I am creating a PDF version of our receipts and invoices and our letterhead
is designed with all of the information heading down the left side, instead
of the more conventional top and bottom. This creates quite an issue for
FileMaker...

The receipt layout has a header, the body, and a footer. So which one of
these three parts can accommodate a top-to-bottom element? It seems that
none of them can without adversely affecting the vertical size of any one of
them.

Has anyone done this before...?





Rick A.
Pleasanton CA

Rick Altman wrote on (11/1/2005):

There is nothing that will do what you're asking for, at least not as a
part similar to header, body, footer, etc.

In my experience, the function of the parts is to provide for uniform
placement of standard elements at the top and bottom of the screen in list
view. I don't have any use for them at all in form view.

Unless I miss my guess, you're using form, not list, to view and print
your documents, so wouldn't simply placing your vertical graphic element
down the side of the form accomplish what you want? It will, after all, be
there in every document.

Matt

I'm using List view to accommodate multiple child records on a layout, and
with the vertical graphic placed, it imposes (seemingly) arbitrary
dimensions to the Body part.

I've worked around this with a redesign -- it was just a curiosity and mild
annoyance...




Rick A.



"Matt Wills" <I'm (AT) Witz (DOT) end> wrote

In article <xZmdnYoe2-q3T_renZ2dnUVZ_sydnZ2d (AT) comcast (DOT) com>,
rick.a (AT) NOSPAMaltman (DOT) com says...
Just don't put anything in left-most inch or two on any layout you
intend to print.

-regards,
Dave

In article <xZmdnYoe2-q3T_renZ2dnUVZ_sydnZ2d (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, "Rick
Altman" <rick.a (AT) NOSPAMaltman (DOT) com> wrote:

If you've got pre-printed letterheads that you want to print the
Receipt / Invoice on to, then you simply need to change the left or
right margin of the layout in Layout -> Layout Set-up to a bigger
number.

If you're printing the letterhead at the same time as the Receipt /
Invoice onto blank paper, then you're a little stuck ... although, a
bit of playing with a Global field and a script should be able to get
around the problem.



Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

Thanks, Harry --

If I were printing these, then indeed, drop letterhead in the printer and
off we go. But as PDF documents, it's not quite so simple. And as for the
global field, it sounds like fun...but ultimately not worth it for this
relatively trivial matter...


Rick A.




"Helpful Harry" <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote

In article <A4-dndPq9fGtdPXeRVn-pQ (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, "Rick Altman"
<rick.a (AT) NOSPAMaltman (DOT) com> wrote:

In that case there is a third option: get your letterhead redsiened
"properly". It's called "letterhead" because the company information is
at the Head of the Letter, not down the side of it. ;o)

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

The header.

1) Encapsulate your letterhead artwork as a single graphic file. (For
example, a 1" x 11" EPS.)

2) Increase the available size of your layout by adding a subsummary part
based on a field which will never be used in the layout or sort order. Make
this part big enough to accommodate the full height of the letterhead
element. By basing it on an unused field, you ensure this part will never
appear in the report. It is just for accommodating the extra-tall graphic.

3) Insert the Picture into the layout. Make sure it starts in the header.

If the part sizes need adjustment, hold down the Alt key as you drag the
parts up and down.

Objects do not need to be completely enclosed by a part in order to appear
in the output. They will simply overprint (actually "underprint")
information the parts below it. This method may be used to print watermarks
as well as "sidebar-style" letterheads like yours.

Bill

"Rick Altman" <rick.a (AT) NOSPAMaltman (DOT) com> wrote

Rick Altman wrote:
I'm coming into this late, so apologies if this has already been
suggested. Can you rotate everything on the layout and then print as
landscape so that the header really becomes the left side (or right
side) of your page?

Or if each of the rows in the list will be the same height, you might be
able to use either a portal or repeating calc field to form your list.

Or, well, wait a minute. If you have your letterhead/masthead as a
graphic image, then you can place it on a layout so that only the very
top of it resides in a header part. It would then flow down across your
body part, and then you might be able to house the excess length within
a sub-summary part at the bottom. The sub-sum part won't actually take
up space unless you specifically sort by the sub-sum field (so don't do
that). But, then, if your list is shorter than a page, this method may
also cut off the bottom of the masthead past the final body part.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Howard Schlossberg (818) 883-2846
FM Pro Solutions Los Angeles, California

FileMaker 7 Certified Developer
Associate Member, FileMaker Solutions Alliance

Don't worry... th graphic will appear completely; it won't cut off.

Bill

"Howard Schlossberg" <howard (AT) antispahm (DOT) fmprosolutions.com> wrote