"Sliding" other than preview or print?

[-Queue-]

Have you tried using merge fields? They will shrink in Browse Mode if no data exists.

[RDecker]

Is there any way to delete unused space on a layout other than sliding in Preview or Print?

I want to display a chart of accounts in as compact a form as possible, but some account entries (which normally consist of 2 fields: number and name) also have a comment field which displays below the number/name line (indented). This involves perhaps a third of over 100 accounts. If I use a regular list or table display, only half as many records will show on screen since they all leave room for the comment field. This is for on-screen reference, not for printing. The comments that do exist are usually long enough to fill most of a line on screen, so I can't put them on the same line as the account number/name. (They're designed to give directions for account usage--by nonprofit volunteer personnel, so they're quite important overall--and this is the screen where they'll be going for help when they don't know what account to use.)

And BTW, I'm displaying them in an interface file; the data comes from a separate file.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

decker

[RDecker]

No, hadn't used them before. Just tried, but I must be doing something wrong since they don't shrink as you (& FM help) describe. I've tried with two merge fields in the same text block (name and note), or two separate merge fields, or one regular field ond one sliding. Also tried setting the sliding options. In Browse mode it still takes up two lines for every record when most need only one line.

decker

[-Queue-]

Ah, rereading your question, I think your problem is that you can't shrink the actual Body part, only items within it.

[RDecker]

Bummer. So, am I back to using a Preview display then?

[MoonShadow]

I am unclear on why you resist Preview mode, Decker. Is it because Users will need to directly edit the fields? The reason I ask is that, if your intent is only for on-screen reference, not for printing (view Chart of Accounts while scrolling up/down through document) then you can (via script and unnoticed by User) first preview, paste page(s) into container(s) and display that instead. Both Bob Weaver and CobaltSky have provided some great examples.

If Users need to edit the information, there are ways around that also. But I would think your Chart of Accounts wouldn't be routinely amendable. Can you fill us in a bit more if we're off-target?

[RDecker]

OK, my thoughts on this were that I'd prefer to have the entire chart of accounts in a single scrollable list, as compact as possible. If I use Preview, then the only way (that I know) to see the entire list is to first scroll down the first page, then ckick next page, scroll back to the top, then down again, etc. Plus if I dump them into this with a script, if they hit the Cancel button in the status bar, it leaves them on the accounts layout, whereas I want the script to take them back to the original layout when they're finished (using Continue). If I hide the status bar, then I don't know of any way to navigate the multi-page preview (since buttons aren't "live" in Preview).

If I use regular Browse mode, then it takes twice as much vertical space in the list since I have to leave room for the note field under the account name.

There are probably other ways to do this, but I don't know what they are. Your suggestion to "paste page(s) into container(s) and display that instead" sounds interesting, but I've no idea of the mechanics of that or just what that might accomplish. If that might do what I've just described, can you tell me how to find the examples you mention? Or point me in the right direction?

Thanks, your help is much appreciated.

Decker

[MoonShadow]

Decker said...If I use regular Browse mode, then it takes twice as much vertical space in the list since I have to leave room for the note field under the account name.

Not if you have previewed the report first because your preview will remove extra lines. When you then paste this preview into a global container, Users will see it while in Browse - neatly scrunched. How many pages are your Chart of Accounts? Four or five? When you Preview, you can count how many pages and script pasting that page preview into the container. You can search forum for some really good discussions on pasting previews for 'browse' display.

I suggest you tame Preview Mode by displaying your control buttons from a window. FM7's enhanced windowing fits very nicely with a floating navigation window. One such demo for FM7 is Ray's Floating Navigation Palette.

[RDecker]

I'm back working on this issue finally. I've been trying to implement the "paste preview into container" technique. The instructions that I've been trying to follow (from DataDesigns website) are for FMPv3, so I suspect some modifications are needed, plus I'm doing the preview in an interface file, but the chart of accounts is coming from a data file. Thus far I can't seem to get it working. Here's what I've tried in terms of a script thus far. (Should I take this over to the Scripting forum, or continue with it here?)

Show/Hide Status Area [Hide]

Perform Script ["Preview Chart of Accounts" from file "Chartof Accounts"]

#This ^ script in the external file performs the following steps: find all, sort, go to layout, preview.

Go to Record/Request/Page [Last]

Set Field [ChartOfAccounts::PreviewMaxPageNmbr]

Go to Record/Request/Page [First]

Set Field [ChartOfAccounts::PreviewPageNmbr]

Copy []

Enter Browse Mode []

Go to Layout ["ChartOfAccountsPreview" (ChartOfAccounts)]

Paste [select; ChartOfAccounts::PreviewPageGraphic]

Go to Field []

Something is obviously wrong since I get neither the "pg # of #" text nor the preview graphic in the container field. It's prob. some simple thing that I don't understand, or perhaps I've adapted from v. 3 incorrectly...

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,

decker

[RDecker]

I just figured out at least part of this. Instead of trying to copy the previewed layout from the data file, I needed to put that layout in the interface file, preview it there, and then copy and paste... That was with a skeleton script; now to go back and see if the other pieces work...

decker

[RDecker]

Got it! For other learners who might be following this, or find it later, here's the script that I have working now. It's probably possible to streamline this some. You have to do this different from the demo file/instructions on the DataDesigns FMPv3 page due to different functions and ways of doing things since 7, but the basic concept is the same. (The setField...Get is the biggest difference.)

Show/Hide Status Area [Hide]

Allow User Abort [Off]

Go to Layout ["Chart of Accounts4PreviewCT" (ChartOf Accounts)]

Show All Records

Sort Records [Restore; No dialog]

Enter Preview Mode

Go to Record/Request/Page [Last]

Set Field [ChartOfAccounts::PreviewMaxPageNmbr; Get (PageNumber)]

Go to Record/Request/Page [First]

Set Field [ChartOfAccounts::PreviewPageNmbr; Get (PageNumber)]

Copy []

Enter Browse Mode []

Go to Layout ["ChartOfAccountsPreviewCT" (ChartOfAccounts)]

Paste [select; ChartOfAccounts::PreviewPageGraphic]

Commit Records/Requests [No dialog]

Scroll Window [Home]

Any suggestions for tightening this up? (The final Scroll set is necessary so as not to loose sight of the top button bar.)

Next step (when I have time) is to figure out the other scripts to control navigation through this page-by-page. I haven't tried to do that yet.

decker