Choose color for selected field?

[Jhestler]

Hi all )

I'm designing a GUI to have a dark grey background with the fields in very light grey. I want the text to be white. It looks fantastic, but when you tab through the fields to type in data, you can't read the very light grey text against the field because--although the field is invisible when you escape out of it, it's stark white when you're in it. Is there any way to change the color that a field displays when it's active?

Kind Regards and Thanks,

John

[Genx]

Not that i know of, though i'm fairly sure that if you goto Layout Menu --> Layout Setup and untick the "Show Field Frames When Record Is Active" box, then they'll stay the same colour... if that helps...

~Genx

[CobaltSky]

Is there any way to change the color that a field displays when it's active?

If I understand you correctly, your fields have transparent fill attributes and light grey text, and you have positioned a dark grey rectangle behind the fields?

That being the case, to change the color of the fields when active, click on the tab for the body part (in layout mode) and then select an alternative fill color (the color will be applied to the selected layout part, behind your graphical rectangle). When selected in Browse mode, your fields will now show in the color you have applied to the layout part that contains them. :o

[Genx]

Hmmm, yeh my way did nothing, Cheers cobalt i just need that right now .

~Genx

[Jhestler]

If I understand you correctly, your fields have transparent fill attributes and light grey text, and you have positioned a dark grey rectangle behind the fields?

That being the case, to change the color of the fields when active, click on the tab for the body part (in layout mode) and then select an alternative fill color (the color will be applied to the selected layout part, behind your graphical rectangle). When selected in Browse mode, your fields will now show in the color you have applied to the layout part that contains them.

Hi Cobalt,

This put me on the right track, I believe, but it didn't quite do the trick...

I do have transparent fields, but they are positioned on top of a fanciful jpeg background on the body part, which is the only part that I have set up for the browse mode on this particular layout. The graphic jpeg back ground is a custom color; so if I position a rectangle behind the transparent field, it sticks out like a sore thumb. None of the FM Pro colors works...

But you've led me on the right track; now I know that what I have to do is cut a slice from my jpeg background and position it behind the transparent fields. It will be a cumbersome graphic GUI, but it won't have a lot of users and will look very nice. I guess I'd suggest to Filemaker that in their next version they add a feature that allows you to designate the color of active fields, for people who like to design interfaces with custom jpeg backgrounds. I imagine there are a lot of us out there?

Genx, your advice also helped; it looks even better if it doesn't show all the fields when active : )

Much appreciated; thanks, friends!

John

[Jhestler]

Oops...

Spoke too soon; cutting a slice from the jpeg and pasting into the layout behind the transparent fields didn't work! The field, transparent when not active, still shows bright white when selected! So I guess I'm still stuck. It seems that yer a bit limited if you want to design a GUI with a dark background and white text?

Best,

John

[CobaltSky]

...now I know that what I have to do is cut a slice from my jpeg background and position it behind the transparent fields.

Well John, it seems that you've not understood what I was suggesting. The technique I described works with graphic objects and also with images (jpegs etc). There should be no need to complicate your interface or 'slice' up your image. Try it and you'll see.

I guess I'd suggest to Filemaker that in their next version they add a feature that allows you to designate the color of active fields, for people who like to design interfaces with custom jpeg backgrounds. I imagine there are a lot of us out there?

John, FileMaker *already* has a feature that allows you to designate the color of active fields. It works the way I described above.

In case it helps you to see what I was talking about, I am attaching an example file.

HTH.

backgrnd.zip

[Jhestler]

Finally figured it out!!!

Here's what you do when you have transparent fields on top of a dark fanciful jpeg gui, with the field text of white or a similarly light color...

FM Pro 8 has an eyedropper tool in the color wheel!!!

All you have to do is select your fields in layout mode, go to the color wheel, choose "other color," then select the background as the color! Now when you tab through the fields, they show the same color as your GUI background when active! Simple and elegant solution! I tried it and it works! I love it!

Thanks again for your help!!!

John

[Jhestler]

Cobalt, yer a genius. I was selecting the "part" not the "tab" for the body )

Your way works even better because one may have a fanciful background with a LOT of different colors, just like yours : )

Thanks, my friend!

John