Unique Layout troubles - frozen fields & redraw

[Hoby]

Hello, I'm having trouble with a custom layout. I was adapting a previously created database I'd made for someone and happened upon a neat layout idea. I took a Table layout and stretched the Header part tall enough to fit all my 'detail view' fields in there. I shuffled all the elements around nicely and it was all going GREAT until I realized I couldn't edit any of the fields in the header area. Filemaker apparently freezes input to fields but not buttons there. I tried other Part types but had no luck. Is there ANY way to have list and detail information available and editable at the same time? This is a significant hit against workflow ease and commonsense. Has no one else ever thought of this before? Why would Filemaker enforce such a bizarre limitation clear into version 5.5?

Also, there's a cosmetic problem with redraw on said layout. Sometimes the table column headers display as they should, sometimes they're blank, sometimes they display with seemingly every font style applied, sometimes they're jumbled in with the column contents. Anyone else had this happen?

I've placed a quick and dirty page of screenshots concerning these issues up at this location.

Hoby

[Vaughan]

Table View is relatively new to FMP, and I've never used it. I prefer to do it the old-fashioned way.

Regarding the header, with normal layouts the header only displays the first record: the footer the last record. Generally fields don't work as expected on headers and footers -- as you are discovering -- and I can only offer "don't do it" as advice.

Redesign the layouts using more traditional layout design principles.

[Chuck]

You've found one of my major complaints about FileMaker layout parts: fields aren't editable unless they are in a body part.

One way I can think of to have a list and detail information on the same layout is with a portal. You would have two relationships, both a self-join. Create a field called Constant that's a calculation with a number result and set the calc to 1. Create a self join relationship with this field as the match field on both sides of the relationship. Create a portal on the layout and that's your list.

Create a second field call gID that's a global field of the same type as your ID field (probably number or text). Create a self-join relationship from the gID field to your normal ID field (you do have an ID field for the file, don't you?).

Place fields on the same layout as the portal, but these fields are going to be related fields through the gID=::ID relationship.

Create a script like the following with the following step:

Set Field [ gID, Self_Constant::ID ]

After you've placed fields in your portal select all the fields and disallow entry. Then assign a button to all the fields that is linked to the script with the above step.

Now clicking on a row in the portal will display the detail information for the clicked on record.

I've gone over this rather quickly. Let me know if you have questions.

Chuck