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Questions s I hope you enjoy this FREE online training. Let me know if you'd like to see more! You can email me at jmo@filemakerpros.com. And, if you really like this online training, consider one of my live classes based on my wildly popular book and CD ROM. Happy FileMaking!

Irregular Button Highlights

You've spent hours designing the perfect button in Photoshop for your FileMaker database. When you paste it into FileMaker and assign a script to it, the highlight is square. Yikes!



Irregularly shaped buttons highlight with a rectangle highlight due to how FileMaker treats foreign graphics. If you draw a circle with the FileMaker drawing tools and assign a script to it, the highlight is circular. FileMaker treats native graphics differently.



FileMaker native graphics are the answer to your dilemma. All you have to do is place the FileMaker object over your beautifully designed button and assign a transparent fill and pen.



The final product allows you to keep your beautifully designed button and gain the advantages of a FileMaker native object highlight.

NOTE: Don't forget to remove the script assigned to your original button or the irregular button highlight will still occur.

This technique works fine for a circular button, but what about buttons that have no corresponding shape in the FileMaker tools area? All you have to do is use the FileMaker line tool. For example, let's say you have a triangular button that highlights incorrectly.



Stack horizontal lines created with the FileMaker line tool and cover the graphic. Zoom to 400% so this job is easier.



Once you have completly covered the graphic, group the lines and set the pen color to transparent. The grouped lines will highlight as one object when a script is assigned to it.

TIP: Normally, the arrow tool is automatically selected after you have drawn a line. Double-click on the line tool to keep it selected. That way you can draw multiple lines without reselecting the line tool everytime a line is completed.

TIP: Hold the Shift key down while drawing your line to get a perfect horizontal or vertical line.

Download an example FileMaker file  Mac  Win .

DONE
Exclamation s Database Pros offers training classes across the globe. Classes include the wildly popular Intermediate and Advanced Scriptology training series.

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