Zulu

I have a field that usually contains a dollar amount. But sometimes I'll want to be able to put in text instead. So I created a field with a type of Number, and allowed the user to override. I then set the number formatting of the field to currency. When I type numbers in, all is well. But when I type text in, it does not appear in the field on my layout. The data is there, you just can't see it unless you select the field. What am I doing wrong here? What I want is a field that will automatically format to currency any number I input, but also display text if I input somethign else.

Is there a way to put engraved fields in an alternating color portal? When I try, all the fields are the layout background color, even the ones in the alternate rows. I tried making the fields transparent, but then the engraving goes away...