Text box straddling page break

[GPapa]

I last used FMP in 2004, want to start up again with FMP9A.

I need to print records with multiple text fields, some containing up to 1000 characters.

Even using the slide function, inevitably a text field will end up straddling a hard page break (HPB.) I fear that the entire contents of such a field will be relegated to either the leading or the trailing print page.

What I'd like FMP9A to do is print in the same way a large paragraph is printed in an MS Word document: that is, to write as much of the paragraph/text field contents as possible down to the HPB, then resume writing the remainder of the paragraph/text field contents at the top of the next page.

If a text box can ONLY be printed on one or the other page, that's going to make an ugly report.

Does FMP9 intelligently split text boxes that straddle a HPB between leading and trailing pages like MS Word splits paragraphs? If not, is there a decent workaround?

[Vaughan]

"Does FMP9 intelligently split text boxes that straddle a HPB between leading and trailing pages like MS Word splits paragraphs? If not, is there a decent workaround?"

If you mean the widow/orphan control and "keep with next" options: no, FMP does not offer these.

However it's usually not that bad.

Firstly I'd use a singe text block with merge codes, to simplify your sliding/printing issues. This might solve much of the problem.

If not, then the level of complexity will need to increase dramatically. You can print separate pages to pdf and print from that, or even merge to a Word document and print that.

[GPapa]

1) I need to apologize for scrambling references to “text box” in with references to “text field.” In all cases I was referring to “text field.”

2) I did not intend to imply the Word “keep (paragraph/lines) with next” functions - that would weld one paragraph/line to the next and I suspect a “seamless” (white-space free) transition from the bottom of the leading page to the top of the trailing page could be even less likely. Widow and orphan control is desirable but I’m willing to sacrifice it for a seamless page break.

3) I’m not sure what “a single text block with merge codes” means.

4) I suspect your suggestion of “merge to a Word document and print” is the best workaround. Word’s built-in paragraph/line controls could then optimize the final document. This could perhaps eliminate messing with the print layouts/sliding issues altogether.

[comment]

What issues are you referring to? Have you tried this?

[Vaughan]

"If a text box can ONLY be printed on one or the other page, that's going to make an ugly report."

Err, fields and text blocks *can* straddle more than one page. FMP handles this pretty well.

Are you familiar with FileMaker's Sliding/Printing feature?

[Jorgitopeter]

Hi everyone... I've been watching that printing/sliding thing, and it's great, but I have a problem... in the letter, I want leave some free space on the top of the page, but this sliding thing start the field exactly when the page start :

I can't also manage to include the heading and the right-drawing in the other pages :

Any suggestion?

I attach 2 pics to make up for my bad English.

Thanks people.

[Vaughan]

Leave space at the top of the page with the header part of the layout. To make the first page different, create a Title Header part.

You might be able to get the graphic showing on each page by "hanging" it from the header part: only 1 pixel needs to be in the header, the rest can be on the body part.

[Jorgitopeter]

thanks a lot!!! I don't know what I was thinking that I didn't realize the heading thing!!!! Sorry for bother you, but I was really 'stuck'!

Thanks again.

[dburnham]

I have been reading this thread hoping to find an answer for the problem of fields being split across multiple pages. My report has several text fields which are large enough to support greatly differing amounts of text depending on what the user wants to write. Because sliding-UP is specified to eliminate the unused space, fields below that field tend to get split across the page break.

Is there a way to prevent this?

[Vaughan]

I know what you mean -- say with letter signatures -- but to some extent there is not much that can be done.

Unfortunately FMP does not have a "keep lines together" option for paragraphs, but then again that won't help container fields anyway.

One brute force (-ish) method is to break the document into multiple records and print them in a list view, with "allow part to break across page boundaries" unchecked for the body part. It's not as bad as it sounds.