show graphic/text only in Find mode

[mscholtz]

Hey, is there any relatively simple way to have a layout show a graphic and/or text only when in Find mode? It's easy to get something to display in Browse but not Find mode, but I'm looking to do the opposite.

I never figured ou a great way to do this in FMP 5, but I'm hoping there's a way in 8.

Thanks!

[ThatOneGuy]

Hi Matthew:

One way is to have a calculated container, or a related container field, that displays only in Browse Mode. Under that field, place a static graphic on the layout's background, or reference a graphic through a global container. When users enter Find Mode, the front-most container field "drops out," revealing the graphic/container beneath. I often use this technique to provide a different colored background so users can more easily distinguish Find Mode from Browse Mode.

Hope this gets you going in the direction you need. Let us know how it turns out.

[mscholtz]

Thanks.

I've tried this method in the past (should've mentioned that) and the main problem I have with it is that due to how FMP handles screen redraw, I get flashing effects when I move through the records quickly, and can often see the graphics underneath showing through momentarily when they shouldn't.

I was hoping there might be a method out there that avoided that.

[Fenton]

The flashing is caused by a transparent background. It won't flash if the field is the same color of the background. But then it will be opaque, and you can't see what's under it, even if the calculation drops out. At least I can't figure out how.

A variation of the technique, kind of its converse, is to draw a portal based on an unrelated table occurrence; ie., it will never be valid. Make its color the same as the background. Put the graphic inside the portal. It will only show in Find mode.

GraphicFindModeOnly.zip

[mscholtz]

Thanks, Fenton!

This has been the most successful method so far. I still get some flashing when I put this on one of my working layouts, but it's clear at this point that this is an artifact of having a rather complex layout combined with FMP's rather slow redraw rate, and least on my system. (I'm on a WinXP box with a ultra-basic video chip, and I get significant redraw lag in layout mode when dragging objects, have done since first installing FM7.)

When I put the same objects on a new layout that contains no other objects, I don't get the flashing.

But this is still an improvement because, unlike the other method, when it flashes I don't see the graphic peeking through. The flashing alone I can live with, as long as the user never sees a hint of the graphic, so they don't mistakenly think they are in Find mode.

Of course, if anyone has further ideas on how to get rid of the flashing entirely (short of drastically simplifying my layout, which is impossible) I'm all ears.