layout that expands to necessary size of portal records

[Steven Cappiello]

I have a log portal that includes text from emails sent to and from a person. Is there a way I can include a layout that prints out all the portal records in variously sorted formats while not wasting space. So that, if the first record has 3 lines of text, it uses that much vertical space, and that if the next record has 3 pages of text it expands to the necessary amount of space. This all happening for all the records in the portal, so that the user can print out the entire portal of emails without printing out whitespace?

[Vaughan]

Yes. Print from the related table using a list view.

[Steven Cappiello]

sorry.. I'm not sure how this layout would grow to accomodate a 13 page email, for instance.. any chance you can upload a sample??

[Steven Cappiello]

in fact.. i'm not aware of how to make the size of a record grow with the amount of content in it.

[Vaughan]

Use FileMaker's sliding/printing feature.

It works in reverse to what most people ask for: you make space on the layout for the largest amount of text you expect, and FileMaker shrinks the unused space out when printed or previewed.

[David Jondreau]

Unless you can get a 13 page e-mail to fit onto a single printed page (use 4 pt text?) you'll need some workarounds. The sliding feature is essential of course, but I believe the body part must fit onto a single page (as defined in Print Setup).

If you're going to be printing large amounts of text, you'll need to break it up into different records (probably using the MiddleValues function) and use sub summary parts too.

PS you won't be printing a portal. You'll be printing from a layout based on the same table as the records in the portal. Make your body part as large as FM will allow (depends on header/footer/subsummary parts sizes. Then you can figure out how you'll big you'll need to make the chunks of text.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Guest

[Vaughan]

"I believe the body part must fit onto a single page (as defined in Print Setup)"

No, the body part can be as large as desired up to the maximum of 10 pages (minus headers and footers).

[David Jondreau]

Yes, you're right.

What am I thinking of then? I know I've seen an error message when I've tried putting too much onto a layout. Is it a field in a body part can't break over multiple pages?

[AudioFreak]

David,

I believe what you are refering to are "Objects" on a layout.

Michael

[Vaughan]

David J wrote: "I know I've seen an error message when I've tried putting too much onto a layout."

FMP will issue an error if the combined size of the header and footer exceed the size of the page (which makes sense).