Field Overflow?

[adoseofpain]

Hey all, first post. I am a novice filemaker user since I had to construct a series of databases for my employer. I don't know too much but I learned enough to make databases that worked well.

I come asking for help.

On one of my layouts it needs to be trimmed so that multiple copies of the layout can fit on one page. However, some of the fields may have more entries than allowed. Is there a way to make the field spill over into another field right next to it, and if so, how?

I guess a two column approach would work the best, but how do I get it so that it won't repeat the values, and instead continue from where it left off?

[bcooney]

I know you're not familiar with terminology, and so I'm trying to read between the lines to determine exactly what you have. I think that you have multiple fields on a layout. These fields contain large text blocks. You're hoping FM has a feature, like a desktop publishing program, that let's you "link" text boxes and autoflow as needed.

It doesn't.

When you say that "some fields may have more entries than allowed" I'm interpreting that as "more text than can display given the size of the field on the layout." Check out Sliding. You size a field on a layout large enough (even across page boundaries), and use Sliding to remove white space.

[adoseofpain]

Alright... darn. Was hoping there was something like that. Oh well.

[comment]

You're hoping FM has a feature, like a desktop publishing program, that let's you "link" text boxes and autoflow as needed.

It doesn't.

True, but you could construct something like that yourself, using calculation fields. It would be quite difficult to simulate a generic text flow, but splitting a list of items into columns is rather trivial.

[adoseofpain]

The Columns idea would be great, how would one do that to a field?

[comment]

Here's an extremely simple idea. With a little bit more ingenuity, the split point could be calculated from the total number of items, so that the two (or more) columns are always balanced.

ItemsOverflow.zip

[adoseofpain]

Thanks!

[bcooney]

Seemed to me more of a sliding issue, comment. Splitting text across two or more calc fields is a last resort. I'd rather go to Bruce's technique.

[comment]

I'd rather go to Bruce's technique.

How would that (assuming you mean "virtual list") apply here?

[bcooney]

Yes, I mean virtual list. Grab all the text and make each paragraph a record. Large text blocks just don't behave across page breaks.

However, we're just guessing. It could be simply need for sliding.

[comment]

True, we are guessing. Based on these:

- some of the fields may have more entries than allowed;

- Is there a way to make the field spill over into another field right next to it;

- a two column approach would work the best

my guess is that the "entries" in a field are narrow, and space would be better utilized if the field were printed in two columns.

I don't see how this can be accomplished using sliding or virtual list.