NEWBIE - Image Container - Frustrated!!

[kiwiora]

Ok, so first off please bear with me as I am a newbie and I couldn't find the "Filemaker Pro for dummies" forum.

I have searched on this site (too advanced) and looked through the filemaker pro user manual (not advanced enough) and can't find enough information about the whole Image Container.

I'm talking back to basics.

I'm talking how to get the bloomin graphic in the first place.

I have been having a look at graphite (which I attach so you can see what I mean) to see how the guts of these things work. So far I understand everything behind the scenes except the basic of basic in where the heck is the graphic?? I can't even figure out where (if the case) the graphic is pointed to from.

I am looking at the checkbox. I understand the img display, I understand the image number, I even understand the lock container, but I can't for the life of me (even after going into layout mode and viewing the field definition) find the graphic used.

So what am I missing?

Test case:

I have pretty much duplicated the fields (albeit named them differently) and have different graphics to insert into the container. How the heck do I get them in. As per the manual (5.5, 2-11) I went to Insert picture... DOH... I knew that already.. I'm talking the whole container thing.. I'm talking if I click on the script to toggle, the ******* graphic toggles via the container like the attached... I have circled in the bold red line where you would click to toggle, the other red line is all the back up stuff.

Please help before I slash my wrists...

graphitetest.zip

[kennedy]

Where is the text that's in a global field?

That's where the graphic is.

In Browse mode, you can select the image that's in the container field. You can copy it. You can paste it into another image field. But you can't manipulate it or edit it as Browse mode doesn't offer any such tools.

But after copying the graphic in Browse mode, flip into Layout mode and then you can paste that graphic right onto your layout. You can create some graphic objects in Layout mode, copy them, flip back to Browse mode, and then paste those graphics into the container field.

HTH.

P.S. For some more examples done a bit different way, see my Starter Template posted in the Sample Files forum. It is based on graphite but uses the container fields for checkboxes and a few other things a bit differently.

[CobaltSky]

There is a funcamental problem. You have asked for a 'back to basics description, but what you are trying to do is in no way basic. I'll explain it as simply and directly as I can.

How graphical interface elements work is that:

1. You have container fields where the graphics are stored (like text entry fields but for pictures). In the template these are 'repeating' with two repetitions so that the first can hold the checkbox in its unchecked state and the second can hold the image of the checkbox in its checked state. This container is where the graphics reside, but once the database is operational, it needn't appear on any layouts - the users never see or interact with it directly.

In the template this storage field for the checkbox images is called "gCB_img_container"

2. There is a text or number field - (in this instance a number field called "CB_img_number") in which the data associated with the checkbox is stored.

3. There is a display field (in this instance, a field called "CB_img_display") which is a calculation field which checks the status of the data in the CB_img_number field, and displays the appropriate image from one of the two 'repetitions' of the "gCB_img_container" field accordingly.

4. The final piece of the puzzle is a graphical object (which is created with the rectangle tool) which is set to transparent line and fill attributes (so it is invisible) and specified as a button (using the specify button command) and thus attached to the script called 'Toggle Checkbox'. This transparent button object is positioned and sized appropriately to fit over the checkbox field on the layouts users see.

so when users click on the checkbox, they are really clicking on the transparent regtangular button - which will trigger the script to change the value in the CB_img_number field, thus causing the CB_img_display field to update accordingly and display an alternate image sourced from the gCB_img_container repeating field. That's it in a nutshell!

So now, to answer your question, where the graphics go is they are placed (eg pasted) into the container field called "gCB_img_container". It has two repetitions, which appear side by side on the layout in the lower left red rectangle you've drawn.

If you click on one of the squares of the container, and paste a graphic, it will appear in the container - and will also be displayed in CB_img_display whenever the value in the CB_img_number lines up with that container repitition.

[kiwiora]

Funnily enough the bit of information I really needed was what I said - i.e basic. I understood the rest of the information but what I needed to know was (drum roll please) that you copy the graphic in Layout mode, and paste it into the container in Browse mode!!!

[BobWeaver]

you copy the graphic in Layout mode, and paste it into the container in Browse mode

Yes. Annoying isn't it, especially when you have a lot of graphics. Another option is to have some kind of paint/draw program running at the same time and do your graphics in that, and then cut from it and paste into filemaker.