has anyone found a solution for in FMP7 that will let you highlight a portal row of the current record being viewed no matter how the user navigates to that record?

I don't think there is a "current record being viewed" in a portal, until you click into a portal row. Unless it's a self-relationship; but even in that case I believe you'd have to set the record ID into a global in order to show a global background in a portal on that record. I can't figure out what you're trying to do.

what you are talking about is the same thing. You have answered it. - thanks