Editing objects, layout parts, and the layout background > Formatting objects, layout parts, and the layout background > Setting the fill, line style, and borders for objects, layout parts, and the layout background
 
Setting the fill, line style, and borders for objects, layout parts, and the layout background
Use the Graphic area in the Inspector to change the appearance of objects, layout parts, and the layout background.
To change the appearance of objects or layout parts:
1. In Layout mode, select one or more objects or a layout part label.
2. Click Inspector Inspector button in the layout bar, then click the Appearance Appearance tab.
3. To change the appearance of the object or the body part when it’s in a particular state (for example, when a button is pressed), choose from the object state list (the second list in the tab).
See Specifying the display state for an object.
4. In the Graphic area, select the options you want to use.
Graphic area of the Inspector
 
To add or change
Choose
The fill of an object (including the backgrounds of text objects, fields, and portals) or the layout part
Fill
The fill you specify for the body part also affects the background of the table in Table View.
If your fill setting does not appear in a portal, set portal rows to transparent. See Formatting portals.
The border around an object or layout part
Any combination of borders
Border control
The borders between repeating fields or portal rows
Borders between repetitions Alternate Row Border control.
The style and width of the border around an object or layout part
Line
The color of the border around an object or layout part
Color Line color palette button
The shape of the corners of an object or layout part
Corner radius
Choose each corner that you want to have a rounded appearance, and specify a value in points. The larger the value, the more a corner is rounded.
The transparency of the fill color
Opacity slider
Windows: Drag the slider in the color palette.
OS X: Click Other Color in the color palette, then drag the slider.
A custom color
Fill or Line
Theme colors in color palette
To create a custom color, drag a color from the color palette or the color swatch to the theme colors area, then click the color. (The light and dark variations of the custom color are generated by FileMaker Pro.) You can replace or add to the existing theme colors.
The RGB value of a color in hexadecimal format appears in the text box. You can enter or paste a value of three or six characters.
To set a specific color value, click Sample color button. Then move the mouse pointer anywhere on the screen to the color you want to capture, then click.
To fill the layout background with a solid color:
1. In Layout mode, click anywhere in the layout background to select it.
Note  To select the layout background, ensure no objects or parts are selected.
2. Click Inspector Inspector button in the layout bar, then click the Appearance Appearance tab. Choose options in the Graphic area.
3. For Fill, choose Solid Color.
4. Click Fill color palette button, then choose a color from the color palette.
You can use a custom color. See the section above.
5. To change the transparency of the fill color, click Fill color palette button again, then drag the Opacity slider (Windows) or click Other Color, then drag the Opacity slider (OS X).
To make an object, layout part, or the layout background transparent:
•In the Inspector: For Fill and Line, choose None or transparent Transparent fill in color palette in the color palette.
•In the formatting bar: For Line, choose None or transparent Transparent fill in color palette in the color palette. For Fill, choose transparent Transparent fill in color palette in the color palette.
Notes
•You can’t set individual borders on lines, ovals, circles, tab controls, or slide controls.
•Layout background fill does not extend behind navigation parts.
•When you fill a layout part with an image, the image is stored in the FileMaker Pro file. The image then appears in every record that uses the layout and “fills” the entire width of the FileMaker Pro window when it is resized. You can also insert an image as a static object on a layout, which lets you reference the image from another file. See Inserting graphics onto a layout.
Related topics 
Drawing and inserting objects on a layout
Editing objects, layout parts, and the layout background
Adding borders, fill, and baselines to fields
Adding shadows and padding to layout objects
Copying formatting attributes between layout objects, parts, or backgrounds
Specifying the display state for an object
Filling objects, layout parts, or the layout background with a color gradient
Filling objects, layout parts, or the layout background with an image
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