entering text in narrow fields... a Fmpro bug?

[joecollver]

I don't know if this is just my system, but when I enter text into a field in browse mode and the text is larger than the field, the field gets larger with each character I type beyong the space of the field, looking as if it was adding a return above and below what I'm typing.... when I switch to the next field it stops looking quite so sloppy, but still it doesn't look like it's displaying the data correctly.

I'm thinking this may just be because I'm using a non-English operating system, but has anyone else encountered anything like this?

[Vaughan]

In browse mode, fields will expand to allow entry of data. Usually (in my experience) they expand down when selected automatically, but if data is then deleted they don't automatically shrink themselves back up until you click out of the field and re-enter it.

Does that sound like your problem? I'm not familiar with non-English versions.

[CobaltSky]

This behaviour results from assigning a font with a vertical span (from the bottom of descending characters to the top of ascending ones) which exceeds the allotted height of the field.

Most fonts confirm to standard extended-height to stated size (eg a 12pt font usually falls within the range from 11 to 14 pt at its extremities) but there are exceptions.

To cater for such fonts, you will need to specify a custom line height for the fields, which is several pixels larger than the default line height for the font size characteristic that has been applied to the field. This is done bt selecting the field(s) in layout mode and going to Format > Line Spacing > Custom, selecting pixels as the measure (from the drop down menu next to the line height box) and increasing the number by several integers.

With some experimentation, you should be able to ascertain how many additional pixels are required for the fonts you are using in order to restore predictable field and font imaging when entering fields in browse mode.

[joecollver]

I think I did a foul job of explaining what the problem was, so I captured an image of what it looks like when I'm entering in the data:

As you can see in this pic, once the data I'm entering is longer than the field, it adds a return above the text for each character I type. Once I move on to the next field, it stops looking like this, but still, it looks messy especially if you are entering several characters beyond the length of the field.

[Vaughan]

Oh, that might be a bug. Have you got the your copy of FMP patched up to date? You haven't stated what version you use

6.0v3

5.5v2

5.0v3

4.1v3

4.0v3

It's the number after the "v" that represents the patch level. Get the free updater from www.filemaker.com if necessary.

[joecollver]

I just installed the 5.5v2 patch, and the bug is still there.

CobaltSky must be right, because when I tried changing the field's font value from the Chinese font I'm using back to Arial, the problem goes away.

[joecollver]

I tried all different combinations of values for the line spacing settings, yet the field still goes buggy once you enter in more than one line of text.