Working with Text

FileMaker Pro has robust text editing capabilities. Yet there are some differences when working with text in FileMaker Pro from a word processing program. These differences are discussed in the following pages. However, for a complete understanding of how FileMaker Pro handles text, refer to a FileMaker Pro reference guide.

Text Boxes

Unlike word processing, text in FileMaker Pro is contained within Text Objects. You can create and edit text within a Text Object as you would in a word processing program using the Text tool, but the text itself is contained in a Text Object.

You can move and re-size Text Objects. The text within the Text Object will reposition itself accordingly. Pointing and dragging in the middle of a Text Object allows you to move it around the screen. Pointing and dragging a handle of the Text Object will re-size it.

Moving and Re-sizing Text Boxes

1. Navigate to one of the sample letters within Inquiries.
2. Using the techniques described in the previous sections, duplicate and rename the layout and then connect it to the Letters Org screen so you can navigate to it easily. You can delete this letter and the button later if you decide not to keep it. You’ll use this letter to experiment with in the next few exercises.
3. Using the Pointer tool in Layout mode, click on the body of the letter to select it. The four handles will appear to indicate the boundaries of the Text Object.
4. If the Text Object is locked, unlock it by selecting Unlock from the FileMaker Pro Arrange menu.
5. Point, click, and hold on the bottom-right handle.
6. Without letting go of your mouse, drag the handle to the right or left and up and down to re-size the Text Object.

You can resize the Text Object to any size. Notice that the text within the object conforms to the new size. Let go of your mouse when it is the size you want.

To move your Text Object:

1. Point to the middle of the Text Object. Click and hold.
2. Without releasing your mouse, drag the Text Object around the layout.
3. Release the mouse when the Text Object is where you want it.

Selecting and Editing Text

Text within a Text Object can be edited using the Text tool. Often the Text Object is locked and must be unlocked to edit the text contained within.

1. Select the Text tool.
2. Point to a word that you want to edit in the Text Object and double click on it. The word will be highlighted just as in word processing. Typing anything on the keyboard will replace whatever is highlighted with the new text.
3. Point to a word and triple-click on it. The entire line will be highlighted. Typing anything, will replace the line.
4. Point to the middle of a paragraph and click repeatedly until the entire paragraph highlights. Typing anything, will replace the paragraph with the new text.

Word Wrap

When creating text in a new Text Object, sometimes you have to force the text within the object to wrap. Otherwise, the text will be one long continuous line that scrolls endlessly to the right.

Next you will create a new Text Object and set the wrap parameters of the text.

1. Using the same layout as in the previous section, select the Text tool.
2. In an empty area of the layout, click and drag down and to the right, making a rectangle approximately 3 inches by 2 inches.
3. Release the mouse.
4. A cursor will be flashing at the top left of the newly drawn Text Object.
5. Without clicking anywhere, type something. Clicking anywhere else will cause the Text Object to disappear. If this happens, just create the object again.
6. Continue typing until you have reached the end of the Text Object. Type just a little more text to see if your text wraps automatically. If so, all is well. If not, and instead of wrapping, your Text Object begins to grow to the right to accommodate your text, follow the steps below.
7. Click outside the Text Object.
8. Using the Pointer tool, click and drag the bottom-right handle to the left until the text wraps.
9. Once you have forced the text to wrap, release the mouse.

Now your text knows to wrap. Continue to type, and the text will automatically wrap as in a word processing program.

Copying and Pasting Text

You can copy text from other documents and paste it into a Text Object in FileMaker Pro. Because of the issues with wrapping text, it is important that you first set the text wrapping parameters before you paste your text. Otherwise, your entire document will be a single line.

1. Before you paste your text into a new Text Object, write enough placeholder text in the Text Object to set the wrapping parameter of the Text Object as described above.
2. Once you have set the parameter, place your cursor after the placeholder text you just wrote and paste the desired text into the Text Object. Your text will conform to the parameters you set.
3. Delete the placeholder text you created.
4. Re-size the Text Object and place it on the letter where you desire.

Page Margins and Boundaries

1. Navigate to a letter layout that you created previously.
2. Switch to Layout mode.
3. If the Text Rulers are not showing, select Text Rulers from the FileMaker Pro View menu. Text Rulers can display inches, pixels, or centimeters.
4. Click into the top left corner of the rulers to switch between measurements. Click until inches are displayed. This will help you determine where to place your Text Object for letters. Notice the vertical dotted line running down the right side of the layout. This designates the right page boundary at 8.5 inches in Portrait page setup.
5. Scroll down until you can see the bottom of the layout. If this is a duplicate of one of the sample letters, the bottom should be at 10.5 inches.
6. With the Pointer tool, point to the bottom of the layout and click and hold. The Pointer tool will turn into a double arrow.
7. Without letting go of your mouse, pull down until your layout is 11.5 inches. Notice there is now a page boundary at the bottom. When creating letters, you should not have your Text Object extend beyond this page boarder. If it does, you have very little control on how the text breaks across pages when printed. It does not necessarily break where it displays in Browse mode. That is why the sample letters have a bottom page boundary set at 10.5 inches. If your letter requires a second page, extend the bottom layout boundary to 22 inches. Create a new Text Object on the second page and continue the letter text. Do not allow Text Objects to cross the bottom page boundary.
8. Set your page boundary back to 10.5 inches.

Aligning Text Boxes

A layout may often have multiple Text Objects, some of which you may want aligned with one another. It is easy to align them exactly on the layout.

1. Select the Text Objects you wish to align. You can select multiple Text Objects by clicking on one. With that one still selected, hold the shift key down, and click on any others that you want selected. If you click anywhere else, all of them will be de-selected, and you will have to start over.
2. With the desired Text Objects selected, choose Set Alignment from the FileMaker Pro Arrange menu. The Set Alignment dialog box will appear. You can align objects top to bottom and/or left to right. As you select options, a sample of what you have selected will be displayed in the Sample box.You can also use the Object Size box to place objects at equal distance from the top, bottom, left, or right page margins. Additionally, you can set the width and height of objects with the Object Size box.
3. Select Object Size from the FileMaker Pro View menu to display the Object Size box.
4. With an object selected, click into any of the fields in the Object Size box and type a new number.
5. Tab out of the field to enact the size change.

Like the Text Rulers, the Object Size box can display inches, pixels, or centimeters. To switch between the measurements, click on any of the measurement labels along the right side of the Object Size box.

Formatting Text

Text can be formatted much as it can in any word processing program.

1. Highlight the text you wish to format.
2. Click on the FileMaker Pro Format menu.

You will see all the options for formatting text.

Non-Printing Objects

Layouts can contain objects that are formatted to print as well as to not print.

1. Navigate to the Letters Help screen in Inquiries.
2. Click the Ex S Simple letter.
3. Make sure you are in Browse mode. Notice that the letter contains the Task Bar as well as the title Ex Student Simple Letter.
4. Switch to Preview mode. Notice that the Task Bar elements as well as the title are not displayed. This is because they have been set to not print.
5. Switch to Layout mode.
6. Click on the Text Object Ex Student Simple Letter to select it.
7. Select Sliding/Printing from the FileMaker Pro Format window.

Notice that the Do not print selected objects checkbox is selected. Any object with this option selected displays in every mode except Preview mode, meaning that it will not be printed. Placing letter titles and other items on screens to give others an idea of the purpose of the layout is helpful.

Formatting Dates

You can format date fields on layouts in a variety of ways.

1. Navigate to the Letters Help screen in Inquiries.
2. Click the Ex S Simple letter. Duplicate and rename the layout so you have something to experiment with.
3. In layout mode, select the Text Object that contains the body of the letter. You may have to unlock the object first. Notice that the date is now a set of hash marks or the date symbol, //. This date symbol was placed here by selecting Date Symbol from the FileMaker Pro Insert menu. For more detailed information on using dates, refer to the FileMaker Pro User Documentation or any other FileMaker Pro reference.
4. With the Text Object selected, select Date from the FileMaker Pro Format menu. The Date Format window for selected objects will appear. Notice that the Format As option has been selected.
5. Click and hold on that pull-down menu to see what other formats are available.
6. Return to Browse mode to see how different options affect how the date is displayed in the letter body.

You may want to explore the Custom option in the Date Format dialog box. Your FileMaker Pro User Guide can assist you in exploring these options.