I am a newcomer, but am making progress, I hope. At any rate, I am trying to use a portal to display line item records that include a unique reference number, a short description (40 characters or so) and a much longer explanation that reads more like a note field. Each explanation typically has anywhere from 150 to 400 characters in the populated field. I would like a portal that allows me to add records, much like an invoice item, and then display the short description and long explanation field in their entirely in a wide line item portal format, which I assume will require much taller field boxes to display the contents in their entirely on an 8 1/2 x 11 size page. Is this possible? If so please point me to a reference for achieving this. If not, is there another way to populate an "invoice", so to speak, with a limited number of records, say no more than 24, without a portal? I'm not concerned about how many pages it will take to display or print when I am ready to print. Thanks for any help you might offer.

I moved your topic from "FileMaker Pro 12" to "Portals".

 

The General Topic "FileMaker Pro" is reserved for the discussion of the tools, features and functions that were new in that version of FileMaker, and not for asking How-To Questions.

It isn't clear what your question is.

If you want to make portal rows taller - then why not make portal rows taller?

Maybe you can post a clone of your file, or a sketch of what it should look like.

and then display the short description and long explanation field in their entirely in a wide line item portal format, which I assume will require much taller field boxes to display the contents in their entirely on an 8 1/2 x 11 size page.

printing should happen in lineitems table where the description can be allowed to expand as needed.  Create a new report with a leading part based upon the invoiceNumber in your LineItems table.  Let FM create the report because it must be sorted by InvoiceNo and previewed.  Then in the body, make your information merge field as

<<lineitems::short Description>>(sp)(sp) <<lineitems::noteField>>

 

You can use regular fields also but I like merge better unless ability to change data is needed.

 

(sp) means type two spaces or replace the spaces with carriage return.  Make this text block the largest you would ever have data in that field.  Then select all fields and set sliding up in Inspector.  In Layouts parts setup, set page break by invoice no also.  Then when report runs and it sorts by Invoice No then preview, the merge field will shrink to only what is needed.  It will never increase which is why you make it very large.

 

HTH