I'm attempting a technique for an email template solution whereby I'll take text with placement holders and output text for use in an email body.

However, I am losing my text formatting. Attached is a simple demo of the problem. Note that any formatting in the Input text field is lost.

Suggestions?

DemoEval.zip

Scripted Filemaker email is plain text and does not support any text formatting.

I suppose I should have mentioned that I will send this text using 360works email as html.

So, forget that part, I want to know how to maintain formatting with Evaluate ( ).

"Dear " & Name & ",¶¶" & TextStyleAdd ( "This is bold text." ; bold )

Thank you Daniele, for your input.

The problem is that I want to give the user the ability to format the text in FM. I will use GetAsCSS ( ) after the Evaluate and send that result with the plugin.

However, the Evaluate is killing my formatting.

Why do you use Evaluate() here?

I suppose I should have mentioned that I will send this text using 360works email as html.

So, forget that part, I want to know how to maintain formatting with Evaluate ( ).

You don't. You use substitute.

There are some more elaborate examples available that include evaluation of items within the merge brackets.

DemoEval.fp7.zip

Thank you, Bruce, but I have one more level of abstraction in my techique. The placeholders are not simply field names, but rather pointers to a field that is itself evaluated.

So, back to my demo. I need to evaluate Input Text (as I have it entered in my demo) and have ResultText maintain the text formatting.

I'm playing now with applying GetasCSS ( ) and then substituting.

Wrong way around.

Updated version using MergePlus custom function.

http://www.briandunning.com/cf/831

DemoEval.fp7.zip

Edited October 8, 201015 yr by Guest

I had just discovered that CF before your post...Thank you for such a complete demo.

I had just discovered that CF before your post...Thank you for such a complete demo.

You're welcome. The substitute method is pretty amazing. Formatting of individual areas can be maintained. Note in particular the tab stops and ruler settings for the portal-list result.

I had just discovered that CF before your post...Thank you for such a complete demo.

Yet another variation with formats and tab stops stored in repeats and further substitutions.

DemoEval.fp7.zip

Hi Bruce

this is an exellent practical example of the Peter Vinogradov's MailMergePlus CF.

But tab stops stored in repeats is a [color:red]great your idea !

Thank you very much.

P.S. if you insert a tab char into a reteatition of zSTyles ( or may be better into a new global field ) and consequently substitute the Char ( 9 ) with that repeatition, this example will work even on 9 .