Positioning text in a calc field

[Genx]

.. I'd like to know if theres a way of posiitoning text at a specific position along a line using a calc field...? i.e. 10cm from left... or 20 standard spaces from left...

... i need it to be from left in the case that there is text prior to it... i.e. i cant just gap it using " " ...

cheers, genx

[comment]

I don't know what "standard spaces" are. Wouldn't that depend on the actual layout formatting? You can probably achieve what you want by using a tab.

[Genx]

... basically the reason i want it is to merge somethings using the substitute function... i.e. put two names at the bottom of a letter... i need to be able to position the second part so it looks even... im not sure if tabs would be appropriate because the first persons name may be fiarly long and put the second persons name out of line... bit confusing i know im not making myself very clear but its worth a try...

Test Person Test Person II

0421 551 223 0412 441 233

[Genx]

ok... that didnt display exactly like i wanted it to... test person II was alligned with his mobile number a bit away from test person I

[Robert Kidd]

Define a calc field as:-

Left(name1 & "Lots of spaces here",40) & name2

Basically you are adding lots of space to the right of name1 and then cutting off everything after, in this case, 40 characters.

There is a problem though! Most fonts have a different space for each letter eg an "M" clearly uses more space than an "i" which will throw things out slightly. I think courier has a standard pitch for all letters so would work ( but looks nasty in my opinion)

[Genx]

hmmmm, well its better than nothing

cheers

[comment]

Most fonts have a different space for each letter

That's what tabs are for. Would you use spaces for positioning in a word processor?

[Lee Smith]

A novice would. :giggle:

[Robert Kidd]

And there was me wondering what tabs were for.

[Genx]

... laughing at the beginner is always fun, how do i use tabs?

genx

[Lee Smith]

You can format the field using the Text Format, Paragraph, Tabs. in the Menu, or by right clicking when the field is highlighted. Although you can do this in Browse mode on a text field, it only effects the one record. To change it globally, you need to apply the tabs in layout mode.

with the field active, click on "Text Format", "Paragraph", and then "Tab".

You will need to work with it to get your desired result. It is available to either a Text Field, or Merge.

HTH

Lee

Edited February 3, 2006 by Guest

[comment]

If you use merged fields, and select View > Text ruler, you can access them directly.

[Lee Smith]

That is the way I thought it should work too, but it will not let me into the Merge field on my layout in Browse mode. I'm thinking this test file has corruption in it, because when I closed Advance down, It wanted to make a report.

I'll play around with it a little and see if I can figure out what is wrong here.

In the mean time, genx is young and has plenty of times to figure out all of the other ways tabs can be used.

Lee

Edited February 3, 2006 by Guest

[Genx]

.. funny, really, but is there anyway to represent a tab in a calculation field? or does it have to be set manually?

[comment]

That is the way I thought it should work too, but it will not let me into the Merge field on my layout in Browse mode.

I should have mentioned I meant in Layout mode. No acess in Browse is a good thing, IMHO.

[Lee Smith]

huh,

Isn't that what we have been discussing all along?

You have to capture a tab (or use the key combination to insert it), either in the Calculation it's self such as:

Field One & " " & Field Two.

In a Merge, you would just insert it in between the Merge fields.

HTH

Lee

[comment]

I type option-tab into a field (not sure what the Windows equivalent is), copy it, and paste it into calculation - between quotes, of course.

[Lee Smith]

Oh good, then no corruption than.

I'm not sure that it is a bad thing though, sometimes the changing back and forth from browse to layout mode is madding when you are lining things up.

Lee

[Genx]

oh good, yay, the windows equivilant is ctrl + tab, cheers

genx

[Genx]

ps.... lee why dont you use sample data?

[Lee Smith]

Because you are an intermediate user, so I shouldn't have to explain as much for you.

Lets see, I gave you two was to go with your question, I explain how you format a tab, and I gave you the calculation for a text field and showed how it would look.

If you read the forum regularly, you know that I often attach files, In fact, I did so a couple of times today.

So I fail to see your point.

Lee

[Genx]

... no im a beginner thank you very much.. secondly what point? you just said you hated going between layout and browse mode to align things so i suggested you use sample data to make it quicker and easier... and thirdly i dont know exactly what your talking about... and finally even if i was an intermediate user... i thought you said that you would always bring it down to the basics no matter what i "advertised" my rank as being, so please tell me what the point you failed to see was, cause im a bit confused..

... but thank you very much for your help even though im not sure what point of mine your failing to see...

cheers, genx

[Lee Smith]

I'm sorry, I thought you were criticizing me for not enclosing a sample file. I see now that I miss read what you meant.

You had put your skill level at intermediate to begin with, so that was a little humor there about what had transpired since. Gee, I guess you misread what I meant there too.

Lastly, I do take things to as basic as basic as I can, without getting boring. That is why I went on to say, I had given you the calculation, the menu items for tabs, two ways to do it the tabs in different types of fields,, etc. In the end, I even explained how to get the tab to use in it all.

Tell you what, you post your questions, and I'll leave it to others to provide you the answers.

Lee

[Genx]

ooh, but your so helpful, it was actulaly that getting the tab bit that was stumping me... at the end that was the most useful so...

anyway thanks lots...