Bugs from v.12 still there, new one added

[LensCrafters]

I am quite disappointed with the new FM version. A few of the bugs that were present in v. 12 (reported and documented) have not been fixed, and at least one new bug was added:

 

1. It is still impossible to select a button that is transparent by clicking on it; it is still impossible to see the outline of a button even if Show>Buttons is enabled.

2. Dynamic guides (pink) become permanently disabled if dragged to the edge of the screen (try it at your own risk – you will not be able to bring them back!)

3. Text transparency still not working.

 

Additionally, text formatting has acquired a new bug: centering text vertically in a field no longer works properly – if the length of the text is too long to fit in the field it shifts upwards rather than being cut off. This has ruined several carefully constructed layouts for me. 

[jbante]

I don't believe number 2 in your list is a bug. That's a common pattern for removing a guide seen in other graphic design software. Done with a guide? Drag it back where it came from to dispose of it! Or are you describing a different behavior?

[LaRetta]

I am quite disappointed with the new FM version. A few of the bugs that were present in v. 12 (reported and documented) have not been fixed, and at least one new bug was added:

 

1. It is still impossible to select a button that is transparent by clicking on it; it is still impossible to see the outline of a button even if Show>Buttons is enabled.

2. Dynamic guides (pink) become permanently disabled if dragged to the edge of the screen (try it at your own risk – you will not be able to bring them back!)

3. Text transparency still not working.

 

Additionally, text formatting has acquired a new bug: centering text vertically in a field no longer works properly – if the length of the text is too long to fit in the field it shifts upwards rather than being cut off. This has ruined several carefully constructed layouts for me. 

 

Hi LensCrafters 

 

1.  It is impossible to see the outline of a button even if Show>Buttons is enabled.

 

    Show Buttons shows the small blue rectangle indicating that a script or button is attached.  The outline highlights in blue (at least for me) when the object is selected even if selected with other objects.  But if there are other badges attached to a button then they will obscure this badge but we've never been able to see the outline of a button that I know of.

 

2.  Dynamic guides (pink) become permanently disabled.

 

    Sorry but I don't use them so cannot provide useful feedback.  It seems the last time I grabbed and move one when trying to grab an object was all it took for me.  If we could lock them so they can't be selected, that would be prime.

 

3.  Text transparency still not working.

   

    Text transparency is no longer necessary ( that I can see ) since we can Hide objects ( please see Inspector > Data > Behavior )

 

Please correct me or add further clarification if necessary.  :-)

[john renfrew]

isn't hiding the text completely the same thing as making it transparent. Or are you talking about partial transparency??

[Mark Scott]

2. Dynamic guides (pink) become permanently disabled if dragged to the edge of the screen (try it at your own risk – you will not be able to bring them back!)

3. Text transparency still not working.

 

Additionally, text formatting has acquired a new bug: centering text vertically in a field no longer works properly – if the length of the text is too long to fit in the field it shifts upwards rather than being cut off. This has ruined several carefully constructed layouts for me. 

 

 

2.  Agree with jbante that this is by convention.  Illustrator, for example, has always worked this way.

 

3.   FileMaker has never supported alpha on text.  Unsupported feature does not a "bug" make.  (Arguably, it could be a useful feature, although most of the times I've seen it brought up in the past have been so that conditional formatting could be used to hide text or an object containing text.  As LaRetta pointed out, that is now readily handled by the new "Hide object when" setting — long requested and finally delivered!  It's hard to pick a favorite among the many dozens of new and useful features, but that one would be near the top of my list.  YMMV.)

 

Re the issue you mention observing with vertically centered text, an example (screenshot, perhaps) would be most helpful so that others can see if they can reproduce it.

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[LensCrafters]

I don't believe number 2 in your list is a bug. That's a common pattern for removing a guide seen in other graphic design software. Done with a guide? Drag it back where it came from to dispose of it! Or are you describing a different behavior?

Under "View" select "Dynamic Guides" in Layout mode. Two pink lines will appear. Drag one to the very edge of the screen until it disappears. Now try to bring it back. These are different from Guides (blue lines).

[LaRetta]

Thank you for the reminder ... " centering text vertically in a field no longer works properly" ...  Text has never aligned properly in fields but now there is a beautiful and highly-functional feature - Appearance > Padding.  You can move things as you wish.  :-)

 

Hide is truly very cool and one of my favourites as well. 

 

Edited:  re-phrased sentence for clarity.

Edited December 11, 2013 by LaRetta

[Mark Scott]

LensCrafters,

 

Your description doesn't jibe with how Dynamic Guides work.  From FileMaker Help:

 

"When you drag objects to move, resize, or position them on a layout, dynamic guides appear near or on other objects to help you create and edit them more precisely. Dynamic guides also “snap-to” the upper and lower boundaries and the centers of objects as you move, resize, or position them.

 

For example, when you drag an object to a new position on a layout, dynamic guides appear when an edge moves close to the edge of another object. When you drag an object to resize it, dynamic guides appear when the new width or height matches the size of another object on the layout.

 

To use dynamic guides:

 

 •  To turn on dynamic guides, in Layout mode, choose View menu > Dynamic Guides.

 

 •  To turn off dynamic guides, choose View menu > Dynamic Guides again."

 

Merely enabling them (by checking "View > Dynamic Guides") doesn't, by itself, make anything appear on screen.  It's only when you start dragging an object (or, new to FileMaker 13, nudging it via the arrow keys), that dynamic guides appear transiently to help align and space the object in relation to nearby objects.  They disappear, then, as soon as you let up on the mouse button, only to reappear with your next drag operation.

 

HTH,

 

Mark

 

[Edit: it's "jibe," not "jive."     - Fixed!]

[LensCrafters]

 

2.  Agree with jbante that this is by convention.  Illustrator, for example, has always worked this way.

 

3.   FileMaker has never supported alpha on text.  Unsupported feature does not a "bug" make.  (Arguably, it could be a useful feature, although most of the times I've seen it brought up in the past have been so that conditional formatting could be used to hide text or an object containing text.  As LaRetta pointed out, that is now readily handled by the new "Hide object when" setting — long requested and finally delivered!  It's hard to pick a favorite among the many dozens of new and useful features, but that one would be near the top of my list.  YMMV.)

 

Re the issue you mention observing with vertically centered text, an example (screenshot, perhaps) would be most helpful so that others can see if they can reproduce it.

 

Regards,

 

Mark

 

I guess my complains stem not so much from the way things operate in FM, but the inconsistency in applying various interface conventions, which makes it difficult to anticipate the application's behavior. 

 

re: 2. I am familiar with how Guides work in Illustrator and other graphic apps i.e., you can hide them and drag new ones when necessary. But what are "Dynamic Guides" in FM then, and why don't they behave in a similar fashion? At least in my experience, once you drag them to the edge of the screen there is no way to to bring them back. Try it.

 

re: 3. That's fine, they don't have to support transparency in text. But then why is the transparency indicator available in the color palettes for text elements (white square with a diagonal red line), which in all graphic programs indicates transparency? Again, interface inconsistency, which makes me think it is a bug.

[LaRetta]

But then why is the transparency indicator available in the color palettes for text elements (white square with a diagonal red line), which in all graphic programs indicates transparency? Again, interface inconsistency, which makes me think it is a bug.

 

I completely agree that it wouldn't make sense for it to be there but it is obviously a generic palette used for multiple purpose.  However, interface inconsistency does not indicate a bug ... look at Microsoft Windows; in fact, look at many programs full of inconsistencies.  And yes, inconsistencies bother me as well which is why I took up design to begin with, LOL.

 

BTW, welcome to FMForums.  

[Mark Scott]

BTW, the guides you're describing sound like "shared guides," which are pink and are shared across all layouts, whereas non-shared guides are blue*.  Both are distinct from dynamic guides, and both are removed by dragging back to the ruler.  (*Dynamic guides are also blue, but, as mentioned, quite different from regular guides in their transient and context-sensitive behavior.)

 

A good place to get up to speed might be FileMaker's Help page on guides.  Not trying to throw the ol' RTFM at you, but I'm confident that once you get familiar with the 3 types of guides, you'll find that they all behave predictably and are each useful in their own way. 

 

HTH,

 

Mark

[LaRetta]

A good place to get up to speed might be FileMaker's Help page on guides.  Not trying to throw the ol' RTFM at you, but I'm confident that once you get familiar with the 3 types of guides, you'll find that they all behave predictably and are each useful in their own way. 

 

Well in my case, Mark, that's what it would be, "RTFM", LOL.  I found them annoying, they weren't precise, objects didn't snap to them and I moved on.  I didn't think we were talking about the cool 'dynamic' blue guides which tell me I'm aligning ... I LOVE THOSE!!

[JerrySalem]

Well FIleMaker 13 fixed a bug I found in 12

 

Create a scatter chart, the X axis field is a Date, the Y axis field is a number.

 

The tool tip for the data points didn't display the date (X axis) data properly in 12.  It works in now!

Here is the link to the bug report.  http://forums.filemaker.com/posts/97700fa9ac

 

Thanks FileMaker Inc!

 

Jerry

[James Gill]

There's still a bug in 13 (and in 12) where the right-click menu will stop working.  It's mostly around buttons with text inside of them, but it's very annoying to have to completely shut down and start FM13 to fix it...

[Lape]

Uh-oh GOT ONE !

 

Besides the fact that version 13 looks wonderfull, although still slow at scrolling, i got one bug that IS still there from version 12: When using the Inspector and setting the LINE Thicknes - we - in Europe cannot use the 0.25 setting - it converts the setting to 25  Probably is it the system, conversion wise, which does the buggy dance !

 

Im sure YOU guys cant see this bug due to the codepage/conversion setting is "normal", but for us with codepage 850, it´s at bug

 

Kinde regards,

 

Lars G Pedersen 

[Justin Close]

There's still a bug in 13 (and in 12) where the right-click menu will stop working.  It's mostly around buttons with text inside of them, but it's very annoying to have to completely shut down and start FM13 to fix it...

James,

    I haven't used 13 yet, but have run into that issue repeatedly in 12.  Disappointing to hear that it is still hanging around.

 

I wonder if the disabled text-formatting bar problem still exists, too.

 

--  J