Set Tab Order -- tabbing into a Text field set as a button

[Rich S]

Here's a head scratcher:

 

I have sprinkled in a layout text fields made into buttons; when clicked, a script either inserts or deletes an "X" into/from the field. (They're used as checkboxes since it made field styling and conditional formatting possible/easier.)

 

I have Set Tab Order enabled in that layout and have a problem: When users tab from a phone number (text) field into its companion "checkbox" text field/button, it selects the field's contents (see attached). This stops users cold by having to make them click outside of the field to "unset" the button then they have to go back to click if if they want to change its contents. What I want it to do is to improve the user experience so when tabbing from the phone number field to the text/button field, they can either click it to tick/untick an "X" then tab to the next phone number field.

 

Ticking/unticking the "Select entire contents on entry" checkbox in the Inspector didn't have any effect so I'm missing something. TIA for your help!

[comment]

I am not sure I understand your complaint: if you don't want them to tab into the field, why don't you take it out of the tab order? In fact, why do you even have the field on the layout as a field (and not, say, as a merge field)?

[Rich S]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear--I _do_ want them to be able to tab into the field.

 

The problem with using a merge field is that I can't get the size of the box down to 18 pt. x 18 pt. -- I can get the height down to 18 pt., but the length of fieldname, <<PhoneHomeInResume__lxt>>, creates a wide field that can't be narrowed down to size even after changing the font between the inner < and > signs down to 2 pt. Is there another trick I can use? (I suppose I could rename the field to something two or three characters long if I really have to.)

[comment]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear--I _do_ want them to be able to tab into the field.

 

That's the point I don't understand: they will tab into the field to do what?

 

 

The problem with using a merge field is that I can't get the size of the box down to 18 pt. x 18 pt. -- I can get the height down to 18 pt., but the length of fieldname, <<PhoneHomeInResume__lxt>>, creates a wide field that can't be narrowed down to size even after changing the font between the inner < and > signs down to 2 pt.

 

How long is your field name? You can set the font size of everything except the opening < to 1 pt.

 

 

Is there another trick I can use?

 

Yes, you can use conditionally formatted text. This, BTW, is a good example why your script should set the field to 1, instead of "x".

[Rich S]

Thanks for the additional comments.

 

In practice, users will use the pre-defined Set Tab Order so they can tab from the phone number field to the checkbox field (which, when "X'd", is used in a calculation elsewhere) where they can either click it or ignore it, then tab to the next phone number field.

 

As for the field name fitting (and I have a handful of long field names), I got to fit by both setting the point size down to 1 as you suggested and reducing the line height from 1.0 to 0.1. So, mission accomplished! (Thanks for the tip about the the opening < sign.)

 

The concern I have with using a 1 instead of an X in the field is that users--who will be brand new to FileMaker and databases, etc.--will be familiar with X's in the solution, not 1's, so for them, having an X appear would be more familiar to them.

 

 

There is a problem that just occurred to me, though: converting the field to a merge field makes it "un-Findable", so I'm going to have tho think this through (again) whether users should be allows to perform a Find based on ticked checkboxes.

[comment]

In practice, users will use the pre-defined Set Tab Order so they can tab from the phone number field to the checkbox field (which, when "X'd", is used in a calculation elsewhere) where they can either click it or ignore it, then tab to the next phone number field.

 

I am afraid this part still makes no sense to me. You don't tab into field to "click or ignore it". You tab into a field to edit it - by typing. If you just want to give your users the sense of another "stop" in the process, make them tab into the button attached to the field, not to the field itself. Then they can either click the button, or tab away from it (ignore it), or - if properly trained - press space to fire it.

 

The concern I have with using a 1 instead of an X in the field is that users--who will be brand new to FileMaker and databases, etc.--will be familiar with X's in the solution, not 1's, so for them, having an X appear would be more familiar to them.

 

What the users see and what the field contains are not necessarily the same thing. You can format the field either as a checkbox (using a value list of a single "1" value) or as a Boolean, using "x" (or another character) to show non-zeros and nothing otherwise and nothing otherwise. Or, as I mentioned earlier, you can hide the field altogether and use conditionally formatted text for the display.

 

 

converting the field to a merge field makes it "un-Findable",

 

So you can simply make it non-enterable.