Formatting Text in FileMaker using a Script/Button

On a FileMaker themed Facebook group, someone asked:

In a word processor you can highlight text and then hit a button to change formatting, line BOLD, UNDERLINE, COLOR…etc. In Filemaker you use the format drop down menus, but does anyone know how to make a button to change the format of the currently highlighted text?

I knew I had done this before but struggled to find the solution where I had done this, so I am making a note here for future reference to myself and others.

Make a set of buttons calling a script.

Give each button the script parameter of the desired formatting option, such as ‘bold’, ‘italic’ etc. Then make/call a script called something like ‘Format Text’. 

2020-05-23 Updated script to be field independent, based on suggestions from the person who posed the question in the first place.

Format Text
If [ Get(ActiveSelectionSize)=0 ]

#skip action – nothing selected.

Else

#format text using the script parameter.

Set Variable [ $TheText; Value:TextStyleAdd ( Middle ( Get(ActiveFieldContents); Get(ActiveSelectionStart) ; Get (ActiveSelectionSize )) ; Get(ScriptParameter) ) ]

Insert Calculated Result [ $TheText ] 

End If

Once you have the script and buttons in place, you should be able to select text in a field and then tap the buttons to quickly add formatting to your FileMaker database text.

You will of course need to replace ‘FM_Word Processor::Text with the field name you want this script to work on. I tried to make it more portable by using ‘Self’ instead of a field name, but FileMaker did not seem to like this level of abstraction.

Demo File

Full list of formatting options are here: https://fmhelp.filemaker.com/help/14/fmp/en/html/func_ref1.32.284.html#1077883

•Plain

•Bold

•Italic

•Underline

•HighlightYellow

•Condense

•Extend

•Strikethrough

•SmallCaps

•Superscript

•Subscript

•Uppercase

•Lowercase

•Titlecase

•WordUnderline

•DoubleUnderline