Selecting but not selecting row

[LindaG]

I have portal only one row (scroll bar active but transparent) and I have buttons Next/Previous/First/Last to move forward and back through the questions in the portal (using script Go To Portal Row [...]). This works fine except the first time going to the layout - person needs to click NEXT twice before it works (understandably, I guess, since there was no 'previous.')

But another problem ... Person needs to be able to edit the questions - access to each field - but every time I click on the portal (except specifically into a field) the whole thing lights up and tries to select.

I have made sure all fields are set to just enter field and not select all contents. When the whole portal turns black it looks terrible and I see no options of turning off the PORTAL 'select' option. The only thing I can think of is to take my fields and make they stretch to fill every px of the portal so that, no matter where clicked, it won't select itself and turn black. Ideas most appreciated.

Linda

[CobaltSky]

Hi Linda,

I suggest that you place a transparent rectangle behind all the fields in your portal, size it to fill the entire portal row and define it as a button attached to the Go to Field[ ] command (eg pointing at the first field in the portal).

That will ensure that if users click in the portal row, but noit in any field, they will be taken into a field rather than causing the portal row itself to become highlighted.

[LindaG]

I've spent several hours trying to fix this and your suggestion took 30 seconds and worked perfectly. Much obliged. Now I can have some white-space around my fields and it looks much better. You saved me much time here. Thank you!

Is there any way to fool it into knowing that the first time the 'next' is clicked to go to row 2? It default starts at row 1 (question 1). Maybe I have to set a global and fill it with 1 on layout switch, then change Next script to something like:

If [global = 1, Go to portal row 2

else

Go to portal row [next]

Set field global, ""

Not sure how to address this issue. Like the transparent rectangle, is it something easy? Well, I can live with having to click it twice but I don't want to if I have a choice. Same with Previous, I'll bet. On when first starting does it not respond right. Darned my lack of knowledge, anyway!!

[LindaG]

I'm attaching my problem child. Now it won't let me select anything in my other questions. It locks me out of the fields. My buttons work - moves portal row display forward/back - just can't get into fields on records 2-5. I selected all fields and 'brought to front.' but it doesn't help. I have attached my survey file if someone can figure out what is wrong now. It's a small three-table file with only a few layouts. It seems it's one thing after another ...

It was working ... even after I added the transparent rectangle - I'm pretty sure so I don't think it's that. But I don't recall changing anything and suddenly it just stopped letting me into the other question fields. The only thing I did was make the portal disappear (but I left schroll active). It looked better without the portal showing.

Oh. And I think we can forget my previous question because now it seems to work when I open the file. It knows what 'next' means. Why, I don't know.

Linda (non-programmer)

Surveys.zip

[Ender]

Looks like you have two duplicate portals overlapping each other. Removing one makes it work.

[LindaG]

Hello Ender. For the life of me I can only find one portal. I even 'select all' to try to spot it. I even deleted the portal AND the rectangle - and there is nothing under it that I can see. At first it goes to the second question and enters the field. But once I click outside the portal, I can't get back into the same field/question.

[Ender]

I have turned the portals' borders back on so you can see them.

Surveys-1.fp7.zip

[LindaG]

Ender! I am dumb-[censored] of the universe! I truthfully don't like transparent things because they are so hard to find. I thought I had identified every handle (little black box) but I didn't see it. Thank you! It works.

funny that, even leaving both portals there, I can enter the fields. Why is that? Does the pen pattern - whether transparent or oblique make a difference? So the problem isn't two portals (although dumb and I'll remove one) but rather that they can't be invisble and still work right? Thanks for your patience. I try to figure things out myself before I bother you sweet people here.

Well. Now I'm going to find out ... bugs me why it works now with two portals but wouldn't when lines were invisble.

Good grief and major apologies... it didn't work when you displayed both portals - I thought it worked. Removing one solves everthing. Time to fix dinner and forget trying to be a designer. Thank you for your patience with me.

Linda