Text Box Too Small

[David Jondreau]

This comes up infrequently enough that I can't nail down why it's happening and often enough to be annoying.

I find that sometimes, when I'm making text on a layout, either by typing directly onto the layout or using the text tool, the text gets cut off by the box. If I'm typing "Address" then click out onto a blank section of the layout, only "Addre" shows up and I have to manually drag the box larger.

I haven't been able to find a pattern, it happened in 8.5A and is happening now in 9A. It happens occassionally, like a couple times a week in different files and different layouts.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

[bcooney]

What came to my mind is that sometimes you don't have a default font set. Look at the text toolbar after you create layout text. What's the font?

[David Jondreau]

On the layout I'm working on today, it's Verdana 12pt (and that's default, as in if I click on an empty section of the layout that's what shows up).

If I switch fonts the effect still happens. I tried Arial and Times New Roman in both 12 & 14 pt with combos of bold, underlined and italics and Verdana 8 & 10 pt. No change in behavior even after shutting down and restarting. But this wasn't happening yesterday.

This is a MacBook Pro I'm working on BTW, 10.4.10.

[bcooney]

Almost out of ideas...are you opening the file at all on Windows to do development work?

[Lee Smith]

Hi David,

I hope you are not insulted by this basic info post, considering you state your skill level as intermediate, but I read this different than Barbara.

If you are just typing text on a layout, the rectangle box usually expands l length wise with each character, unless you draw the box first. Otherwise it waits for you to enter a return. Once you have entered your text, you can select the box using the pointer, and then adjust the Text rectangle box to size width and hight you desire.

On the off hand you are talking about a text field (created in Define Fields), then once you enter the layout out mode, you can adjust it in a similar manner as the Text Box.

BTW, if the field created is small, like I read into what you have posted, just expand it in Layout mode, or add a scroll bar to accommodate the real large amounts of text.

HTH

lee

Edited July 30, 2007 by Guest

[bcooney]

I was thinking it was a font issue, especially if two developers are working on the same file and one is missing a font that the other used on the layout.

[David Jondreau]

If you are just typing text on a layout, the rectangle box usually expands l length wise with each character, unless you draw the box first. Otherwise it waits for you to enter a return. Once you have entered your text, you can select the box using the pointer, and then adjust the Text rectangle box to size width and hight you desire.

Lee,

I appreciate the primer, your tone is not insulting at all. I consider myself Intermediate, pushing up into Advanced so I am aware of the expected behavior and I am talking about creating text in Layout mode and not a text field.

The box does not always expand, some days it works, some days it doesn't. To have to readjust the Text rectangle all day is frustrating rather than the "expand to fit" experience I usually have.

I've never tried "drawing the box" before. I just did it with the text tool, and it snapped back to its too small size as if I hadn't drew it. Is that how it's supposed to work?

I work solo mostly on a Mac, but I do have a Windows machine at home that I'll give it a shot on, but again this is an intermittent annoying issue that I've had on different versions of FM. My gut says there's some tweak my preferences that if only I could unearth...

[Lee Smith]

I can confirm the following using these versions

V6 Developer, 7SE, 8.5 Advance and 9 Advance

All of these Versions behave the same, i.e. resize to the text entered.

If you draw a box before typing, it will resize to the size the box as if you had just typed it.

However, if you exit the field, and then resize the box to what you want, all of them stay at the new size.

HTH

Lee

[David Jondreau]

This is what is happening on my machine today:

[Vaughan]

I agree with Barbara: it could be a font issue. Have you checked for font corruption? Cleaned the font cache?

[David Jondreau]

Have you checked for font corruption? Cleaned the font cache?

How do I do either?

I'm using the basics, Verdana, Arial, NY Times, nothing fancy, nothing I've installed.

[Lee Smith]

This is what is happening on my machine today:

and that appears correct, and expected behavior.

If you grab a corner (i.e. lower right), and stretch it out a couple of inches, and then double click within the box, it should stay as you have stretch it, and you will be able to type. The text box should not shrink, and should stay the same, until it needs to expand downward, as you add more text than the box can hold.

HTH

Lee

Oops, I just noticed the missing [color:red]g.

I don't think it is a font issue, but have you tried shutting down your computer, and then Starting it up again.

Lee

Edited July 30, 2007 by Guest

[David Jondreau]

Yes, I've restarted five times today and the issue persists.

Afer clicking out of the text box (5.jpg) and clicking back into it, I get the following images.

[Vaughan]

Use the Fontbook app (in the Applications folder). Select all the fonts, then choose Validate from the File menu.

[Lee Smith]

Hey Vaughan,

I Know that that the Font has to be active in order for FileMaker to use it. But, this routine is a new one to me. What exactly does this procedure do?

ATM used to let you know if there was a problem, I have never run this routine.

Just Curious.

Lee

Edited July 31, 2007 by Guest

[Vaughan]

There have been numerous reports of font problems in Tiger, way back when it first came out. Many are probably fixed now.

Font corruption has always been a probem, since way back to System 6 days!

There is definately something wrong: perhaps the file needs to be posted so we can look atn it.

[Lee Smith]

I'm not questioning your post, it's just that I have not run across this advice before.

I know that corruption can come at you from any direction, but this is the first time I have heard that fonts have been involved. In the old days, ATM use to weed out the problem fonts when you started up your machine. Since I have switch to OS 10, I have not had FontBook do any thing similar. And, I guess I have grown complacent because it.

You didn't tell me what this procedure does when it finds a bad one though.

I agree that it might help us help him if he uploaded a copy of this file.

Lee

[Vaughan]

"I'm not questioning your post..."

You should, I've been known to be talking out of my hat more than once.

The font corruption has been know to cause font bloat with FMP's pdfs.

[David Jondreau]

Here's a clone (which persists in the behavior in both my pre-release FM9A and my standard FM8.5A)...This is still in development so ignore the unfinished aspects.

Scherer_Clone_07_31_2007_10_49.fp7.zip

[bcooney]

You have as a default a right margin inset of 2 pixels [Format Text Paragraph]. Turn it off and it no longer chops off the text.

[Vaughan]

Well spotted.

[David Jondreau]

Barbara,

Thank you so much! I owe you one. One what? Beer, coffee, bag of peaches, whatever...you name it.

DJ

[bcooney]

Hmm. How about a nice virtual glass of Brunello? But on this forum, we'll have to settle for :beer:

[David Jondreau]

Cheers.