Varying field object and layout part heights (dream or kinda possible?)

[databaser]

Filemaker really has some deficiencies that annoy the cr** out of me. 

 

Is this possible, either literally or just 'effectively' (or creatively, using non-layout techniques (I don't know), etc)?

 

 

I want to have a list layout where one of the fields can sometimes contain a lot of text, or sometimes very little. I really wish the height of this field object would vary to accommodate the amount of text in the field for each record without really going over (or at least have reasonable proportionality - if I have to formulate a way to do it pretty closely based on character count, so be it). (So I can use screen-space well, without having to scroll inside of records).

 

Then, of course, I want the height of the layout part itself to vary to accommodate the height of that field.

 

I think FM is actually quite weak on layouts (that I feel like I'm really dreaming here that there could be a way to accomplish this), which is disappointing, because it's so gui too - what a bad combination.

 

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I'm using windows at the moment, with 11 advanced and 12 advanced installed (I think I still prefer 11, but if 12 could accomplish this better, by all means)

 

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Also, I might even be willing to buy an extension or something if that would help.

 

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It's just so annoying, they could have just allowed you to define sizes in layouts with calculations. What would have been so hard about allowing that? I could have figured out how to proportion things properly based on character counts and stuff.

[databaser]

It's not great, but I think I just thought of something

 

I could (maybe with scripts / script triggers or something) break down records (perhaps duplicate them into another table for this purpose) so that the records continue each other and are related. maybe 2 lines each. then you force them to sort properly and you kind of have it, but the other fields will keep getting duplicated, but I can put them on the side and out of the way.

 

Any better ideas?