FM 12. When I click in a portal, all the fields (in all the rows) are outlined with light dotted lines. I have the field graphic line set to none (in inspector) and Text and Field boundaries set to off. What causes this and how can I turn off the dotted lines?

In layout setup, un check 'Show field frames when record is active' in the general tab

I’m not sure what you mean. In FM 12 I don’t have a general tab. I’ve unchecked “Field Boundaries” in the View/Show menu, but the lines still appear.

In Layout mode, select Layout Setup… from the  Layouts menu. This will open the Layout Setup window, where - under the General tab - the "Show field frames when record is active" option is.

Note: even with this option turned off, you will see dotted lines around all enterable fields whenever you click on the layout background. With the option turned on, the dotted lines will also be shown whenever your cursor is in one those fields.This has nothing to do with a portal: all fields on the layout behave the same way, whether in a portal or not.