Field missing from expanded picklist

[flame1 0]

A few days ago, the "person name" disappeared off my expanded picklist. I have reindexed, optimized, and validated file integrity to no avail. I also tried going into the options button from the expanded picklist and deselecting all columns and adding back just the person name. I get a blank screen. When I reselect the columns I was originally using, all of them appear on the screen except the person name.

 

Based on suggestion from the TMG mailing list, I also checked to be sure the column wasn't just resized to where it was so narrow I couldn't see it. The only double-ended arrow that I get allowing me to resize anything is the one that resizes the expanded picklist window. Any suggestions?

[Vera Nagel 0]

A few days ago, the "person name" disappeared off my expanded picklist. I have reindexed, optimized, and validated file integrity to no avail. I also tried going into the options button from the expanded picklist and deselecting all columns and adding back just the person name. I get a blank screen. When I reselect the columns I was originally using, all of them appear on the screen except the person name.

 

Based on suggestion from the TMG mailing list, I also checked to be sure the column wasn't just resized to where it was so narrow I couldn't see it. The only double-ended arrow that I get allowing me to resize anything is the one that resizes the expanded picklist window. Any suggestions?

 

Hi, Carol,

 

I followed the thread on TMG-L and also read all the good suggestions already made. I really wonder why it is still not working for you.

 

May be I can't remember I already read it but when you change File > Preferences > Program Options > Lists to use the Simple Picklist do you then get the column "Name of person"?

 

So right now I can only offer to send me a backup of your pure project (just the project itself nothing else included, please) and see whether I can figure something out.

If you would like to do so please sent it to Vera Nagel!

[MMj 0]

Hi Vera

 

I've been following this thread with interest too, mostly just to try to understand what it was that caused the problem in the first place. I have a theory about the cause, and I thought I would ask your opinion about it.

 

The example I will give is on the Person part of the Details form, rather than in the picklist, because what I want to talk about is easier to see there than anywhere else.

 

If I place my mouse cursor on the right-hand vertical bar of the "Type" label (the one right under the Person tab, and right above the "Name", "Father" and "Mother" fields), and drag it slightly to the left, it shrinks the size of the "Type" field. That action also moves the "Name" field (which is immediately to the right of it) slightly to the left and exposes the right-hand border of the "Name" field.

 

If I then place my mouse cursor on the now exposed right-hand vertical bar of the "Name" label, and move my mouse to leftwards to shrink the size of the "Name" field, I can shrink the size of my "Name" field until it has completely disappeared.

 

But what is strange here, is that in the case of the "Name" field in this form, I can not re-size the width of the field back to its original size. If I try to grab the edge of the field with the mouse to re-size it, all that happens is that the "Type" field gets bigger, but the "Name" field remains hidden. The only way that I can get my "Name" field back (that I know of), is to exit from TMG without saving layout changes, and then re-enter TMG. I did not try exiting after saving layout changes, because I wasn't sure whether I would easily get my "Name" field back if I did.

 

Now I know that this doesn't happen in all columns in all TMG grids. For example, right on that same form you can drag the "Name/Place" column to the left and completely hide the "Date" column to the left of it. But you can also re-size the "Date" column to its original size with no problem.

 

But it makes me wonder, could a similar issue have affected the expanded picklist, or is what I am talking about here a different issue altogether.

 

Thanks

Mike

[ggilbert1 0]

See this thread

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/TMG/2006-09/1157931475

[MMj 0]

Yes, I had read that thread, but its not the point of my original message. I was more interested in what might have caused the disappearing column problem to begin with than I was in the solution. And I wondered if it might be anything like what I observed in the Details form, where I can cause a column to disappear and cannot make it reappear without exiting completely from TMG and reentering. And if I saved my layout on exit (as it prompted me to do), I'm not sure whether I would have been able to get the column back at all.

[Paul Lawrence 0]

Yes, I had read that thread, but its not the point of my original message. I was more interested in what might have caused the disappearing column problem to begin with than I was in the solution. And I wondered if it might be anything like what I observed in the Details form, where I can cause a column to disappear and cannot make it reappear without exiting completely from TMG and reentering. And if I saved my layout on exit (as it prompted me to do), I'm not sure whether I would have been able to get the column back at all.

 

In the case you were defining as an example you do not have to exit and reenter TMG to make the Name column reappear...just reselect you layout. The Layout saves the sizes of the columns.

 

When you move the right edge of the name field left and make the name field disappear you in essence have placed the right border of the name field over the right border of the type field. When you try to grab the border and make the name field larger and the type field gets larger you have grabbed the right border of the type field not the name field. When both are overlapping it becomes difficult to grab the one that you want. With a little luck you might be able to grab the correct border eventually if you keep trying but normally you need some other method to restore the column sizes. In the case of the Detail view just reapply the layout. In the case of the Picklist you need to modify the app.ini as indicated...

[MMj 0]

Thanks. Hadn't thought about simply reapplying the layout to correct the problem.