Putting a box around merge fields

[rongg]

Normally you can't put a border around a merge field because Field/Control - Borders isn't available. I found a way to put a box around merge fields that appears to be an anomaly. I'm using the Windows version of FileMaker Pro 10 Advanced.

In Layout mode select a database field that's formatted the way you want the merge field text to be formatted and click on the Format Painter icon. It doesn't make any difference if the field has or doesn't have borders defined. Now click on the merge field. It will show a border. Go to Browse or Preview mode or print the page and that border is still there. Useful!

To get rid of the border, in Layout mode select a field like a caption that doesn't display a border, click on the Format Painter icon, then click on the merge field - no more border.

I found this to be useful and hope this anomaly isn't "fixed".

Edited August 9, 2009 by Guest

[comment]

you can't put a border around a merge field because Field/Control - Borders isn't available.

Field/Control > Borders… isn't available, because a merged field isn't a field object. It is text contained in a text object.

Any text object can have a border applied to it simply by selecting it and setting the line width, pen color and pen pattern:

http://www.filemaker.com/help/24-Editing%20objects9.html

The border is set for the entire text object - you cannot apply individual borders to fields merged in the same text object.