from nothing, to a couple words, to several sentences long. How can I indicate that there is more text than is being displayed in the field? I've thought of calculating the number of characters of each field, then make a calculated field that ends with those characters and an ellipsis if it exceeds what I decide is a good number, but unless I use a monospaced type, that ellipsis is not going to be in a reliable place. Anyone come up with a clever way to deal with this?

Hi all! I'm trying to make a more firendly way of entering time-of-day data into two fields, let's call them TimeStart and TimeEnd. What I'd like to have is an interface which: 1)allows typing the time in continuoous form, ommiting the separator, 2)allows for setting the time by using two buttons beside the time field (increase/decrease) for a specified increase/decrease time step 3)cycles between 00:00 and 23:59 (time-of-day strict data type) Currently, I have a script for the increase/decrease buttons by using a Set Field script step attached that uses the following formula: Time(hour(timestart);minute(timestart)+15;"00") But I have the probl…

"I would like to be able to add a style to a selection (highlighted) with a script. i.e. The script (Copy) can be used to copy any selection in any field on a layout. No pull down menus. Wayne

For Credit Card Authorization forms I have to provide an image of the front and back of the card, the cardholders Drivers License and their signature. I have designed a printable layout for this. As of now, I have the images stored as Container Fields in a CCInfo table. This table also contains such info as the CC# and other related text files. My problem is that every time one of my employees sends a CCA, they are having to manually insert the container images from the hard drive onto the layout. I'm afraid that over time the wrong image will be inserted. I want to AutoEnter the correct images when the DB reads a related name. The layout I have set up…

I do not know how this is done but I have seen a few examples of peoples databases where there layout has a color on the background --- this is not a object you can select... its part of the pats (ie body etc...) Does anyone know how to do this... The default is white theirs is Black... Thank you

Not sure how it's done but I have seen this before. Instead of having a smiple checkbox that displays only an "x" they have replaced it with a image of a check in a container.... I cannot figure how tis is done... Con someone show me a simple example so I may put it in my database... Thank you

Hello, Sorry if i categorized my problem in wrong category.Today i have downloaded 1 application made by using Filemaker . In that application when i move my cursor of mouse on any image or button in which any script is attached .....then automatically bright grey rectangle appears behind of that button/image.I dont understand how its showing because till in filemaker 11 there is not any mouse trigger launched.not is it possible by conditional formatting. Have anybody any idea ? For more info please click on below link and download the application "Download Moneyworks Demo". http://www.evopac.com.my/filemaker.htm

When you select a color from the windows color picker for fill, line or text, the interface is the same as it probably has been since filemaker 4. Has anyone created a plugin with a better interface?

Anyone with advice on how to successfully, and consistently use Tenone Signature Capture on the multitouch or iphone/ipad to pop the signature right into a filemaker container field? I have had variable success with this. It will work for weeks and then just stop working with no explanation. Sometimes it will work fine and then on the next attempt fail and repeat failing to put the image into the container field.

This is driving me crazy: I allow for the layout shift between List and Form views (3 pts.) so the buttons between layouts--with differing views--all line up, but when I change the zoom level the shift rears its ugly head. Is there a way around this problem or no?

I need to give my users the ability to horizontally scroll a layout (ideally, part of a layout). I have found bits and pieces about this, but no single, coherent explanation. The help menu tells me to create a button with a script that does the following: "Scroll Window (if the layout objects are wider than one screen)". However, 1) the "scroll window" script command does not give me the option to specify that I want a horizontal scroll 2) I don't know how to create a layout object "wider than one screen". I would greatly appreciate any help on this!

I need to give my users the ability to scroll in a text window, in browse mode, so that the window size can remain fixed. Can somebody please tell me how to do it -- or, at least, how to start? Alternatively,I need to enable them to open a text window that they can move around the screen and re-size. Thanks!

Help - I've got several objects on a layout which keep disappearing! In the attached file, please look at the layout which automatically loads when you open the file, and click on the "Donations" tab. Then click on "Edit Layout" and look at that tab again. Moving individual objects to the top of the tab makes them reappear. Any objects which are completely below a certain point on the layout completely disappear when you try browsing the layout normally! And this is true of labels, too - not just empty fields. I've tried moving these objects to the front, grouping them and ungrouping them, replacing them with completely new ones, sleeping on it... Nothing h…

I don't know if this belongs here, but there's sth I wanted to know your opinion about. Don't you think a feature similar to HTML frames would be useful - dividing the screen in vertical spaces as well as horizontal ones (we already have those)? For example you'd have the ability to have a left hand portal and in the middle a list view. Now it also comes to my mind that those layout-parts would be nice if they were based upon different tables. Am I asking too much/impossible/unnecessary programming burden from our friends at FM?

Hello, I'm producing a Shrink Wrap solution dedicated to the running of Care homes, their patients and staff. I've pretty much wrapped up everything except one feature whose implementation is baffling me: One section of the software deals with patients medical assessment, specifically - Pressure Sores (Bed Sores). I have a graphic representing the front and rear view of a generic human body. I'd like the user to be able to click on the graphic, e.g, Front View - Top Left Shoulder and leave a small mark to indicate the region where a Pressure Sore is located. He'd then fill in a side panel to indicate type, severity, pain etc - Click Add, and the poin…

I have a summary feild that totals for each county in a state. I would like to display this data on a state map with each county total displayed in the county on the map. Is there a way to do this? I have looked around but have not seen anything. Thanks.

I'm really desperate... I just upgraded to Snow Leopard 10.6, and I cannot start any of the databases I develop. The results is a application crash (libFontParser.dylib). Is there some kind of font cache I could delete. Or is there any other hint? Thank you for your advice.

Like Costco.... take a picture it gets laid to membership card.. We have additionally, also 2 standard sheets 8 1/2x11 size to scan and attached to our client.. My application is done up to .. currently operator using Filemaker right clicks or inserts image to container... The major problem is any photoshop editing... etc... ANy suggestion how we can proceed with a dummy simpler way of doing this?

Using FM8 Advanced I have a table containing graphics. I have a table containing names. I would like to end up with a container field that combines the graphics and the names. Example: A png of a flower and I want 50 different versions of it, each with one name from the name table. I need to have this become a new png. I could potentially need to do this 1000's of times, so I need to automate somehow. I can't have a layout with the name under the flower and then print that. I need a png file when it's done (1000's of them). Is this something FM could do or do I need to work with graphics software? Any suggestions would be appreciated…

I am working on a database for a company that is going to be using FileMaker with touchscreen PCs. Part of what they want is a damask background that they use in their brochures in the background of the touchscreen application I am creating in FileMaker (background gif attached). In html you can set a background to tile so that the page doesn't take a lot of space and so that the background is still the background no matter what size the page is. I am wondering if there is any way to mimic this effect in filemaker. I have a few ideas of how to remedy the problem if I can't find a way to tile the background so that the screen will have the same background no ma…

My problem is I have a list of records and I want to create basically a alphabetic summery field that I can then us to illuminate a tech's name. I basically have a list view of my records for that day that have the the techs I have assigned to them. I then would like to illuminate a simple label using conditional formatting to indicate that a tech has been put on a list that way no one is forgotten. I have can light 1 to 2 names at a time if you are on the record that contains the name you are looking for but ignores all other tickets. I would like to simply compile a list of all techs in a summery and then use conditional formatting to check and see if the name is …

I am perplexed! I have a few layouts to print CD Jewel labels from a container field. These layouts differ in the rotation of the container field (which holds main content of the case label). I.e. the field is not rotated on one layout, and in another the field is rotated 90degrees depending on how the graphic was scanned. The problem is that on the 90degree rotation it is drastically cropping the edges of the graphic! (See attached screen shots.) Both are exactly the same record, exactly the same field, exactly the same data. I even copied the container field from 0degree layout over to the 90degree layout, rotated it and tried it again --- to preserve setting…

As shown in the attachment, the Learn option is grayed out in my Suggested Spellings contextual menu option. It's been like this for years and I'm not quite sure why. This does not happen on local files, only my hosted files. What's the low-down on dictionary modification for hosted files?

Hi all, I'm looking for some ideas to make this layout more clean, and more intuitive. I can't attach the db, it's hosted right now. But, attached are two pics, one of the layout, and one of the table structure. The layout is from the perspective of the input_filter table. The user is to select a Tool record in the portal at the left. The tool info is then shown in the "Selected Tool" box. Each tool will have multiple "Work entries" which are shown next, with the selected data below. Then, each "Work Entry" will be quoted by several vendors, only one of which is awarded the work. Everything is working on this layout, but I just feel that it's busy,…

Hello, I am trying to find an inventory system that can show also the profit of something sold. Here is my idea for the problem. I think that it does not work as I like and that is the reason I as you here. When something is bought it is written to the inventory table with its price and quantity. When something is sold it is written also to the same table with the sold price and quantity. At every sold Item I need to have the purchased price of the product and so I search the original purchased item I marked it as sold take the price and write it to the sold item. So I have the profit of the sold item. This was easy. The problem now What if…

I'm starting a new project. There are two distinct systems, Inventory and Activities, that share two tables: Staff and Sites. Since FM7, I've never developed a multi-file system. I'm interested in pros vs cons: All one file vs. multi-file. I could have this be one file, and based on priv set, navigate to the "proper" main menu. However, maybe it would be a good thing to break it out to Inventory (multi-table, of course), Site (actually also multi-table as this is for a school, and each site has a district), Staff (single table), and Activities (reporting system, multi-table). Would someone be so kind as to debate the two approaches with me? (This …

Anyone know how to change the run time icon to a custom icon?

Hello, not sure if this is the right place ... I use FM6. Previously using the mouse scroll would scroll through records. Now for some reason it scrolls the page up/down in a single record. I'm not aware of making any change. Does someone know about this and how I can get it back to scrolling records? Thanks for any help!

G'day all, I haven't been developing for a few years now (and haven't checked in here either) but I'm considering taking up the art again to produce a contract and project management system for the organisation I'm currently working for. I'll have to upgrade my FM Advanced to the latest version. I'd just buy an off the shelf project management package but trouble is none really meet our complex reporting requirements: i.e. dynamic reporting of projects by directorates, locations, funding sources, strategic goals, etc. I know I can put the basics together in FM in pretty short order but where I'm envisaging getting a bit stuck for time is being able to display …

This probably isn't the correct place to ask this question, but I didn't see a better place.... I have a new HP laptop and just loaded FM 7 onto it (the same version I've been using on a desktop for a while). In Layout mode, anytime I click on the screen and hold (like when you are moving an object)the screen goes black. While I'm moving the object I do get little flashes of the screen, but for the most part it is all blacked out. Any reason for this? and how can I stop it? Thanks.

Hi gang - I have a container question I'm stuck on. I need to allow a certain logged-in group (call them DRIVERS) access to import files into a container field, but once they are uploaded and 30 mins pass, they will no longer have access to either remove or update them. They do need to be able to view them tho. The record will then pass to the next group. Then, the next logged-in group (EVAL group) should be able to view them in a pop-up window at full size, but never delete or overwrite them. Is something like this possible? I'm lost! Thanks, Tony

Hey everyone, I am pretty new to database design, so I used illustrator to mock up what I wanted the layout to look like. Is there anyway to get some of the vector elements from illustrator to the layout of FM Pro 8.5 or 10? Thanks for any help.

Any Photoshop wizards here? I have PSD-file and i need to change some text in it and then save picture as jpg. How this can be done?

Hello there, fellow FM'rs! In my database, after much blood, sweat and tears (relationships, portals, etc), all the necessary info now appears in the correct table, all that is needed is a snazzy presentation! I'd love to show the relevant records as a series of pyramidal hierarchies, so one quick glance gives an overview of the whole organization. Each area subdivided into tasks, each task performed by an employee, with name and photo displayed. These elements are all in my table. However, Filemaker seems to list multiple records only vertically. A thorough search here in the forums did not find any topics that really address the specific goal at hand.…

I'm pondering the concept of abstracting all the strings (mostly messages that appear in dialog boxes) I'm using in a specific solution to a single place. Doing so would allow me to: 1. Reference all the strings from a single location. 2. Add localization pretty easily. 3. Imagine for a moment I was using a "grown-up" development environment... Anyway I have a couple ideas of how to do this, but they pretty much boil down to one of the following: • Storing a list of strings in a custom function • Storing each string as a record in a specific table I was wondering if anyone has experience of doing something similar, or knows of a "preferred" way of…

Has anyone noticed strange behaviour with fields that are in the header, in FMP10. In FMP 10, in list mode, with fields in the header. The fields will lock or the field content will disappear when the user scrolls through the list. I am looking for a work around, or maybe it is a bug. header_fields_lock_during_scroll_in_FMP10.zip

Can you create a global field that can be for all tables in a database, or do you have to access it from one table to another via the relationship? For example on many of my screens it will say the year 2009. I set a global field in tableA with the year. I want my layouts from tableB to also say 2009. Can I create this global field just once? Do I have to access the year through a relationship from table to table? Hope I'm making some kind of sense. Thanks. Mike

How do I keep all data related to a certain date in a report together. For instance, if all the data for a certain date will not fit on one page then move it to the next page. See attached pdf. ImageReport2.pdf

I have a database I created for the company I work for. We schedule service technicians on a daily basis. What you will see below is a copy of a layout/form we use to schedule our techs. The data is based on the service tickets that are generated for our techs to perform their jobs from. We use this as a visual interpretation of our service calls. The data you see on the Dave's book pdf is a copy of the layout I am working with. On the bottom is a portal used to display the calls from that day, At the top of the page you will see a list of check boxes. The check boxes are the techs we have working that day. In the paper form we use this list to double check our sc…

I have a frequent need to enter a same value to multiple records. In the table/list view, this translates to a vertical rectangle selection. How do I do that? Shift-arrow, control-arrow, command-arrow, none worked...

This is a data entry problem but I can't see which other forum it should go in. I have looked in FM Prefs, and there isn't a "highlight contents when tabbing" option. The reason for this is that I often have cause to duplicate records where all data is to be the same apart from a few fields. To give one example : let's say I duplicated a record (Command-D) of which the first 3 fields are to remain the same, the last two need changes. Ideally I would like to do all this via the keyboard viz.: Command-D, tab, tab, tab, tab, type, tab, type (which "highlight when tabbing" would allow) Whereas now I have to: Command-D, tab, tab, tab, tab, move hand on…

Can anyone offer a suggestion for a good approach to highlight URLs within text fields? FMP has provided the right-click "Open: http: //........" for years. However, it's often hard to spot a short URL (like http:// www .m-w.com) in a large text block. I'd like to have any URL highlighted in a different text color or maybe underlined like a link. I've considered occasionally running a script to parse all text fields in my application and insert color settings. Or (in FMP 10) have a script that executes upon exiting each field, to modify them one at a time. Hopefully, someone has considered this before and can offer some insight. Thanks for any help.

Can anyone provide some insight into how to create a robust reporting module? I'm imagining a solution that is able to pull from multiple tables by importing into a reporting table and then being able to sort and summarize. Any tips and tricks? Thanks

Searched around and was not able to find anything on this that seemed to help. Client has a bunch of paper forms and wants them in FM. Short of creating a whole new set of databases (some of the forms have 70+ data elements), I'm thinking it would be easier to simply get the paper into PDF on the server then use a container field to point to them. Clicking on the container field will open the PDF. Is this possible? How?

here is an odd one I have a list of items in a portal. I have a num field on the main layout I would like a conditional format calculation to highlight the number of rows (top down) based on the value in a number field.

Is it possible to get FileMaker to pop up a file selection window when a user clicks on a layout field? In other words, operate in the same manner FileMaker uses when prompting for an export destination file. (see attached diagram) The field I have is not connected with any scripted process. It's purpose is to provide text for a report. Now, the user is having to type into the field and typos are difficult to notice. It would be much easier to click on a selection. Any help will be appreciated.

I'm having a problem. I access some of my applications via my fm server. When they open I always get a minimized screen rather than a full screen. Can't seem to find the setting to avoid that. Any help? Mike

Hey gang: Back to see if anyone can offer suggestions. I am trying to develop a report from my database. What I am looking to do is have a report available for admin that will sort on each employee and then total (show) the number of cases that they have assigned to them. I have this semi done in a columnar list/report which will list the employee and then under them list the case (and other information I would like in a report.) I am at a lose on how to get a total field for the cases (for each employee) Thank you for any help Opieos

Hi FM experts! I'm putting together a small project tracking system. I'd like the user to be able to mark any field with a little "red flag" icon, to indicate an area of risk or uncertainty. Is this possible in FM? Thanks, Frosty.

I am trying to create a survey using a visual analog scale, where the person doing the survey, answers a question by selecting a point anywhere along a 100mm line. If the start of the line is selected it should return the value 0, and at the end 100. Any point along the line any value b/w 0 and 100. Multiple radiobuttons is limited by the number that can be squeezed in, and is not a true visual analog scale. A slider like a volume bar or scroll bar may work?? Anyone know a way to solve this problem?

Hi all, I would like to import images as folder following the order sorted by name. I have images with name 0.jpg to 2547.jpg. however when i imported, it starts from 939.jpg. anyone can give me some hints on that? archlight Regards

Managing Complexity, Mangling Complexity, Round 2 FileMaker Design Caucus 10.08 Thursday Oct. 30th, 3 pm Eastern Time, Noon Pacific (1900 UTC) --- Help decide the topic & lead the discussion at the next Design Caucus, and [NEW!] post document images in advance at: http://gallery.me.com/smallco#100132 This is the second round for this topic, with more documents to share and more caucus members on mic. If you'd like to be heard at this caucus, please arrive one half hour early, with a working headset. Microphones alone are not good enough due to the potential for audio feedback! How have you dealt with very complex application architecture? Do …

Hi, I have a solution built on a two-file separation model where the user wants to store the images as non-referenced images inside the FMP 9 data file. There will be thousands, then tens of thousands of these images, over time. They're not high-res but will average around 100-300k a piece. My question - which I'm sure has been asked before but which I can't find, sorry - is, will this slow down, make unstable or have any other negative effect on the database? Anyone got any experience of this? The solution will be initially hosted on FMP 9 client for testing then will move to Server 9 very soon, so it's really for Server. Thanks, Pat

Join us for the return of SmallCo's FileMaker Design Caucus Thursday, Aug 28 at 3 pm Eastern Time (UTC - 4). No Caucus membership is required. Join as a guest at: http://smallco.net/caucus See FileMaker solutions from FileMaker, Inc. and five of your developer colleagues, and vote for the best solutions in three categories: 1. Best Bang for the Buck: the smallest change that afforded the biggest improvement for the user. 2. More Than Skin Deep: the layout redesign that best expresses the user's world. 3. Why Didn't I Think Of That? the most creative re-thinking of an app's first screen. See you there! -- Albert Harum-Alvarez Sma…

Hello, I want to print a layout content wich is bigger than A4 size (please don't ask to re-arrange the layout because it's dam'n complex :-)). For that I use the resize factor in % located in print driver. Doing a print downsize doesn't reduce the content of the layout to fit the page (A4), in fact, the visible - not reduced layout content - is shrinked according to the value specified in a smaller region in A4 page during print, cutting the right and bottom section of the layout. Same thing appens using PrimoPDF. Have an idea for that problem ? Thank you very much in advance Friisco

Just in case somebody hasn't already created one . . . * 30 easy puzzles * 30 moderate puzzles * 30 hard puzzles * Error checking * Unlocked / Full Access Soduko (external link due to file size 1.5M) I originally designed it with 81 Web Viewer cells for animated gif's, but it was just too darn irritating. A full 2-3 sec load time before the animation would start! So I scratched that idea and just went with static images. For anyone who missed my previous game posting you can find SpaceInvaders here: ThePost I appear to be the only nut making games in FMP, but I'm enjoying myself and have appreciated the positive feedback I've rece…