PDF Page Numbering for multi-page layouts

[davidnickerson]

A bit of an odd request here.

Working on a client database that has several multi-page layouts. Client wants a PDF report that is simply a printed version of all the layouts ( a single record, but 18 pages ).

The number of pages will always be static (18), because it's a single record. However, because we have layouts that are more than one page long, I haven't found a clever way to handle page numbering in the footer.

I'm familiar with using calcs and set field steps to aggregate page numbers on muti-layout, appended PDFs. That won't work in this case.

The big problem is that there appears to be no way to isolate a "page" in Preview mode. Any field in the footer, whether it's a calc or not, will always display the same data on every page of a multi-page layout in Preview mode.

If there was a way to, say, "go to Page [last]" and then OMIT the page from Preview, I think we'd have a solution. Perhaps a feature request for FM.

Any ideas?

[john renfrew]

Could easily be done with ScriptMaster and iText to do the page numbering after the creation.

[davidnickerson]

Hmm. That might be a good alternative. No way to do this entirely within FileMaker?

[comment]

because we have layouts that are more than one page long, I haven't found a clever way to handle page numbering in the footer.

I don't understand your description of the problem. Filemaker numbers the pages, not records - so a multi-page layout will have multiple page numbers.

[davidnickerson]

I don't understand your description of the problem. Filemaker numbers the pages, not records - so a multi-page layout will have multiple page numbers.

Sure, but I'm creating an appended PDF from multiple layouts.

Layout #1 has 2 pages. Layout #2 has 3 pages. A PDF, with page numbering in the footer, would be numbered as follows: 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Using a script to store the "current" page number works if I had multiple records, but does not work for multiple layouts with multiple pages.

[comment]

IIUC, when you print Layout #2, you need to use a calculation field that adds 2 to the real page number.

Or, if - as you say - the number of pages is constant, you could simply place the actual page numbers as text in the body part.

[davidnickerson]

IIUC, when you print Layout #2, you need to use a calculation field that adds 2 to the real page number.

As mentioned earlier, this cannot work for the situation described. What's really needed is a way to isolate a page in preview mode.

Or, if - as you say - the number of pages is constant, you could simply place the actual page numbers as text in the body part.

And this is the 'solution' I chose. I had hoped there would be a way to achieve this using only the footer. Thanks for your suggestions, though.

Hey, comment, have you had a chance to look at this post yet?

http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/86428-ontimer-script-during-idle-time/

[comment]

As mentioned earlier, this cannot work for the situation described.

Then I still don't understand the problem. Why wouldn't it work for the situation you described in post #5 above?

[john renfrew]

So, either you have to preview each document in turn taking note of last page number and adding it in a field for total page numbers

then go back to first layout with 'page num of total', then save number of pages and got to second with 'page num + previous number of total' and append PDF etc etc

or

the answer is contained somewhere in here

http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/78279-itext-page-numbers-except-first-page/page__hl__pdf+number

make the whole PDF and put the page x of y on right at the end

[davidnickerson]

I think I've resolved the issue, at least part of it. The method I was familiar with for aggregating page numbers on multi-layout PDFs called for Global calc fields (to aggregate #s during the script). There's no "go to record" steps in my solution, though, because it's only one record. However, I was still using a Global calc field in the footer to generate my page numbers. There's the rub. Changing this to an unstored calc at least gives me proper footer page numbers for multi-page layouts in Preview, which I wasn't getting before. I believe I can simply write case statements for the remaining layouts now (Case ( Get ( PageNumber ) = 5 ; 8 ) etc.

[comment]

I believe I can simply write case statements for the remaining layouts now (Case ( Get ( PageNumber ) = 5 ; 8 ) etc.

Why not simply =

Get ( PageNumber ) + 3

or perhaps =

Get ( PageNumber ) + Get ( Scriptparameter ) 

[davidnickerson]

Possibly. I have 18 pages from 10 layouts, so I think I'll need more than Get ( PageNumber ) + 3.

Also, I'd still like to have this as simple calcs within the footer, so no Script Parameter.

[comment]

Ok, I give up.