How can I force a font for a layout?

[PatriciaW]

I have a report on which I want all fields to have the same font characteristics (especially size.)

However, some of the data fields are using a different (larger) font so that the report (actually labels) does not print correctly. When I look at the individual fields they do seem to be correct yet when I preview the data the larger fonts are still there on individual records.

How can I fix this?

[Lee Smith]

Go into layout mode and select the fields and change the font/style to the one you want.

If the layout mode shows the font/style as you want already, then there is a possibility that you will need to check what is being put into the field in the Browse mode.

HTH

Lee

[sbg2]

Too funny. Heres what I appear to see...

If text entered into a field is set to anything other than the formatting specified in layout mode those format settings are attached to that fields text. There doesn't seem to be a way to override this without using a seperate calculation field to reformat the text. Anytime you display that field on another layout the field will display with the altered formatting. If the text entered into a field has not had its formatting altered from the default format then the text will have no formatting and takes on the characteristics defined for the field in layout mode.

In short, you should apparently never change a fields text formatting in browse mode if you plan to use that field on another layout. In the opposite direction, if you want to export a fields contents with formatting intact you MUST change the texts formatting in browse mode to something other than the default set in layout mode. crazy stuff.

My suggestion might be to set up an export to a .tab or .csv file (or other extension that wont retain formatting) and then import the records into a seperate table for printing purposes.

[Lee Smith]

I was not trying to be funny. Nor was I trying to point out every thing that could be wrong by reading between the lines, I was looking for feedback from the original poster.

I had already prime the pump for more info. If you want to guess at all of the possibilities that could be involved and then suggest the possible solutions, then you have more time on your hands than I do, so go for it. But do not criticize other posts that are as good as an answer as any, considering the information given in the process.

Lee

[sbg2]

Sorry Lee, my "Too Funny" comment was not directed at you. It was meant to be directed towards my frustration with the way FM handles formatted text. My reply to your post was meant to expand on what you had stated, not belittle it.

[MoonShadow]

"But do not criticize other posts that are as good as an answer as any ..."

It didn't appear criticism to me, Lee, but rather that sbg2's observations on font behaviors were 'funny' or peculiar on which format takes precedent. This is one of the problems with written words ... they can usually be interpreted many ways.

PWarwick, this is why raw data should usually be maintained in default font, size and color for standardization throughout a solution. Format can then be applied on particular layouts through format options or using an extra field for colorizing & sizing (or a calculation) or even via script to change the data itself (and then change it back after a process). But usually field format and control from the layout level is all that is required.

You can use Auto-Enter (Replace) on fields to revert your data back to default font if a User changes it in Browse, restrict paste to 'Paste without Style' or even remove access to the Font options on the Menu bar (through Access Privileges or menu plug-ins). A search here on Forums can provide details on all of these font-normalization options - there have been many threads on the subject.

Update - that's what happens when I stop in the middle of a post to eat ... sbg2 clarified. Oh well, the rest of my comments are still applicable so I'll leave it as it stands.

[PatriciaW]

Interesting thread ... thanks for the confirmation of my fears. However the users of this system have learned to use fonts to emphasize certain text and I would probably get into trouble with them if I tried to do restrict that. So I really don't want to change the font as stored in the data but just as it is reported on this form.

Given what has been discussed here, I suspect that I might have to do something like set up a duplicate table which has fields which are calculated from the first table ... just for reporting purposes.

Does that make sense?

Patricia

[Lee Smith]

Hi Patricia,

Given what has been discussed here, I suspect that I might have to do something like set up a duplicate table which has fields which are calculated from the first table ... just for reporting purposes.

Does that make sense?

Yes it does, and that would have been my suggestion also.

Lee

[PatriciaW]

Hi Lee,

I just noticed that sbg2 had already made that suggestion ... (thanks sbg2)

Of course my next question is how to do that under the control of a script. I'm an old SQL programmer (actually QUEL but that is ancient history) and I would have done this via an INSERT ... AS SELECT ... type statement.

I thought I could use the COPY ALL RECORDS/REQUESTS followed by a PASTE, but in FM help it implies that the PASTE can only be done into one field. Is there any simple way to just copy all fields from one table and insert them into the "shadow" table?

Patricia

[Fenton]

If you want to always strip custom formatting, so that a field will always show in whatever font you specify for that particular layout, use an Evaluate ( Quote ( Field ) ) auto-enter by calculation. If you uncheck [ ] Do not replace field content, it's darn near impossible to custom format the text in the field.

The confusion arises because there are 2 separate mechanisms to format text in FileMaker. There is "select the text, then choose a format" in Browse mode, which you do for a particular piece of text, ie., that particular piece of text (can be just 1 character), in that field, in that record.

This is something that is common to many programs, and usually is integrated with the operating system, so this text can be copied/pasted between programs and retain its formatting.* It doesn't much care which layout it's on, because the style information is attached to that particular piece of text.

Then there is FileMaker Layout mode formatting. The "custom" formatting above overrides the Layout format. It has to, or else you couldn't custom format any individual characters.

* It used to in FileMaker 6 anyway. In 7 you can paste style in, but you cannot get it out. If you look at it with AppleScript you see that it has no longer has style, though it obviously does in FileMaker. The change might have been necessary for cross-platform text-formatting calculations; which are really more important to developers, IMHO. Maybe it'll return later, but something basic has changed.

FontPlain.fp7.zip

[PatriciaW]

Hi Fenton,

Using the various suggestions from this thread, I think I am going to define some additional unstored calculated fields using your formatting suggestion. I have done a quick test and it does appear to be well behaved. I can do this for all the fields that are sensitive to being reformatted and just use them for the reports.

Thanks all

[Lee Smith]

Hi Fenton,

Thanks for the example file, it is just what I needed to see how this can be done in v7. I see that the Calculation of c_Field1 = Field1 doesn't work in v7, so I'll need to comb my files for this type of calculation when migrating.

Lee