Find your running out of screen real estate for your field labels?

Let the field itself display the label when the field is empty.

Use auto enter calculation and un-check the "Do not replace..." box

Case(

IsEmpty(FIELD);

TextColor ( "Enter Text Here..." ; RGB ( 127 ; 127 ; 127 ) );

TextColor ( FIELD ; RGB ( 0 ; 0 ; 0 ) ))

Version: 7

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

OR

Use the field comment to specify your "instruction text"

Case(IsEmpty(FIELD);

TextColor ( FieldComment ( Get ( FileName ) ; "FIELD" ); RGB ( 127 ; 127 ; 127 ) );

TextColor ( FIELD ; RGB ( 0 ; 0 ; 0 ) ))

Version: v7.x

Platform: Mac OS X Panther

Few questions on this ..

1. would it be possible to display a smaller font, without affecting the font of entered text?

2. what about having a display field ... like a message line that could take a value from the field comment and display it like a field hint. so, field hints would always appear in the bottom of the UI in the same place as an example.

Ocean West --- What a great idea!!!

Beautiful!!Is there a way to nest your calc with TextFont( ( Proper( Company )); "Arial" ) so I can have both?

I can really see a use for your tip regarding the fields themselves displaying the label names if they're empty.

Sadly when I try to implement the tip - copying the code into the Specify Calculation area and changing "FIELD" "TEXT" and again "FIELD" to reflect the field that I am trying to apply this to and the text that I would like to see - uncheck the boxes etc. - nothing appears in the changed field on saving and returning to Browse mode.

I am a recent switcher to the FMP fold - using 8.5 - is there something that - stupidly - I'm missing.

Thanks for any help

gessie

The field should be TEXT.

Thanks for your tip Ilan

All the fields I've tried it with so far are Text - but even after quitting and reloading the program and file - I still get nothing in my field (not the name I'd hoped/expected to see). Blank - Zero!

Any other ideas to revive my wilting wishes.....?

gessie

Create a new record, see if it appears then.

I hate raining on parades, but this "tip" does nothing for data integrity. Field-level validation such as unique, not empty and member of value list can no longer be used.

Form over function?

Hi Vaughan

Thanks for your tip - that was what I needed - the field name does indeed show in a new record - but not in the 800 or so records entered to date.

So now I get to think more about if I should be using it - also in the light of your other Form over Function post.

Thanks for your help

gessie

there's also LeRetta's tip here, taking into account data integrity concerns:

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/114892/post/114894/#114894

The original thread is several years old, but since it's been revisited, go to Database Pros and search on "Hide Labels":

"With FileMaker 9 and conditional formatting, it is possible to place your field label text block under your field and have it appear and disappear when the field is empty and filled. Previously, it required an additional calculation but now conditional formatting allows you to do it with the field label you've always had."

Or here's a more recent twist that I have fun working with. We can have our field labels within the field AND have the field background highlight upon entry - very cool stuff!!

Gotta love FM for Conditional Formatting!! :wink2:

Yeah, one oversight in the DBPro file is that it has "Show field frames when record is active" checked so it doesn't behave quite right -- which is something you point out in your example file. Nice job.