According to FileMaker's online help, if I turn off field frames on a Layout, it should also hide the magnifying glass icon in find mode. Not happening in FM13.

 

Now I understand how this is useful. BUT if I want to place a "functional" field on the layout, which is not intended to be searched in, this is plain annoying. For example a drop down to insert search operators without having to show the native status bar. See screenshot attached.

 

Has anyone found a workaround to hide this silly icon? Oh Filemaker... :-(

Well you are correct that it should work and I would submit it here:  http://forums.filemaker.com/hives/1eea103f05/summary

 

In meantime, there are two approaches:

 

1)  Inspector > Behavior - uncheck allow entry in find mode

2)  Hide the field by Inspector > Data > Hide = Get ( WindowMode) = 1 and check 'in find mode'

Since this might be a global (?) then item 1 might fit better.

Thank you for your suggestions!

 

However, don't I need both 1 and 2 in order for my functionality to work?

 

The idea is that a user can select a search symbol from the drop down of the field (not gobal, but stored in a utility table with one record). A script trigger then transfers the selection into the currently active field on the layout - the one the cursor was placed in before the drop-down was clicked, to be precise.

 

Not allowing entry in Find Mode or hiding it would break the functionality, it seems...

There is no reason you can't create a value list of those values if they are stored data and then attach the value list to a global.  As for the exact functionality, I would need to see the file to tweak specifically.  

See video here: http://training.artvaultsoftware.com/Insert_Operator.m4v

Hi Art,

 

That video appears to be made using a mockup, why not just post the file here?

I really won't have time to evaluate your solution further, Art.  Did you try using a global?  With a global, you don't use it in find mode anyway.

IMHO, your find UI would work better in Browse mode, using only global fields for user entry.

@Lee - it's the real file. I'm working out the mechanics first, then placing all the user fields, that's why it looks incomplete.

 

@LaRetta - no worries! I understand, we're all scrambling for time. I tried replacing it with a global, but then I can't use it in Find Mode, so no good.

 

@ comment - think basic FM. :-) I want to use FM's native find mode that gives the user access to all fields on a given layout. Replicating all of those fields as globals would be a lot of overhead both to build and maintain.

 

 

I believe that all of your suggestions confirm my suspicion: the functionality to hide these magnifying glasses in find mode is either broken or was removed by FileMaker on purpose and there's no easy workaround.

 

At least not if I want to stick to my approach. Then I probably have to live with this visual "glitch".

Perhaps I misunderstand your screen shot. The thing is that (as you have discovered), users cannot enter global fields in Find mode. So the "basic FM" solution would allow them access to the toolbar in Find mode, making your drop-down field unnecessary.

 

That's assuming they are familiar enough with Filemaker's find mechanism in order to use the provided operators. Otherwise... Most finds are performed on 1-3 fields out of 4 or 5, so it's quite feasible to let the inexperienced user choose the field/s to search (in a global).

 the "basic FM" solution would allow them access to the toolbar in Find mode

 

You are absolutely right. THAT would be really basic, not my version.

 

 

WORKAROUND: If anyone is in a similar situation, here's a workaround I found:

1. Make sure the target field is a drop-down, pop-up won't work

2. Create a button that looks like a drop-down menu, place it over the drop down (bring to front)

3. Attach the following script to the button: Go to Field [select/perform; TABLE::target_field]

 

See video: http://training.artvaultsoftware.com/SearchOperatorNoStatusBar.m4v