Attached should be an extremely simple example to illustrate how the variable field sizing feature with "slide up" and "adjust enclosing part" works in a sub-summary body item.
(It is not a feature that can be applied to portals.)
Thanks Steve, I really appreciate you taking the time to create that example for me.
Unfortunately, this still doesn’t do what I want. What I want is that regardless of how much text I enter, that text field itself would grow or shrink to display all of it.
I was trying to create a simple accounting system in FileMaker so invoices would need to be able to display any amount of details for an invoice item.
Realizing the overall complexity in this “create a simple accounting system” endeavor, I have since given up and am using “gnuCash”, a free and open source accounting package.
So far, gnuCash is superb! Free, (no subscriptions!), open source, etc.
‘any amount of detail’ is not possible, but a “more-than sufficient amount of detail’’ is easy. Steve’s first reply correctly illustrates it.
The thing is a field can be reduced in preview/print mode but not expanded, so you need to design a layout with a very large field.
Also, note that only list views allow different heights on different records, not portal rows.
Yep, understood. Steve’s example was excellent. I really appreciated his effort to try to help.
But, I can’t send an invoice to a client with either huge empty fields or fields that won’t accommodate some large text content. A spreadsheet is free and a much better than this already.
However, I am now using ‘gnuCash’ (free, open source) which creates invoices easily with any amount of detail, or as little detail, in clean lines. Plus, all the nasty accounting stuff is built in once you know basic double-entry accounting.
No - the client will get perfectly formatted fields if you apply the method demoed by @steve_ssh earlier. The pdf or print out with this feature to shrink and also shrink the entire part can accommodate perfectly most scenarios …
I pasted a huge amount of text (not uncommon for a detailed invoice) and most of it was still cut off in his demo.
I’ve already solved this issue by using the free “gnuCash” accounting program which works as expected and has double-entry accounting built in. It’s great!
an increase of the field would have fixed it in 1 sec
FM is amazing in reporting (if you know what you are doing) and with triggers you even can alter the text pasted or typed into a field and overflow in new lines etc. I created an Invoicing system for a client who needed very special formatting with exactly the mentioned feature.
As you implied, I must not know what I am doing… LOL
Here is what happens when I use Steve’s example:
YIKES — trying to upload screenshots (in memory or from file) to this forum is giving me: “Sorry, there was an error uploading input.png. Please try again.”
I am also not able to upload a zip file!
OK, here is a link (valid until 4/10/26) you can use to download the zip file with “input” and “output” I got using Steve’s example.
Let me know where I am off here so that all the text on the “input” appears on the “output”, OK?
LOL