FM8 Layout Manager Like Molasses

[SJM]

I have used FileMaker 6 on my computer without problem. I am trying the FM8 Trial version and it is overall very snappy interface, except when I use the Layout Mode. Then, if I click and hold on the Field button and start to drag the little outline of a field onto the layout to place it, the CPU meter maxes out and the interface behaves like molasses. It is very slow to respond and even when I stop moving it, a long as I keep the mouse button held down the CPU remains maxed.

As another example, I try to move a field or label that I've clicked and it takes over a second for it to catch up to where I moved my mouse, and usually not quite in the right place. It makes it frustrating to do anything when I'm used to the computer responding instantly. If it were a video game it would be intolerable.

One more datum: I installed the trial on a different computer, and the Layout Manager is basically as snappy as it should be, but the CPU is still maxed anytime I'm trying to position anything with the mouse. It's sort of puzzling. Also, I tried rebooting and I have 768MB RAM and nothing else is running. Video drivers haven't been working fine for a year, etc.

So, has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions? I suppose I could try to get pre-sales technical support, they already answered a couple questions for me. In fact, I'll just pass the answers on, although I've seen some of the same information on various posts in this forum.

1. .FP7 files created with the trial version will work normally in the full version after the trial has expired. (I.e., the 30-day expiration date is a feature of the trial .exe and not of any .fp7 files made with it.)

2. For using FM8 with FM Server 7, the official view of FileMaker company is that it is not and never will be supported. (So officially, nobody who wants to support more than 5 users should upgrade to FM8.) Nevertheless, UI-only features, in particular the Tab Control, will work fine with FM8 and FMS 7. Non-UI-only features like new script steps or calculation functions will not work in this arrangement.

[Osman]

I had to same problem before i canged color depth 32 bit to 16 bit. Now i am working 16 bit color depth and working layout is not too slow.

Adam Djuby

[Jeremy Wood]

Make sure that you aren't also running FMP6 at the same time, and that the Classic enviroment isn't running.

I have seen that running 6+7 at the same time yields poor performance in 7, as well as slow downs from running Classic at the same time.

It doesn't make sense, but there you have it.

[SJM]

Well, thanks for the suggestions, but changing to 16-bit color depth had no effect. There is definitely something not quite right if the CPU is at 100% usage when I'm holding the mouse still and nothing is changing on the screen.

Also, I am not running FM6 or any other application at the same time, in fact right after rebooting, it still happens.

And I think there is a typo in my original note, I meant to say that my video drivers do in fact work just fine and have done so for a year.

[Reed]

What type of machine is it... I've had no trouble with layout mode speed except on one old machine. (A PII 400 MHz with blazing integrated intel video)

[SJM]

I have Athlon 2400+.

I will drop this topic, but I would really appreciate it if a couple of people could try a quick experiment for me. I suppose ideally I could get somebody with the FileMaker 8 Trial as well as the full version. Please go to Layout Mode and see if your CPU peaks when you click and drag a field.

In Windows XP, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up the Task Manager. Then minimize the window (the underscore button in the top right corner) and in your system tray at the bottom right you should see a little dark green box. As CPU usage rises this box fills from the bottom with light green, with the percent lit up being equivalent to the percent of the CPU that is currently in use. If your CPU is at 100% use then the whole thing will be lit up.

So if anyone could look at this CPU Usage monitor while dragging a field in the Layout manager and report their findings here I would at least know whether the problem is with my computer or FM8.

Thanks

[Ted S]

SJM,

I did as your requested and my CPU did indeed go to 100% all the while the field was being dragged around. I also did this in version 7 and with the same results. I'm on Windows XP with FMP 8.0 Advanced.

I had sluggishness problems in the layout mode like the type you are describing back when I first went to version 7. I eventually solved them by going with a higher quality video card.