# "Force Field" around Layout Fields **URL:** \ **Category:** Floating Topics\ **Created:** [October 14, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/force-field-around-layout-fields/3744 "2023-10-14T18:15:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tonywhitelive](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/tonywhitelive/32/208_2.png) [@tonywhitelive](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/tonywhitelive)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/force-field-around-layout-fields/3744/1 "2023-10-14T18:15:15Z")
Vince Menanno AKA @vmenanno did a very interesting and important DIGFM presentation demonstrating that there is a "force field" around a "Layout Field" that causes Layout Text to change when the matching Field name changes. Lots of testing included in the presentation! DIGFM: Discussing Roadmaps and App Maps (9/14/2023) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5S4OOtharGA/maxresdefault.jpg "DIGFM: Discussing Roadmaps and App Maps (9/14/2023)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S4OOtharGA&t=3964s) (starting at 1:06:04) (57 and counting views at time of posting this) Useful feature? Is there a risk to this feature? What do you do to mitigate the risk? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Bobino](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/bobino/32/194_2.png) [@Bobino](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Bobino)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/force-field-around-layout-fields/3744/2 "2023-10-14T23:41:12Z")
It is nice to understand a bit better this behavior. I will attempt answering your questions (not in the same order). - **Is there a risk to this feature?** _Yes, like with anything that automates something, there can be cases where this will transform something you would otherwise like to see preserved._ - **What do you do to mitigate the risk?** _I believe this is all about field naming. I use field names that do not involve spaces, start with a lowercase and use capital letters to mark where spaces would normally be. This means "Phone Number" as a field name becomes "phoneNumber" something I won't ever use as a label._ - **Useful feature?** _On a dev (or API call) layout, if I have a label next to the field, I want that to be the field name. If the field name is updated, it is nice not to have to revisit the dev layout(s) involved_ - **Thoughts?** _Perhaps claris should have a layout level flag that let us specify for a whole layout if we want that layout to be impacted by this feature or not. I would like created the layouts to default with that flag (or default to a dev preference about it, that would be even better), and would flag all user-facing layouts. If I forget to remove the flag on a dev layout, it is of less incidence. I would like the same flag to prevent newly defined fields to be added to the layout. Basically, I want something that let us tell FileMaker "I'm the one in charge of this layout, do not mess with it thank you very much."_ ---
**Author:** ![Malcolm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/malcolm/32/196_2.png) [@Malcolm](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Malcolm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 2:17am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/force-field-around-layout-fields/3744/3 "2023-10-15T02:17:48Z")
Interesting. Is there any documentation of this feature? Way, way back in time text objects that were place automatically as a field label carried a flag that was modified when the text field was modified. Any modification meant that you owned the field label and it no longer changed. At the time I had asked why we couldn't control that flag ourselves in the inspector. I never received a response, nor has the option been made a user setting. ---
**Author:** ![tonywhitelive](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/tonywhitelive/32/208_2.png) [@tonywhitelive](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/tonywhitelive)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/force-field-around-layout-fields/3744/4 "2023-10-15T02:41:39Z")
> [@Malcolm](#): > > Way, way back in time text objects that were place automatically as a field label carried a flag that was modified when the text field was modified. Any modification meant that you owned the field label and it no longer changed. > > At the time I had asked why we couldn't control that flag ourselves in the inspector. I never received a response, nor has the option been made a user setting. This part talks about the flag that is modified when a text field is resized... [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5S4OOtharGA/maxresdefault.jpg "DIGFM: Discussing Roadmaps and App Maps (9/14/2023)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S4OOtharGA&t=4742s) ...(starting 1:19:02 in )